OAKVALE, W.Va. — A small Mercer County elementary school is once again embarking on a large project.
Oakvale Elementary School began its second Adopt-A-Brigade with a kick-off event Monday.
The school is adopted a group of West Virginia National Guard soldiers who will soon be deployed for a year as part of regular military operations.
Oakvale Principal LaCosta Hodges said they’ve done it before with another brigade and it was the best of experiences.
“It was the most rewarding event that we’ve taken on and we loved it,” Hodges said. “Our students got to FaceTime with soldiers. They got to see where they were. They just learned a lot about military life.”
Students will learn about things like geography and climate. Hodges said they’ll also be writing letters and drawing pictures so there will be instruction in writing and art. She said they also want to teach empathy.
“We want to teach our kids to be grateful for sacrifices and to be patriotic, but also for them to learn that no matter how much you have there are always ways to give back,” Hodges said. “Writing a letter, sending a picture, a drawing, anything you can do to make someone’s day is well worth it.”
Hodges said this is a project for the entire school including faculty, staff and the 180-member K-5 student body.
“We want them (our students) to really appreciate and understand other families and what they do and how we’re all different but that we can work together and take care of each other,” Hodges said.
Six soldiers were at the school Monday for the kickoff event. Hodges said the students gave them pocket prayers to keep with them.
“To let them know that there’s a school that’s here thinking about them and hoping they are safe and come home to us and tell us everything they learned while they were there,” Hodges said.
The state Department of Education assists with the Adopt-A-Brigade program. Several department officials were on hand for Monday’s event.