Photo By Sgt. Kenneth Tucceri | The W.T. Sampson High School is one of two schools on Naval Station Guantanamo Bay...... read more read more
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - As September nears, for young Americans, one annual event is always the same no matter where they call home - school is back in session. For the school-age residents of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Monday marked the beginning of their academic year.
According to Brian Perry, the principal of the base’s two schools: W.T. Sampson Elementary and W.T. Sampson High School, things are not much different here than from a school in the states, aside from the unique location and eclectic student body.
“It’s a diverse group of students with a lot of life experiences,” said Perry. “That’s how we would differ from a normal school system or from a school system in the states. They’ve been around the world, some are from different countries, and their parents speak a lot of different languages. It is definitely a diverse set of individuals.”
GTMO’s schools are part of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). They support Sure Start through grade 12, said Perry, with 232 total students here, some of them children of Joint Task Force Service members.
Of the challenges Perry faced to start the new school year here, one was to fill in the many vacancies created by a large faculty turnover; the other was to ensure the new staff members arrived before the start of school. This was a collective effort from many different levels within DoDEA.
“The challenge is getting them connected quickly,” said Perry. “When I first came here, I came without my family for a couple of months, and some teachers have done that as well. So, getting them connected, and getting them to bond as a team is a must. I feel like we have done that during our first days together as a staff, so our challenge is to continue that throughout the school year.”
Getting teachers to commit to coming to GTMO isn’t always an easy thing either, said Perry.
“It’s a selling process, and you have to be honest with people,” he said in regards to recruiting new staff. “I’ve been here since September, and my family and I love it. It has its challenges, but at the end of the day there’s lots to do. The way the base does things, there are always things to do.”
Perry began his teaching career with DoDEA 14 years ago at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. To Perry, it’s a great system with excellent training and good support for teachers and administrators.
“It kind of landed in my lap when I first started teaching, and I kind of fell in love with it,” said Perry. “I grew up in Montgomery, where Maxwell is, and it’s kind of a secret, not many people knew they had a school there. I wasn’t in the military, so it’s my way to serve, my way to give back to our military families.”
Thinking of DoDEA schools may bring to light the vast aspects that help our military succeed in winning the fight.
“I think we are slated for a phenomenal year,” said Perry. “We are going to build on what we did the first two days. It’s good to bring new ideas into a school, and that’s what I’m most excited about. Our diverse staff from many different backgrounds and experiences will mesh together and share ideas. We are set for a great school year.”
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2014 13:25 |
| Story ID: | 140703 |
| Location: | GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Back to school in Guantanamo, by SGT Kenneth Tucceri, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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