April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OVER THERE, OVER HERE
Delmar students salute Army sergeant in Iraq
Sgt. Kevin Williams, a member of the 501st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion in the U.S. Army, is connected to the school in several ways: His mother is a parishioner of St. Thomas Church; he attended the school for fourth grade; and his teacher then, Lynn Harris, is still at the school.
Anne Wolfgang, who teaches math to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, is the seventh-grade homeroom teacher. It was her idea to have the class' service project this year tie in with the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Albany.
"Each class at St. Thomas chooses a service project," she said, "and this is the first year that the seventh-grade class focused on veterans and other military persons. It was a perfect fit to add Sgt. Williams to our prayer list and service project. The class enjoys giving back to the service men and women who have dedicated their lives for our country."
Giving back in the case of Sgt. Williams means, first of all, that the children pray for him and his family every morning.
In addition, Mrs. Wolfgang noted, "the class wrote and mailed letters to him. We are now collecting a care package with items such as toothpaste, Gatorade, mouthwash, granola bars [and] batteries. We will mail this to Sgt. Williams before school ends for the summer. We also hope to video-conference with him in June."
In return, she continued, "Sgt. Williams has responded individually to each and every letter. He also had a flag flown in our honor on April 8. The flag, a CD of pictures and a plaque with details about the flag were sent to us."
The teacher said that her students "were thrilled to receive the individual letters and pictures. I was so moved by their reaction to the gift of the flag. They could not wait to 'show and tell' about the flag to the rest of the school.
"We were so honored that Sgt. Williams had the flag flown on our behalf and that we now have the flag here. The connection is so awe-inspiring."
The "adoption" of the soldier, Mrs. Wolfgang believes, is an example of Catholic faith and Catholic education.
"Our faith teaches us to follow Jesus' example and do unto others as we would have done to us," she explained. "Seventh-graders focus on Jesus and His life, so we are applying all that we have learned this year by helping others who help us."
She said that "St. Thomas School educates children to serve God and others by sharing their gifts and talents. We uphold the belief that each must serve the other for the good of all. Active participation in social justice issues and human concerns is the cornerstone of our service experiences."
She hopes that other Catholic schools will follow the example of the students at St. Thomas by linking with service personnel.
"The connection to our faith that we have experienced by 'adopting' Sgt. Williams will far outlive the math or science lessons that the students have received," she said. "I am so proud of my students for the kindness and concern for others that I have seen from them regarding Sgt. Williams and the veterans at the VA Hospital."[[In-content Ad]]
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