To help prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world, the Garrison has resumed its Quarterly Education Meetings with area educators.
School system leaders from throughout the Tennessee Valley met April 24 with Garrison Commander Col. Brian Cozine at the Garrison headquarters.
“Education is our number one community priority at Redstone Arsenal,” Cozine said. “We haven’t had this meeting in a couple of years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We want you to know that we will continue to move forward in providing you the support you need in order make sure students have the best opportunities for learning and mentoring as you prepare them for careers in the global workforce. While today is a great opportunity to talk about the programs that are offered at your school districts, it is also a time to look forward and commit to the next school year.
“As educators, you teach our young people how to use their learning experiences to think and solve problems and use their creativity and ingenuity to graduate with a marketable skillset. Preparing students to become college and career ready to compete in a global economy is a challenging task. Your efforts have helped make each school year a success for our Team Redstone families.”
In the past, Redstone has collaborated with local school districts to put on programs like Earth Day at the Redstone Paths to Nature, Read Across America, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) outreach and vocational tours, Veterans Day programs, JROTC Day, and quarterly education meetings. Cozine said he wants to continue with these activities and potentially add other outreach opportunities.
He provided a Redstone overview during the meeting. Cozine emphasized the importance of partnerships between Team Redstone and local schools to ensure that the Tennessee Valley attracts the best and brightest to the area, allowing Redstone Arsenal to continue as a Federal Center of Excellence.
“A smart and skilled workforce is vital to the continued growth of our entire region,” he said. “Good schools with excellent educational opportunities attract new families to our area. When we recruit employees to take jobs at Redstone, questions about our schools are of top concern when they are considering relocation. Our school systems are one of our key recruiting tools, especially for those employees who are new to this region.
“We appreciate what you do every day to help our young people learn and grow and develop their skillsets. We know that the impression you leave with our Redstone families, backed by what you do in the classroom, has a great impact on whether these families come to stay in our region. We want you to know you can call on us for that needed support to meet your educational goals.”
School systems represented included Alabama School for Cybertechnology and Engineering, Athens city, Decatur city, Huntsville city, Limestone County, Madison city, and Madison County.
Redstone school liaison officer Erica Lewis organized the event. Her role as school liaison officer is to serve as a conduit of information. She facilitates the quarterly education meetings with the Garrison commander and education administrators from the surrounding school districts to keep them informed on what is happening on Redstone Arsenal and what is going on in the school systems.
Cozine said he wants to use the quarterly education meetings to strengthen Team Redstone’s relationship with their partners in education.
“Our school liaison officer connects our Redstone leadership with the schools, so I rely on her for awareness on what your schools need from us,” he said. “She also supports the Redstone workforce. She assists parents with the educational process, transitioning issues, advocates for children with special needs, assists military families with school and transition issues, and refers families to specific agencies to resolve situations, depending on what the family needs.”
Lewis told participants receiving services from the SLO is not limited to servicemembers. Government civilians and contractor employees can also access these services.
Representatives from Redstone tenant organizations said they enjoyed the discussions.
“As some of the organizations have already stated, I’ve gathered some good information here that I will take back to my organization,” Alicia Schrimsher, FBI public affairs officer, said. “Choosing a school for your child is important, especially when relocating to a new area. I didn’t realize that Redstone provides a school liaison officer to help the civilian workforce. When I relocated here, I researched potential schools for my children on my own. My organization plans to bring more people here to work at Redstone within the next year; and I want to make sure they get help from the SLO to learn what the schools have to offer. Having this information is key because it can help them make an informed decision on whether they want to relocate here.”
The school leaders said they also benefited from the discussion.
“We came here to share ideas and learn about how we can partner with Redstone Arsenal and provide our students with unique opportunities for learning,” Beth Patton, superintendent of Athens city schools, said. “I’m glad we had an opportunity to talk about the programs that are offered at our schools. Athens city school district has a lot to offer students. Consistently ranked as one of the best school districts in the state of Alabama, our schools are known for academic achievement. Our dedicated, highly qualified teachers work hard to ensure our students graduate prepared to compete and succeed in college, career and life.”
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