WELCOME FIT FOR A MARINE PEN PAL VISITS CLASSROOM UPON RETURN FROM IRAQ.Byline: JUDY O'ROURKE Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, -- The students in Judith Hayward's fifth-grade class had never met the Marine who visited them Thursday after returning from Iraq, but now he's like a friend. Master Sgt. Mark Coates was the class's pen pal pen pal n. A person with whom one becomes acquainted through a friendly, regular correspondence. pen pal Noun Informal same as pen friend Noun 1. for months as the kids flooded him with letters and care packages. Coates reciprocated with a video. "When he sent the video, I felt we knew him," student Himani Sharma said. "We were excited to see him in person!" Coates stopped by Valencia Valley Elementary School Valley Elementary School is an elementary school located in Beavercreek, Ohio and is part of the Beavercreek City School District. The principal is Lisa Walk. External links
acute moist dermatitis. -- Fallujah, Haditha, Ramadi -- and showed off military paraphernalia. "Was it scary to be in Iraq?" Alicia Spadaro asked. It sure was, he told her quietly, especially the uncertainty about what would happen next. "I know there are bad things about the war. What are the good things?" Himani asked. A pensive pen·sive adj. 1. Deeply, often wistfully or dreamily thoughtful. 2. Suggestive or expressive of melancholy thoughtfulness. Coates spoke of restoring normalcy nor·mal·cy n. Normality. Noun 1. normalcy - being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning normality to empty, bomb-laden schools, ousting a dictatorship and fostering an atmosphere that allows for public protests. Among other things, his unit supported an air command and protected a key runway. "You hear so many people complain about the war in general. Nobody likes to have a war or be in it," Coates said later. "But what the kids are doing is supporting the people who are in it. As long as they give the support to the people who are willing to sacrifice themselves, that's all that's important." As students passed around the leaden bulletproof Refers to extremely stable hardware and/or software that cannot be brought down no matter what unusual conditions arise. See industrial strength. bulletproof - Used of an algorithm or implementation considered extremely robust; lossage-resistant; capable of correctly plates that girded Coates' flak jacket flak jacket n. A bulletproof jacket or vest. flak jacket Noun a reinforced sleeveless jacket for protection against gunfire or shrapnel , Amanda Sladek said, "I can't imagine them holding that every day." Since October, the students had been sending missives and would hear back via a weekly update newsletter, which consisted of an e-mail routed from Coates' mom to friends and family. His mom, Cathy Chamberlain, was the glue holding the soldier and class together. Ages ago, she had lost touch with her grade-school pal -- Hayward -- but a chance search on Classmates.com reunited "Reunited" was a #1 hit in the United States in 1979 by the Washington, D.C.-based group Peaches & Herb. Preceded by "Heart of Glass" by Blondie Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 5 1979 Succeeded by "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer the pair, and the project soon followed. Hayward, a teacher for 43 years, has taught in the Newhall School District The Newhall School District is a school district in the Santa Clarita Valley that serves the Valencia and Newhall communities within the city of Santa Clarita, California, as well as the Stevenson Ranch community in unincorporated Los Angeles County. for 19 years. Never before has the school welcomed a visitor fresh from war. "I'm thrilled my class had a chance to participate in this activity to write to him and meet him," Hayward said. "Starting in fifth grade, children kind of wake up. They start to see there's more to the world than just what surrounds their little area." The students crooned the Marine Corps Hymn as they marched to greet Coates and escort him to their classroom. He had shared their letters with his mom, who beamed from the back of the room. "I'm so proud Judi encouraged her class to adopt him," Chamberlain said later. She traveled from Torrance for the occasion, and Coates, who returned home in February, arrived from his Marine Corps Miramar station post. He lives with his wife and two of their kids in a small town outside Temecula. Coates, 43, was deployed to Iraq in 2003, 2004 and 2006. He drew laughs midway through the otherwise serious visit when his cell phone ring tone blared AC/DC's "Thunderstruck thun·der·struck adj. Affected with sudden astonishment or amazement. thunderstruck Adjective amazed or shocked Adj. 1. ." Coates brought the kids souvenir pins, and some handed him gifts. Logan Vandergrift fashioned paper clips into a star. "It's part of the American flag," the boy said. "It seems like it would symbolize America." The visit made history come alive for the students, Principal Tammi Rainville said. "It's not just hearing the perspective of parents or what they see on the news," she said. "It's getting the experience firsthand, whatever your beliefs are." After nearly 26 years of military service, Coates is ready for retirement but won't stray far if he gets his wish. He hopes to work with Marines at Camp Pendleton. judy.orourke@dailynews.com (661) 257-5255 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Master Sgt. Mark Coates shows Judith Hayward's fifth-graders at Valencia Valley Elementary School the tools of the trade he used while on three tours of duty in Iraq. Coates and the class were pen pals Pen Pals or penpals may refer to:
David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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