Scott Airmen promote junior achievement Published May 14, 2008 By Monte Miller 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- For the past four years, Scott Airmen have volunteered their time to teach kids some valuable life lessons. The Junior Achievement program is taught to students in elementary schools around the nation. The purpose of Junior Achievement is to educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business, and economics to improve the quality of their lives. The Scott Airmen serve as role models teaching students how to achieve personal and professional success. Senior Master Sgt. Robert Castelleno, Military Personnel Flight superintendent, has been involved with the Junior Achievement program for four years. "I'm a strong advocate for pushing volunteers," Sergeant Castellano said. "I signed up to teach myself. We have six Junior Achievement volunteers just in my flight." He explained the Airmen go to the schools once a week for five weeks and teach different lessons in the curriculum to students ranging in grades from first to sixth. "We help the kids understand the necessity to work and what you have to do to be a productive citizen and the importance of money," Sergeant Castelleno said. "Other lessons include what makes up a family, because today it is no longer just mom and dad, it could be any relatives or guardians." Another major lesson taught to the kids is the importance of being a positive force in their neighborhood and what roles different careers, such as a mailman, play in their community. There are also lessons taught about local government and how some systems work. Currently, Scott Airmen are teaching Junior Achievement at Douglas Elementary School in Belleville. School principal Teresa Blomenkamp gives the program and the Scott Airmen great reviews. "We are very much impressed with the Air Force people," Mrs. Blomenkamp said. "It shows the great working relationship we have with the military and it keeps get better and better." Mrs. Blomenkamp added the Scott Airmen are very organized and the students not only enjoy the Junior Achievement, but also getting to interact with the military personnel. "The students are always excited when the military people come in," Mrs. Blomenkamp said. "They've shared things with their teachers and myself about how much they enjoy it. The students are getting a chance to learn and interact with people they may not normally get the opportunity to." This is the second year the Scott Airmen have done the Junior Achievement program at Douglas Elementary. The Scott AFB partnership with Junior Achievement of Mississippi Valley started in the fall of 2004, when a request was sent to Scott first sergeants looking for volunteers for eight Scott Elementary classes. Within a couple of hours of sending out that e-mail, the classes were filled. Each year, the number of volunteers, classrooms taught and number of students increases. Each year requests are sent to the Scott first sergeants and previous volunteers looking for volunteers in January for the Spring session. Several training sessions at the Base Education center are held in the months of February and March for any new volunteers. At the end of the school year, the volunteers are recognized by JA with a volunteer certificate of appreciation as well as letters from the Vice President of Operations of JA in St. Louis and a letter from the Governor of Illinois for their participation in JA. Scott Airmen were in 11 schools this year and plan to expand next year by one or two schools. The majority of the volunteers teach at Scott Elementary and Mascoutah Elementary, but volunteers were provided to several O'Fallon and Swansea schools. Airmen are also in Belleville, Smithton, Milstadt and East St. Louis schools.