◆ School supplies to be sent to National Guard soldiers working in schools.

Afton Elementary students have partnered with Charlie Company of the U.S. Army National Guard to share the gift of knowledge and education with children in Kosovo.

Captain Eli Varney, Captain of Charlie Company, Wyoming National Guard Infantry, sent a letter to his friend, Rebecca Baldwin, AES Speech Therapist, requesting support with Charlie Company’s “Adopt a School Program” in Kosovo.

Captain Varney is currently deployed to Kosovo along with 56 other Wyoming National Guardsmen, and the Company has created this program to aid Kosovo schools in providing their students with much-needed educational supplies.

“We are providing support to local communities and monitoring the border between Kosovo and Serbia,” said Captain Varney in his letter to Baldwin. “Currently, we are working with Kosovo schools that have very limited financial support and we are attempting to help them with basic educational items. This is not a normal Army mission, and therefore we have to get creative on how best to interact with the local communities in a way that can benefit them with educational needs and interaction with the United States Military presence. The Kosovo students have nothing, and every little pencil or paper will be greatly appreciated.”

AES students, faculty, staff and PTO have embraced the invitation with enthusiasm to assist the Kosovo children, and to support the National Guardsmen. Afton PTO has taken the lead in organizing and driving the project with AES students and families.

Supplies needed include, but are not limited to, pens, pencils, paper, colored paper, colored pencils and glue.

Children’s educational toys such as wooden shaped blocks, puzzles and games are always valuable.

The Kosovo students need sports equipment such as soccer balls, Frisbees, cones and jerseys, etc.
Essentially, anything that families and students can think of that would support the Kosovo schools in providing a more quality education to their students would be greatly appreciated.

AES is collecting these items in the front area of the school between December 9 and December 20. Afton PTO and teachers will give each donor a heart with the student’s name on it. Each heart will become part of a window display of the Grinch’s heart in the front area of the school where students will be able to see how their donations make the Grinch’s heart grow very big.

Students who donate one or more items will have their name entered in a drawing. At the school sing assembly on December 20, a student name from each grade level will be drawn to win an ice-cream party for her/his class.

Once the educational supplies have arrived in Kosovo and have been delivered to classrooms there, Captain Varney and his Company will take a picture with the students utilizing the supplies and share pictures and experiences with AES students.

“The Kosovo Adopt-A-School drive shows the sort of community support that is so typical of Afton Elementary students, staff and PTO,” said Layne Parmenter, AES Principal. “They have big hearts and want to support others. And it’s not just Afton. I know all our local schools and parents are eager to help others. I think our students will be excited to see the pictures of students in Kosovo with the supplies they are sending.  I’m proud to be part of a community that seeks so often to lift others.”

“We are so blessed with so many resources here in our schools. It feels good to help students overseas that we have a link with because of our National Guardsmen from this area and across Wyoming. It’s an especially appropriate time of year to help make the world a better place and create feelings of good will.”