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WASHINGTON - Students from across the National Capital Region returned to the classroom Aug. 24 and those who attend Amidon-Bowen Elementary School in Southwest Washington received a rousing back to school welcome from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
A little more than 300 students walked through the school’s gates Monday and were greeted by Soldiers from Headquarters Command Battalion, JBM-HH staff, faculty members, local police Chief Jeffery Brown, commander, 1st District, Metropolitan Police Department, and one of the Washington Nationals racing presidents, Teddy Roosevelt.
“I think it’s just nice to just cheer the kids on, make sure they have a good year and give back to the community a little,” said Sgt. Adam W. Luthy, one of nearly a dozen joint base volunteers who passed out pencils along with encouraging words to the kids.
“I think it’s very awe-inspiring,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy Wise. “For me, I never had anything like this coming through school. The first day of school, everything is tense, you’re trying to find where you’re going to go. In this situation, you’ve got Soldiers, you’ve got school teachers and everyone is here to welcome them. It’s a very nice environment.”
The JBM-HH public affairs and school liaison offices, along with the Southwest Washington Advisory Neighborhood Commission for Ward Six have greeted students at the start of the school year for seven years. The event started in 2009 when Bowen Elementary School merged with Amidon Elementary to make the merger easier on students.
“They come every year,” said Principal Isabella Miller. “They make the kids’ day, because they greet them. They are excited to see them. Any anxiety goes away right away.”
Army Staff Sgt. Justin Martin of the 529th Regimental Support Company and his wife, Sun, walked their 5-year-old twin boys, William and Alexander, to Amidon-Bowen for their first day of kindergarten. And William already had his plans made for the rest of the day.
“I’m probably gonna play,” he said.
JBM-HH partners with Amidon-Bowen under the Partnership in Education, a Department of Defense Education Activity program which links the individual armed services’ garrisons, installations and commands with local schools to enhance student education.
Headquarters Command Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Johnathon Kupka said greeting the students reminded him of his school days and the anticipation of the first day of class.
“I don’t ever remember it being this festive,” he said. “It’s a day these kids look forward to, the first day, the last day and the day before Christmas break. It’s fun to be here.”
| Date Taken: | 08.24.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2015 14:31 |
| Story ID: | 174445 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DC, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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