FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – The annual Back-to-School Fair for military families with school-aged children returned this year featuring 32 different information booths July 15 at Murr Community Center.
More than 300 people loaded their totes with information on various schools and programs in the surrounding area.
"Attending the Back-to-School Fair, families walk away with a better understanding of the resources in the area," said Paula Smedes, Child & Youth Services’ school liaison officer, and fair organizer.
Smedes assists with the inbound and outbound moves military-affiliated children do so frequently.
Principals and senior faculty from area schools were available to answer questions about curriculum, youth clubs, arts, music, sports programs and Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.
Booths for General Myer Elementary, Colonel Johnston Elementary and Colonel Smith Middle schools on post were run by their respective Parent Teacher Organizations.
Leman Academy, a K-8 charter school in Sierra Vista, also attended to share information about their educational model.
Representatives from the Sierra Vista Unified School District, Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District and Cochise College spoke to interested students throughout the day.
"Families also received information about valuable Army resources such as health and wellness, exercise and recreation, parenting classes, early childhood development, childcare, and Soldier and family readiness," Smedes said.
A booth for Raymond W. Bliss Army Health Center and Runion Dental Clinic emphasized the importance health care in returning to school.
Capt. Kevin Farley, general dentist, and Spc. Wings T. Qi, dentistry specialist, of Runion Dental Clinic, promoted the importance of dental health and hygiene using realistic prosthetic teeth displays to capture attendees’ attention and share information about dental services.
The Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare & Recreation, USO, Soldier & Family Readiness Center and Religious Support Office operated interactive displays making information memorable.
Members of the Sexual Harassment & Assault Response Prevention office invited fairgoers to spin a wheel and answer questions about SHARP to win prizes.
Stephen Krause, lead firefighter, and Jeff Clausen, firefighter, from Fort Huachuca Fire Department, entertained children with multiple turns in the seat of Engine 28 operating the firetruck's lights and blasting the siren.
School begins on Aug. 4 for Fort Huachuca Accommodation and Sierra Vista Unified Districts.
Editor's note: Visit Fort Huachuca's Flickr page for the complete Back-to-School Fair photo album.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command, and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 964 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, critical components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army's Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca.
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