CHESAPEAKE, Va. — 'Servicing Our Schools' is an annual partnership between Chesapeake Public Schools and service members in Hampton Roads. Wednesday, Aug.28, marked Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads’ 8th year of the event.
“We’re busy all summer preparing for our students to come back,” said Chesapeake Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton.
Now, it’s crunch time as the new school year is set to start in just days; for teachers, that means getting the new curriculum and classrooms in order.
“Today is our in-service day for the entire secondary," said Oscar Smith Middle School Principal Deidre Williams. "So, our teachers are currently in professional development. So, they’re unable to really work on those classrooms.”
That’s where those military members come in. More than 300 service members helped teachers across the Chesapeake School division Wednesday. Seventeen sailors from the Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads moved books, desks and chairs inside Oscar Smith Middle School.
“Teachers need a lot of support," said Command Master Chief William Palmer with Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads. "They don’t get the credit they deserve in a lot of cases. So, it’s awesome that we really get to support.”
Palmer said he just got off of a ship and this was his first time volunteering at Oscar Smith Middle. He said he's heard nothing but positive feedback from other sailors who volunteered in years prior.
"The sailors are overwhelmingly supportive of this," Palmer said. "Typically sailors join the military in order to give back to the community and make a positive impact in the area that they live. This really gives them that chance."
“It takes a village to prepare and educate our students,” said Cotton.
Cotton said educators call this help a blessing.
“One of the things we find is there’s never enough time to do all the things they need to do.”
The support these sailors provide goes beyond organizing school rooms; they also connect with school staff, students and their families.
“For them to just actually see that they have an extended community, extended partnerships is really special,” said Williams.
Chesapeake students are the last group of Hampton Roads students to start school. They return to the classroom on Sept. 3.
