Naval Hospital Bremerton Adopts Middle School

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class(SW) Charlemagne Obana, Naval Hospital Bremerton Public Affairs

BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- Naval Hospital Bremerton, Wash., continued the command legacy of community involvement by officially adopting a local Bremerton middle school, June 16.

Lt.j.g Janet Loria, NHB assistant admin department head and diversity council chair officer, accepted official certificates of thanks from Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent for adopting Mountain View Middle School (MVMS) at a ceremony held at the school.

"Our goal is to make an impact," said Loria. "If we can impact even one student's life then we've done what we've set out to do."

After receiving the certificates, Loria and more than 20 Sailors from NHB and Naval Branch Health Clinic (NBHC) Bangor helped set up for the school's field day and then assisted faculty and staff with the different stations that included soccer, softball, football, volleyball and Frisbee.

NHB's Sailors answered questions from students about the Navy, their personal backgrounds and the hospital.

"I am thrilled about the official adoption of MVMS by Naval Hospital Bremerton," said Bremerton School District Substitute Teacher, MVMS Parent and PTA Vice-President Ivaly Alexander. "As the only middle school in Bremerton, and a public school, we are always seeking generous community support and partnerships. With the rich tradition of the Navy in our community, it makes such great sense to have a strong partner with successful, energetic and giving Sailors. This is a tremendous opportunity!"

Alexander called NHB Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Brouker the same day after hearing from Mayor Lent at a civic meeting that NHB was looking for a partnering opportunity with a local school.

According to Alexander, Lent also called Brouker to echo the eagerness for the school adoption to become a reality.

"I took over two months ago. When I was doing turnover [to become the diversity council chair], the commanding officer told me about this opportunity and what he wanted to do with the school," said Loria. "He gave me the background and I ran with it."

"My co-chair, HM1 [Jason] Corless, and I went to the school on May 26 and met with the principal and guidance counselors. We talked about what the school needed in terms of volunteer activities, special events, and mentoring. We want to start with specific activities and projects then move into one-on-one mentoring programs starting with a few select volunteers," she continued.

"[The adoption] happened much quicker than I expected," said Joyce Cowdery, Bremerton school district volunteer coordinator. "There was no hesitation on either end. It was a great fit from the start."

"Our goal is to build a strong school community where students learn to become contributing citizens themselves," said MVMS Principal Michaeleen Gelhaus. "The Sailors will be expected to set high expectations for our students, and become mentors to our young adults."

"The biggest challenge is that it's the end of the year and I've got a lot of volunteers who want to begin doing a lot. [The kids'] summer is starting and there aren't a lot of opportunities right now. After graduation we're going into planning mode and starting off with orientation next school year, and we'll also use the summer to kick off our mentorship program," said Loria.

MVMS is located in East Bremerton and has approximately 1000 students between grades six through eight.

"Every adult in our community has a stake in the success of our children. These kids are eventually going to be our future employees and leaders," said Alexander. "This is an age group of children that desperately need great role models and energetic volunteers, and those are things that the Sailors can provide."

"If any other commands are interested in adopting one of the Bremerton district schools, have them contact me," said Cowdery. "Each of the schools in the district has their own unique needs. I would be honored to assist in any way I can."