The Cupertino Courier
Education
Students reach out to soldiers serving in Iraq
By ERIN HUSSEY
On Dec. 24, 2006 at 0600 hours, the soldiers of the Gunner Battalion in Iraq raised an American flag in honor of the soldiers, officers and non-commissioned officers who died in Ar Ramadi during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
That same flag is now in Claudia Natale's classroom at Cupertino Middle School.
"It flew for 24 hours in memory of the soldiers," says Anirudh Agarwala, an eighth-grade student. "It never touched the ground. It's all a part of the Enhancing Education Through Technology grant project we are doing."
The primary goal of the grant program is improving student achievement through the use of technology in elementary and secondary schools.
Natale, who teaches eighth-grade history classes, is one of the four teachers at Cupertino Middle School to receive the grant, which includes Macintosh laptop computers, a printer and Internet access.
When she first started brainstorming with fellow teacher Gina DeLuca about an interesting technology project, Natale suggested the students correspond with soldiers in Iraq via email. As it turned out, DeLuca was already in touch with a close college friend fighting in Ramadi, Iraq, Capt. Ryan Kellogg.
"We want to make it more concrete," says DeLuca. "There is a real war happening. Although they are not really affected here, our countrymen are being affected."
For the project, each student wrote a letter to Kellogg's platoon. The letters included descriptions of what life was like as a Cupertino Middle School student and questions about war.
"I told them how most of my family is international," says eighth-grade student Tania Maxwell. "So I sort of know how they feel when they are away from their families."
The students also asked the soldiers what they wanted most from home.
"I was really amazed at the simple things the soldiers wanted," says Natale. "I thought they would ask for iPods. I was so surprised when they asked for something so simple as white socks, oatmeal, tuna and flavored coffee."
Within months the 60 participating students had collected eight boxes of the four requested items in addition to some extra treats such as Oreo cookies.
As a thank you, Kellogg sent the students the American flag, a disk with photographs from Iraq and a detailed letter.
"Thank you very much for writing this past holiday season," he writes. "It really means a lot to know we have your support while we are over here in Iraq."
Kellogg's brigade, which consists of more than 2,000 soldiers, is stationed in Ramadi, a Sunni stronghold for many of the supporters of the late dictator Saddam Hussein. As a platoon leader of brigade scouts, Kellogg is in charge of leading his troops on secret missions before the tanks and howitzers are brought in.
"I find that understanding more about the war in Iraq makes you respect the soldiers more," says Tania. "I think more stories should be written about how they are living because I think right now they have too many stories about bombs."
Anirudh adds, "People should know that it's not easy for them and they are risking their lives everyday.''
Kellogg recently was deployed for a debriefing in Germany. Within the next few weeks he will return home to New York. The students hope to meet him in person or, at the very least, via web cam.
"Once he is back in the country, we're hoping to do a video cam so they will be able to look at him and see that he is real," says DeLuca. "I think it's important that they know someone real was there because it's sometimes hard for them to fathom."
