Vincent D. Scebbi
The Gazette

MEDINA — With her son about to be deployed to Afghanistan, teacher Barbara White was looking for support.

“I was looking for a miracle this summer,” she said, and found it in the faculty and students of the Summer Reinforcement Program.

White’s son Kenneth, 23, enlisted in the Army Reserves after attending Stark State College to be a mechanic. He is going through training in Fort Hood, Texas, and will be deployed to Afghanistan later this month.

Whether it was drawing pictures, collecting supplies or writing letters to soldiers in her son’s company, the 1484 Transportation Unit, White said the students in the county program showed support for her and her son.

White, who taught reading during the four-week program, said she read from President Barack Obama’s book “Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.” She then explained her son’s story and what she knew about basic training and boot camp.

“It just took off from there,” White said.

Teachers sent a letter to parents with a list of items needed by soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Receiving supplies ranging from powdered Gatorade to deodorant and packages of tube socks, White said it will take approximately three U.S. Postal Service boxes to send everything.

Jane Langol, co-director of the Summer Reinforcement Program, said writing letters, for example, helps the students learn how to express their emotions in words.

“I know how scared you are in the war, but you are being very brave to help America in the war,” one letter to Kenneth White said.

Langol said the program, which has been in Medina County for 38 years, works to emphasize math and learning as well as stressing basic classroom skills. This year, 77 students in preschool through fifth grade attended the program at Eliza Northrop Elementary School from June 15 through Friday.

“Our goal is to make the learning experience relaxed and fun, but with a job to do,” she said.

Langol said by having students reaching out to the soldiers, it helps reinforce reading and writing skills while allowing them to connect with the world around them.

“It helps unite the class to look beyond themselves,” she said.

Langol added a project such as the one the students worked on also helped build self-confidence to handle problems they might encounter in the classroom.

Kate Frey, who taught the fifth-grade class at the summer program, said the work for the troops helped show students it is better to give than receive.

Frey added the response from her students was positive. One student, Frey said, told her she enjoys collecting items for the soldiers.

“I hope they walk away with an understanding of what it means to be free, someone made the sacrifice so they could be free,” she said.

Contact Vincent D. Scebbi at (330) 721-4050 or vincents@medina-gazette.com.

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