July 22, 2015 -- Area school administrators partnered with Marine Corps Community Services staff at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany to kick off the academic school year during the installation’s Operation Tools for School event at the Town and Country Restaurant Grand Ballroom, July 21.
The activity provided several opportunities for active-duty service members, spouses and their children to obtain relevant information from local and neighboring counties’ public, private, virtual online and home school systems representatives.
In his opening remarks to visiting school administrators, active-duty family members and students attending, Col. James Carroll III, commanding officer, MCLB Albany, invited parents to take full advantage of their access to area school representatives who were present.
“To the parents, please take advantage of this awesome opportunity to meet directly, one-on-one, with the leads and the top individuals within each school district, from superintendents on down, to get your questions answered, to understand what’s going on in each school,” Carroll said.
“This is a captive audience,” the colonel added. “Not many installations do this; in fact, I’m sure once the word is out, they’ll be doing it as well. So, you have these great individuals to come on base to answer your questions to help set you up for success, so take advantage of that. I want to thank you for making time in your schedules to be here with us.
“Thank you all,” the CO concluded. “Semper Fidelis and God bless you.”
Latreesa Perryman, school liaison officer, MCLB Albany, outlined the purpose and many of the resources Operation Tools for School offers for the base’s military and their families.
“Tools for school could mean anything from educational information that’s needed for a child to be enrolled in school, such as registration and admission,” Perryman said. “We have invited (administrators and headmasters from) all of the public, private and virtual online schools as well as the Home School Association for our military families to get an opportunity to get firsthand information.
“In addition to that, we also have the superintendents of our three local and surrounding counties’ schools, which includes Dr. (David) Mosely, Dougherty County School System; Kay Mathews, Worth County School System and Dr. Jason Miller, Lee County School System,” Perryman added. “They are all here as well as their administrators, principals, directors of curriculum and testing; even the bus transportation directors.
“Again, with school getting ready to start, we really want our families to get (everything they need) to help make that sound decision for their child’s education,” she concluded.
Paula Caserio, director, Family Care Branch, MCLB Albany, discussed Operation Homefront’s role in the
Operation Tools for School program.
“We partner with Operation Homefront every year,” Caserio said. “They reach out to the Dollar Tree stores throughout the community; Dollar Tree has boxes set up in the front of their stores for people to donate items (school supplies and toys), which are given back to the military. This partnership says how much our military is appreciated. Exceptional Family Member Program and the Family Care Branch (staff) will provide the school supplies to the children attending.”
As a result of the partnership with Operation Homefront, students attending the Operations Tools for School event with their parents received various school supplies and a toy for their participation.
To view more photos from the Operation Tools for School event, visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marine-Corps-Logistics-Base-Albany/512695405469372?fref=nf.