Run to commemorate fallen Marines and Corpsman

At 0900 on October 19, 2008, the Marines and Sailors of Fort Gordon and the surrounding Augusta community will begin a run to commemorate the more than 1050 Marines and Sailors that made the ultimate sacrifice while serving as part of Operations IRAQI and ENDURING FREEDOM.

This tribute will begin with a brief ceremony, as the Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment orders 21-rounds to be delivered to the firing detail that will be formed on 07 November. The first runner at that time will begin the first of the over 1050 three mile laps around Barton field. As each runner completes their lap the 21-rounds will be passed on to the next Marine or Sailor. This process will be repeated over 1050 times until a lap has been completed for each of the fallen Marines and Sailors.

The final lap will be run by the entire compliment of Marines and Sailors that participated in the event. The tribute will end at approximately 1500 hours, 7 November, when the 21-rounds will be handed over to the firing detail and a 21-gun salute is rendered, followed by the playing of taps and the singing of the Marine’s Hymn. A Marine or Sailor will be on the track running 24 hours a day for the entire 20 day duration. The run will cover over 3150 miles and will take over 450 hours to complete. We undertake this journey to remember our fallen brothers and sisters that are now part of our Corps’ history and to honor their sacrifice. SEMPER FI.

Today, roughly 700 members from all services came out to cap off a twenty day tribute. The event honors the 1,050 Marines and Navy Seamen who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Monday is the US Marine Corps birthday (11/10) and Tuesday is Veterans' Day (11/11). Take a moment to remember those who have given, are giving, and will give to defend the United States.


There are many things we can do to celebrate Veterans Day throughout the year.

Take a moment and send an email, provide pet foster care, send a care package, donate blood, donate frequent flyer miles, or volunteer in your community.
America Supports You
US Department of Veterans Affairs
US Army
US Marines
US Air Force
US Navy
Operation Military Pride
Xerox provides a Let's Say Thanks campaign grab a widget for your space
Armed Forces Network (AFN)

History Channel's Take a Veteran to School Day
iCasualties - Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
iCasualties.org - Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)

Most of the links provide supplemental information for teachers and parents to teach children more about the day and how to say, "Thank you" to the many veterans they see everyday.

A few more ways to honor our heroes this Veterans Day
• Write a veteran a thank-you note, or send a letter to an entire VFW or American Legion post.
• Write a letter/Send an email to a Soldier currently serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
• Talk to your children about who veterans are, what they do and what their service means to our country.

Thank you Veterans! We will never forget.

What special way do you remember your veterans?

Net Day Speak Up 2008

Speak Up is an annual national research project facilitated by Project Tomorrow. The purpose of the project is to:

Collect and report the unfiltered feedback from students, parents, admins, and teachers on key educational issues.
Use the data to stimulate local conversations.
Raise national awareness about the importance of including the viewpoints of students, parents, and teachers in the education dialogue. Since inception, over 1.2 million students, educators, and parents have shared their ideas through Speak Up.

You can too. Participate in Speak Up 2008 until December 19, 2008.

Quantitative survey results are available to participating schools and districts, online, free-of-charge, so that they can use the data for planning and community discussion. National findings are released through a variety of venues, including: a Congressional Briefing in Washington, DC, national and regional conferences, e-mail distribution, Project Tomorrow website, and our Speak Up partners. Local, state and national stakeholders report using Speak Up data to inform their new programs and policies.

All districts and schools, in the current NCES database, are automatically pre-registered to participate in Speak Up. To participate in the survey and obtain free, online access to your school or district’s aggregated results, your registration must be activated.

Speak Up Surveys submitted as of 11/6: 18,605 Students, 2,827 Teachers, 1,929 Parents, 326 School Leaders.

This last portion reminded me of what SLA Principal Chris Lehmann stated during his presentation at Ignite Philly, "Good data costs more than we are willing to spend". What better reason to participate in the survey? For three years I have requested anyone to register the Richmond County School System. This year they did with a same day response in email. No "Yeah but"s or "No"s, just a quick email response stating it is done and the magic word. So if your school district isn't registered...parents can still take the survey, but continue to contact your school board members, the IT and Ed Techies, so the voices of the students, teachers, and administrators can be heard as well. The schools in the NCES database are already loaded...some adult in the school or the school district has to activate the survey for an individual school or the entire district.

Is your school in the news?

So the Augusta Chronicle publishes, Report ranks local schools among worst Graduation rate for black males is sixth lowest in the nation by Greg Gelpi 11/2/08. He cites the original source: Schott Foundation for Public Education report Given Half a Chance: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education for Black Males.

The Richmond County School System has yet to make AYP in the years that AYP results are recorded and available through the net (2001). GA Dept of Ed provides data reports and AYP results. Regardless of the negative publicity, we decided to be one part of the solution, get to the source of the issue, and bring solutions and recommendations to the table.

When my daughter received her diploma in May, her school had a graduation rate of 48%. These results were updated to 60% after summer school results were submitted for the recalculation. Many people want to point the finger, play the blame game, talk the talk...but where are the practitioners?

I am happy that our school board selected Dr. Dana Bedden as the Superintendent of RCSS. He has his critics, but I challenge the critics to step forward and volunteer in the classroom/at the school, rather than throw negative comments through the online newspaper. I empathize with him as I know he did not expect to inherit a system in the shape that it was in.

The external audit of the system documented many (but not all) issues the district has from lack of technology, lack of technology skills of the people in the system, the need for reorganization, and other issues addressed in the Performance Review of RCSS. The recently updated System Technology Plan has some quirks that need to be worked out.

I have been to the school board on a couple of occasions. Initially, to present letters to each board member inviting them to the school for a Meet and Greet. Not being from here, not understanding the downfall from elementary, middle, and high schools and not exactly who all of our board members were with the district lines.

Once to present a list of questions collected from the parents I had met as I became a participative parent at my daughter's high school. To this day, half of those questions have not been answered. But the written response from the Richmond County Board of Education can be found on the BHS PTSA Accomplishments website and Part of the Solution blog.

We published pictures of the school that seemed to be left to neglect. We took pictures of us when we attempted to start the Butler Beautification project. We went back to the board to ask for the projected plans for the school because we applied for and received a Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant for $5000.

So are you doing what you can for the schools in your district? You can rely on the media and AYP reports...but at what point do you say, "Enough already, what is going on in my own neighborhood? What can I do to improve the situation?" Many people want to help but are not sure what to do. Even if you are not a parent of a student at the local school, the schools are a part of the community. We will pay for these students in the school house or in the jail house.

The recent article published by Gelpi brings out the comments, yet the article published on 11/1 titled, Students will watch action from CNN studios has no comments. The trip, arranged by Superintendent Dana Bedden and CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien, will allow the broadcast class students to experience the history-making election. The trip is being paid for by private donations.

To everyone who is making the difference in the life of a child or a group of neighborhood children...Thank you!!! What goes around, comes around and if we don't participate in the lives of the children...those children will remember when they have to make the decision about who rocks your rocking chair...after all it is the circle of life.