On Wednesday, June 6, the American Elementary School hosted United States Army Major William Mercucci. Major Mercucci is part of the NATO Force Integration Unit (NFIU) and is stationed in Bydgoszcz. The day of his visit coincided with the 74th anniversay of D-Day, the historic day that the Allied Forces landed on the beaches at Normandy and began the liberation of Nazi-occupied northwestern Europe
After meeting with pani Jola, pani Asia Nowakowska, pani Ania Pawlowska, pani Agnieszka Landowska, and me upon his arrival, the Major did a presentation for the students in grades 5 – 7 during which he discussed D-Day and the various parachute jumps that were taking place across the world in commemoration of the event. He also talked about the special relationship between Poland and the United States and the bilateral military cooperation that began in 1993, and he talked about NATO and Poland's important role in the alliance. He also told the personal story and his childhood in Puerto Rico and how as a boy he wanted to be a pilot but thought that because his first language was Spanish and he spoke English with an accent that maybe that dream was out of reach; however, through hard work, and determination he did become a pilot, went on to get a Master's Degree in Psychology, and is now a military leader. This message of the importance of pursuing dreams and knowing what to do to achieve them was an important one for our students to hear.
The students were invited to ask questions, and they did, and all of the questions asked were intelligent, well-informed, and insightful. Afterward the Major told me how impressed he was with our students' sophisticated thinking.
I did a short presentation about our school and its philosophy about teaching and learning, and then the 7th graders did a presentation about various aspects of school life. This was followed by a big Thanksgiving dinner, complete with roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Pani Asia Nowakowska had the idea that our guest would appreciate a truly American meal, and he was overwhelmed with the gesture and pleased with the food.
Major Mercucci then took a tour of the classrooms. He met with the students and posed for photos with them. The 5th grade performed a short concert of classic American patriotic songs. They were outstanding. Before leaving, the Major was shown the oak tree that we planted on the first anniversay of the Septemeber 11th terrorist attacks. It was a mere sapling then, and now, 16 years later, it's becoming a big and sturdy tree.
It was a pleasure to host our guest, and I know that he had an enjoyable and enriching day as well. He posted photos and commentary on the NFIU Facebook page. He had very complimentary things to say about our school, including this:
The American Elementary School has a group of bright, motivated young students. The school teachers must be very proud of their work. And for that, I congratulate the faculty Team for the high level of organization and the professionalism of their students. I was impressed with the ability of the school to be involved in how children learn and how they can move forward by taking an expanded focus teaching mentality by developing their critical thinking not only to improve math, science, and reading, at which they are incredibly talented, but also the way they introduce languages and cultural awareness.
I am proud of what we do as the American School community, the team of teachers, administrators, therapists, families, and students, and I'm confident that we always strive to provide the best education possible for our young people. To have another pair of eyes look at our successes and validate our achievements is rewarding to me as an educator. That our school was so assessed by a Major in the United States Army makes me proud as an American.
We plan to have continued cooperation with Major Mercucci and the NFIU unit, and I'm sure the relationship will be a worthile one.
Mr. John