Team Kadena, schools join to keep education flowing

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Amanda Savannah
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Understanding the proverb, "It takes a whole village to raise a child," Team Kadena has joined Department of Defense Dependent Schools Pacific - Okinawa to help educate the base's youth.

Managed by Ami Prince, Air Force school liaison here, the Adopt-A-School program is a Kadena Air Base and DoDDS Partners in Education program that encourages community service support through tutoring, becoming teacher's aides, mentoring, laboring and performing various other school and classroom needs.

In the program, various groups, squadrons, units, organizations and offices adopt a school for the school year. By adopting the school, supervisors and commanders make an agreement with the school that they are standing by to assist with the education of its children in any way they can as long as it doesn't interfere with the mission, Prince said.

Currently, the seven schools on Kadena have been adopted by 20 organizations.

"The 18th Security Forces Squadron decided to adopt two schools, both Kadena High School and Kadena Middle School, because we believe this is a great opportunity and venue for us to have a positive impact on our community," said Master Sgt. William Murphy, 18th Security Forces Squadron assistant first sergeant. "Providing positive role models to our youth and providing regular interaction, whether it be through tutoring, school events or just helping out around the school, is part of being responsible members of Kadena and Okinawa. Our hope is to assist in the development of our future leaders and inspire our youth to be positive role models throughout our community."

Marti, Kadena High School assistant principal, said the Adopt-A-School program gives students more possibilities and enhances their education.

"For kids to be in an environment with adults beyond their teachers and parents makes such a difference," she said. "The opportunity to interact with people from the squadrons opens up so many other possibilities for them. It goes beyond what we do [as teachers]. It gives them skills and knowledge we can't.

"Here our motto is 'Shaping Futures,' and the Adopt-A-School program helps put us in line with that. When we have base squadrons involved, it gives the kids the wide and clear knowledge that there are so many opportunities out there, and it hooks them into understanding that education is important."

Prince said she would like to see more of the Team Kadena "village" help out.

"I would like to have at least five squadrons or units to adopt each school," she said. "The more squadrons a school has [the better], because everyone is busy these days. When the school sends out a volunteer request to their partners, sometimes the squadron is busy ... so they may not be able to give their full support. If a school has four or five squadrons that have adopted it, that just opens up more people to be able to help."

Team Kadena's military units aren't the only organizations that can adopt a school.

"It's open to anyone. One I have right now [is] the Pentagon Federal Credit Union," Prince said.

Prince said she also enjoys her role in helping "raise" Kadena's youth.

"I like being able to help the schools," she said. "I know how busy [the teachers] are on a day-to-day basis, and if volunteers can help them move furniture, unpack boxes, do things like that so [the faculty] can focus on the teaching, the curriculum, and being with the kids, I think that makes a difference."