CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Volunteers from Hickam Air Force Base dedicate thousands of hours to mentoring students and helping maintain and repair classrooms. Above, Master Sgt. Bill Longenecker, a Junior Achievement adviser at Waimalu Elementary School, talked with students from Heather Suehiro's class on Jan. 24.

Schools get a boost
from military mentors

Hickam volunteers tutor
students and assist in repairs

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

It takes more than paint and sweat to maintain a school. Hundreds of Hickam Air Force Base volunteers know that.

They donate thousands of hours to tutor students and maintain and repair classrooms at 14 schools.

Master Sgt. Bill Longenecker, who has spent the past three years working as a Junior Achievement adviser at Waimalu Elementary School, believes one of the greatest aspects and the strongest features of the program is the interaction with the students.

He also believes many students walk away from those few hours he spends with them each week with a better outlook on life.

"From the children's perspective, when the mentors show up," Longenecker said, "you are in your uniform. Their faces light up. We provide a role model. They look forward to our visits."

LT. CHRIS ANDERSEN / COURTESY TO STAR-BULLETIN From top, Airman 1st Class Mitchell Withrow, Senior Airman Marcy Cranmer and Senior Airman Erin Watson from the 324th Intelligence Squadron painted a classroom wall at Wahiawa Middle School as part of the Hickam School Partnership Program.

Amy Dela Cruz, parent community network center facilitator at Waimalu, said the Air Force volunteers are "there any time we need anything. Any time we need anything, they are there."

Lt. Col. Michael Benjamin, deputy commander of the 15th Support Group at Hickam, said 17 units at the air base participate in Hickam's School Partnership Program with 14 island schools -- 10 elementary schools (Nimitz, Waimalu, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Mokuele, Aliamanu, Aiea, Waimanalo, Makalapa, and Pearl Harbor Kai), two intermediate schools (Aliamanu and Waimanalo) and two high schools (Radford and Kailua).

Last year, more than 300 Hickam airmen and women gave more than 3,100 hours of their free time to tutor and mentor schoolchildren and attend job fairs. They also participated in numerous beautification and landscaping projects, which ranged from removal of playground equipment to repainting classrooms and cafeterias at schools.

Malisa Warner, Radford's parent community network center facilitator, said Hickam technicians were responsible for connecting 150 computer work stations used by 120 teachers on buildings throughout the campus.

"At the same time they rigged each classroom, so they now have phones," Warner said. "This really helps because the school doesn't have a PA (public address) system."

Benjamin, who directs the Hickam School Partnership Program, said Hickam airmen and women also participate in the Hawaii 3Rs (repair, remodel and restore) program initiated by Sen. Daniel Inouye and which is part of the Pacific Command's Joint Venture Education Program to improve the educational climate here for military family members.

He said that last year, through the Joint Venture Education Program, $5 million was appropriated by the Department of Defense for repair and maintenance of island schools.

He said airmen from the 324th Intelligence Squadron recently spent two weekends with other volunteers repainting classrooms, locker rooms and a chorus room at Wahiawa Middle School.

"That would have cost the school and state $125,000 if the job had to be contracted to a civilian contractor," Benjamin said. "Instead, the school provided $25,000 worth of supplies and we supplied the sweat."

Benjamin said the program helps to dispel "a lot of myths and rumors" about Hawaii's school system.

"On the mainland," Benjamin said, "people coming here have heard all kinds of stories that the education system here is not good and that it is subpar. That's absolutely not true."

The program also stems from the military's desire to be a part of the community and not because there are children of the military attending these schools, Benjamin said.

Benjamin cites as an example Waimanalo, where Bellows Air Force station is located and where several schools are benefiting from Hickam's School Partnership Program even though there may not be many military children attending those schools.

"We want to be part of the community, involved in the community and schools are an integral part of any community," he said.

Dela Cruz agrees.

"It goes both ways," she said. "A lot people, including myself, believe the military is just interested in doing their own thing. You feel that it's another world. I thought like that at one time. I think we've both learned a lot."

Warner has seen the benefits Radford students have gotten from the mentoring program.

"These students are looking for a role model," Warner said. "Many of the parents at Radford are in the military and away on TDY (temporary duty) assignments. These kids are looking for someone to talk to."

As a token of its appreciation Dela Cruz said Waimalu School plans to bus all of its students to Hickam on Feb. 13 to perform a medley of patriotic songs and visit various areas at the Air Force base to give the students a better idea of what their mentors do at work.