Students of the technical high school "Silvio Ceccato" of Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, visited Caserma Ederle for an exchange program with their American peers Jan. 13, and Caserma Del Din Jan. 20 to learn more on information technology.
Eyes wide open and smiles on their faces, the first group started their exchange at the Vicenza High School. They were welcomed by Michela Ambruoso, the teacher of Italian language and culture who coordinated the exchange with her English language colleague Miryam Botter from Montecchio.
"This field trip offered my students the opportunity to get to know firsthand a reality that otherwise would remain unknown and also appreciate the human and educational value of this exchange," Botter said.
Fifth year Italian students, equivalent of American seniors, had the opportunity to sit on in different classes and learn more on the American school system as well as on different activities available throughout the school year. They also partnered in small groups with Americans to help them practice their conversational Italian language skills.
Greatly appreciative of the warm welcome received by the tutor, Botter said that, as a group, her class was impressed by the facility itself, the computerized system in place for parent school communications and the credits assigned for any courses required and recognized by the school, thus allowing students to individualize their curricula.
Above all, "We liked the fact that in the American education system students are assisted in a way that they do no need to repeat a school year as we must do if grades fail," said fifth year student Alessandro Caoduro from Montecchio.
Commenting on the visit, Ambruoso said that she was pleased with the interaction in class as students shared life experiences and Facebook contact information. She said they set the conditions for a continued exchange out of the school.
A briefing on the communications systems and information industry added to their learning experience at Ederle. "I was impressed by their questions and genuine eagerness to know more on the IT field," said Osvaldo Melendez, Vicenza garrison IMO.
Welcoming the opportunity to support training with young adults, Melendez talked about current computer technology, stressing how it has come to play an increasingly pervasive role in our daily lives. He also provided an overview for the best way to enter the IT industry, as the class will be graduating this summer and some may start looking for jobs immediately after.
"It was amazing to hear the endless possibilities that may open up in the work place thanks to our IT education," said 18-year-old Elisa Lai.
Another student Natan Nicoletti said that the briefing was very professional and "provided many resources to enhance our training and useful tips on where to look for certifications that make us more marketable."
The 509th Signal Battalion located at Caserma Del Din hosted the second high school class from Montecchio on their field trip Jan. 20.
"My team and I always find it rewarding to interact and support the development of local youth along with continuing the great relationship we have with our host nation," said Lt. Col. Schawn L. Branch, 509th Sig. Bn. commander, addressing the students in his welcome remarks.
American and Italian team members rotated in their presentations and answered students' questions ranging from the recent cyber attacks to the U.S. military websites and to Sony database, to computer security and ways to protect their personal information while being on line.
"I believe the presentations gave them the opportunity to see the practical application of their area of study across different IT disciplines," said Todd C. Hunt, Network and Switch Division chief.
"At some point in their future the students will begin to specialize in a particular area of interest. Hopefully, as they reflect on this experience, it will help to guide them," he said.
"The visit was very important and helped us understand what American Soldiers actually do at Del Din and the reasons of their presence in Italy, especially for those who serve in the 509th [Sig.] Battalion," said Rosario Zicaro, Montecchio IT teacher. "It was also useful to visualize what is behind the notions of information infrastructure and business operations and learn more on the set up and planning of a network designed for a military installation", he said.
"The exposure of younger Italians with the U.S. military and support staff enables us to provide them a bit of perspective and understanding of the role of the U.S. not available just through the media," said Paul Dailey, chief, Business and Operations division. "It also shows the partnership and the reliance of our mission upon host nation employees. Our Italian IT staff, having played a significant role in hosting the school, enabled the students to see that aspect of our partnership first-hand," Dailey said.
Students had also a chance to tour the Dial Central Office and see how it manages the connections with the other base in Vicenza and the other bases in Europe. They were also explained how the DCO monitors and handles network service failure in its interface with data centers.
If from a strictly technical point of view students were impressed by the absolute perfection of the cable settings and the neatness of the service rooms manned by 509th Sig. Bn. staff, from a more general perspective they were overwhelmed by the layout of the base that looks very much like a university campus and the professionalism of the staff for treating the guests with interest and respect.
Asked whether one day he would consider working for the U.S. military, Federico Muraro, 17, said it would be fantastic. "Working here means having a position of great responsibility and that would make me feel very important."
While looking forward to having another opportunity to visit Del Din, 17-year-old Tommaso Urbani said, "Among other things I found out that there is a central energy plant here that makes the base self-sufficient and it can also produce more energy than the base needs. That is awesome."
Social Sharing