Air Force Technical Sergeant James Beedle, whose children attend Foundations, coordinated the visit with the school, and even let fifth-grader McKenzie Self call the helicopter in for a landing. Self was chosen at random from this year’s Moral Focus™ winners at Foundations.
A scheduling issue changed the date of the visit, which was originally planned for October to coincide with Red Ribbon Week, a time dedicated to educating youth about drug-use prevention. An agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Rocky Mountain Division delivered a clear message to students: Stay away from drugs.
Foundations Principal Trina Noris-Buck said the message was well received by students and a good Q&A followed. The visitors also handed out special bracelets to students to remind them of the message.
“With such a diverse group of ages, the speaker was very clear and succinct,” Norris-Buck said. “There were some good questions posed.”
Students were then invited to walk by the helicopter for a closer look. They were surprised to see how many people could fit inside the Black Hawk, as well as the different gauges in the cockpit.
“This created a memorable opportunity for our students, and I hope they will remember this experience for years to come. Having strong parent and community partnerships allows our students to experience events like this. It also opens their eyes to different careers and experiences they perhaps haven't been exposed to yet.”
Great work welcoming special visitors, Foundations!
About Foundations Academy
Foundations Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Brighton, Colorado, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
Visit Foundations Academy's blog to read more stories like this.