Soccer balls awarded to outstanding Bwari student achievers

  • Published
  • By Navy Capt. Christine Miller
  • U.S. European Command Public Affairs
BWARI, Nigeria --  Top student performers at St. Therese Primary School here, were honored and treated to a true surprise during primary and elementary graduation ceremonies, July 18. As Sister Tina, the school's principal, called her school's highest achievers to come forward, Air Force Lt. Keith Ross, commander of the 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, First Combat Communications Squadron, Ramstein Air Force Base, presented ten students with a brand new soccer ball and a gift from the school.

A hush fell over the audience as the new brightly colored soccer balls were deposited into the students' hands. Proud parents quickly ran and hugged their children before the children, clutching their balls, returned to their seats.

Ross and his deployed squadron are supporting communications requirements during AFRICA ENDEAVOR-08, the multinational military communications interoperability and information exchange exercise currently underway at the Nigeria Air Force Base, Abuja. Over 225 military communicators and supporting organizations from 22 African and European nations and the United States are executing interoperability testing of command, control communications and information systems (C3IS) among themselves.
Community outreach is a personal initiative that many deployed squadrons undertake when assigned a temporary mission. For Ross, the idea of donating soccer balls was cemented when he asked several of his African friends what a child in Nigeria would really appreciate.

"I learned children are creative and devise soccer balls out of water-filled plastic bags," himself a father of three children. "We knew soccer balls would be a huge success on a continent where soccer is played in even the smallest village."

Members Civil Military Support Element (CMSE), Office of Security Cooperation Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Embassy, Nigeria, assisted Ross in coordinating the gift presentation. The OSC has maintained an ongoing relationship with Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital and Maternity Clinic and St. Therese Primary School since 2001. Earlier this year, CMSE distributed 120 Adaptive Eyecare to the clinic.

Several Air Force members of Ross' squadron attended the graduation program - Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Burton and Joshua Darnell, Air Force Senior Airman Richard Greene, and Tech Sgt. James Lewis. Both Master Sgt. Chris Stone, U.S. Air Forces Europe Public Affairs, and Airman 1st Class Nathan Lipscomb, 435th Air Base Wing Public Affairs provided photographic support. Not in attendance but also contributing to the community outreach effort were Master Sgt. Robert Arbelo, First Combat Communications Squadron as well as Staff Sgt. Neal Uranga and Aiman 1st Class Tony Ritter, 435th Air Base Wing.

Sister Tina beamed with pride as more than 500 children, parents and friends cheered the graduates during the day long activities. As the celebration began to wind down, she assured Ross and his colleagues the soccer balls were in excellent hands.

"The children, ranging in age from five to eleven years of age, who were awarded the balls are successful, goal-setting students," she explained. "The ball belongs to them. It will be a constant reminder of the importance our school places on academic achievement."

Over 400 students from Bwari and the surrounding areas attend St. Therese Primary School. In addition to 23 different classes, the school has a variety of programs and clubs for children interested in scouting, farming/agriculture, science, computers, mathematics and performing arts.