News School offers new hope to Nablus children

Photo By Staff Sgt. Brian Tierce | An Iraqi band performs in the recently refurbished auditorium of the Nablus school in the Yarmouk neighborhood of northwest Baghdad, Nov. 23. During the event, Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, along with Iraq security forces, passed out school supplies to students of the school.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

11.23.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Brian Tierce 

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

By Sgt. Brian Tierce
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

BAGHDAD – If knowledge is power and the pen is actually mightier than the sword, then the refurbishing and reopening of the Nablus school in the Yarmouk community of northwest Baghdad, Nov. 23, will serve to empower the children of Mansour with the skills necessary to improve their lives.

The refurbishing project, which is also underway in more than 200 schools in Baghdad, added six new rooms, a computer lab and a science lab in addition to the school's auditorium being refurbished at no cost by the local contractor.

"The Nablus school should be the model that the other 220 schools currently under reconstruction follow," said Dr. Nihad, Karkh District Deputy Minister of Education.

The government of Iraq has placed a high level of importance on the rebuilding and refurbishing of its educational systems, said Dr. Nihad. The Nablus school, along with the refurbishing, also received boxes full of paper, more than 350 backpacks and 100 informative Iraqi comic books, which were distributed by members of Iraqi security forces and the ministry of education.

It was also a marquee day for Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, operationally attached to the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi National Division – Baghdad, who are responsible for security in the area.

"The refurbishing of this school gives hope to the elementary students in Yarmouk," said 1st Lt. Nicholas Anderson, a civil military operations officer with 2nd Bn., 42nd FA Regt. "Furthermore, it demonstrates the concern for academics from the local leadership."

During the event, students who will attend the refurbished school performed for the crowd. An Iraqi band provided entertainment as well. The entertainment brought a sense of normalcy, which serves as a reminder to the Soldiers who have worked so hard in recent moths to improve the standard of living for the people of Iraq.

The Soldiers know they are getting the job done in their operational environments, said Anderson, and they know also know that by empowering the Iraqis, they are making the transition that much easier.

"This was an outstanding Iraqi-led event," he concluded.

• Date Taken: 11.23.2008
• Date Posted: 11.26.2008 09:33
• Story ID: 26827
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ