Barksdale hosts Bossier Parish school board members

  • Published
  • By Maja Z. Stevanovich
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Team Barksdale welcomed Bossier Parish School Board members on base Aug. 26 for a tour, including a B-52 static, a visit to the child development and youth activities centers, and a mission briefing by the 2nd Bomb Wing commander.

The tour was the first visit to the base by some of the board members, and was conducted in an effort to familiarize the group with Barksdale's mission and offer an insight into the life of military families.

"The way you embrace us is not like other communities," said Col. Tim Fay, 2nd Bomb Wing commander. "We are welcomed in your schools, communities and churches and we are amazingly grateful for that."

Fay encouraged the board members to ask questions during the tour so they could gain a better understanding of how Barksdale operates.

The board members were interested to learn about specific services the child development and youth activities centers provide to Barksdale school-aged children.

"Having a chance to tour these facilities and speak to those running them gives us a new perspective on the unique needs of military children," said Tammy Smith, Bossier Parish School Board vice president.

Betsy Welch, the chief of development programs at the Barksdale Child Development Center, echoed the importance of good communication between the School Board and Barksdale, as they both have the same goal of giving military children the best experience possible.

"The long-lasting relationship between Barksdale and the Bossier Parish school board is a working collaboration to best meet the needs of military children," said D.C. Machen Jr., Bossier Parish school board superintendent.

Learning about Barksdale's B-52 mission also proved valuable to members of the school board as they interacted with members of the 96th Bomb Squadron and learned about their educational backgrounds.

"It is always good to hear their stories about what courses they valued and what made an impact throughout their education as we look at designing our curriculum," said Sally Namie, Bossier Parish school system assistant superintendent of curriculum and academic affairs.

The tour heightened awareness and provided a better understanding of Barksdale's mission for those board members that have never visited the base, said Machen.