— This article was written by Matt Balas, Minot AFB School Liaison Officer —
In honor of the Month of the Military Child, a Charter was signed on April 7 by Col. Jason Armagost, 5th Bomb Wing commander, Col. Thomas Rudy, 91st Missile Wing vice commander, and Mark Vollmer, Minot Public Schools superintendent, that established a formal partnership between the men and women of Minot Air Force Base and the Minot Public School District.
This Charter is part of the Adopt a School Program which will establish formal partnerships between the units on base and the schools that make up the Minot Public School and Minot AFB Public School Districts.
Contained within the Charter are guidelines and responsibilities for both the squadrons and the schools. Each party must designate a partnership advocate who will work directly with the Minot AFB School Liaison Officer in defining and addressing the needs of the schools. Some of these needs may include providing Airmen who will provide on-site mentoring, tutoring and support for field-day events and school trips.
“This is a great volunteer opportunity for the Airmen on Minot Air Force Base,” Armagost said. “I’m extremely proud to be formalizing our relationship with the local school district, and I can’t wait to see all of the great ways that the Airmen can contribute to the success and mission of Minot Public Schools.”
Additionally, the Airmen volunteers may participate in school improvement and beautification projects and even serve as guest speakers at school events. The schools in turn will promote the program and continue to participate in activities that support deployed Airmen and their families, and ensure their faculty and staff are oriented to the unique situations of a military members child.
“When I first took over as Superintendent we had just experienced the flood and I saw firsthand the tremendous amount of support and dedication that the military members of Minot Air Force Base provide to our community,” Vollmer said. “This new partnership gives the students district wide the opportunity to see the positive community impact of the folks from Minot Air Force Base.”
Image: (left) Mark Vollmer, Minot Public Schools superintendent, (middle) Col. Jason Armagost, 5th Bomb Wing commander, and (right) Col. Thomas Rudy, 91st Missile Wing vice commander, prepare to sign a document for the adopt a school program in Minot , N.D., April 7, 2015. The document was a charter between the base and public schools where one of the base’s responsibilities is to provide volunteers to assist the schools with beautification, guest speakers, chaperones, etc…. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Malia Jenkins)
