>Want a PIE?
Posted by PA3 Richard Brahm, Saturday, October 23, 2010
>On October 1st the folks down at Marine Safety Unit Galveston worked with Franz Kohfeldt Elementary School in Texas City to make a PIE.
No, we aren’t talking about the warm, fresh, homemade, flaky, rich, filled with delicious goodness kind of pie. We are talking about the Coast Guard’s Partnership in Education program.
Cmdr. James Elliott, the commanding officer at Marine Safety Unit Galveston, contacted Donna Peterson, the principal of Franz Kohfeldt Elementary School, to get the ball rolling on the PIE program.
“Adopting a school requires research to find one that will benefit the most from a mutual partnership with our unit,” stated Elliott. “The schools that benefit the most from Partnerships in Education are schools with diverse student bodies that may not have the unlimited resources that other school may receive from varying sources.”
After selecting Kohfeldt Elementary as the school they would sponsor, volunteers were gathered from MSU Galveston.
A couple of weeks later on October 10th, Tilghman and a group of four other Coast Guardsmen visited Kohfeldt Elementary School to help some of the children with school work.
Tilghman met up with the child he would be helping, Brandon Hadnot, and for the next hour helped him polish his reading, writing and math skills.
Tilghman said that “Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Galveston personnel read with the children, help them with mathematics, science and any other subjects the school’s staff requests.”
The Coast Guard enhances educational opportunities and career awareness for the nation’s youth through direct participation in education related programs. All members of the Coast Guard family, including active duty, reserve, auxiliary, civilian and retirees are encouraged to participate in school and community activities approved by their local command.
The Coast Guard’s support promotes excellence in education through collaboration with local school systems, community groups, and businesses, especially in communities with large, underserved populations, and creates student awareness of the Coast Guard’s missions and people.
Many Coast Guard districts and units throughout the country are participating in their communities as partners in education. Often, they work directly with students to heighten their awareness of traditional Coast Guard values – drug-free lifestyles, emphasis on scholarship, personal initiative, responsibility, and individual self-worth. Members also inform students of the many rewarding careers offered by the Coast Guard.
“The PIE program is a small way for the crew to give back to community and to help students in need,” said Elliott. “We found over the years that we get as much out of this as the students do because we learn so much about the community and what’s important to them by engaging with the students, teachers and parents.”
For more information on the PIE program visit : http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg00/cg00h/OutreachPrograms/PIE.asp
Story and photos by PA3 Richard Brahm
Tags: MSU Galveston, PA3 Richard Brahm, PADET Houston
