NAS JRB Receives Golden Achievement Award for Partnership Excellence

FORT WORTH, Texas (NNS) -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Joint Reserve Base (JRB) Fort Worth, Texas, was recently named the recipient of the first annual Golden Achievement Award for Partnership Excellence in Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD).

The honor was awarded Aug. 17 to NAS for volunteering time and service to Green B. Trimble Technical High School.

The Golden Achievement Award for Partnership Excellence was created to recognize the outstanding contributions made by business and community partners to the students and teachers of the FWISD.

“Sailors provided positive role models in meeting the goals of the Stay-In-School Initiative. The past two years, the FWISD has focused on increasing attendance records, and every year starts with a kick-off in offering incentives for kids to come to school,” said Becky Harper, assistant coordinator, School and Community Partnerships FWISD.

“Sailors from the base adopted students who required guidance in meeting their goals of staying in school through a mentorship program,” added Harper.

On several occasions, Navy volunteers judged senior class projects and helped students to build confidence in public speaking to the business communities.

According to Harper, local Sailors assisted in mentorship programs, class projects, base tours, and Texas Scholars, a program that offers money to students who meet a certain school curriculum through their high school degree plan. Sailors gave their time to ensure students were aware of the importance of an education by becoming Texas Scholars.

“Everyone benefits from this program,” said Chief Storekeeper (SW/AW) Thomas Smith, base coordinator for Trimble Tech High School. “It’s about bringing communities together in preserving America's future.”

Smith has been serving as a direct representative of the commanding officer to the adopted schools for more than two years and is involved in the planning, organizing and volunteering for adopt-a-school activities.

“It makes me proud to know that the leadership of this base has always been there to support the cause of making a difference in a child’s future,” said Smith.

“[The students] are highly influenced, and schools realize that it’s vital to their future for the community to reach out and stress the value of education,” said Smith.

Administrators at Trimble Tech High School, which has been an Adopt-A-School partner with NAS since 1996, submitted the nomination for 2003-04. NAS has also been the Adopt-A-School partner of Stripling Middle School since 1995. The Fort Worth Independent School District has an enrollment of 78,477 students and is composed of more than 140 schools.

For related news, visit the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/nasjrbfw.