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Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot is Giving Back, Going Forward, and Going for the Gold

mcalvert
Explorer C

This year the Adopt-A-Pilot (AAP) program, which places Southwest Airlines Pilots in fifth grade classrooms where they teach curriculum focusing on goal setting and real world learning, sponsored a national contest called “My AAP Story” which invited students and teachers to tell Southwest Airlines about their personal experience with the Adopt-A-Pilot program.  Adult and student participants wrote essays in hopes to win $150 cash scholarship for their classrooms and a class photo in the December issue of Spirit magazine.

We received nearly 100 entries.  Among them was our adult entry winner, written by Sharlene Duerksen, Teacher, Gifted and Talented program, West Canyon Elementary School, Caldwell, Idaho.  Ms. Duerksen wrote to us about how her Adopt-A-Pilot program has grown over the past several years.  In addition to the traditional AAP program, Ms. Duerksen, adopted Pilot, Captain Herb Lewis, and the fifth grade students of West Canyon add a unit to the curriculum on Community outreach.  As part of this lesson, the class reaches out to the clients of their local Ronald McDonald House and provides them with cameras and journals handmade by West Canyon students.  Ms. Duerksen writes, “We educated the class on the purpose of this organization and were able to tour the house, present our gift, and instill in these kids the importance of ‘giving back’ and ‘giving forward.'”  

Hanna Mix, a fifth grader from Westchester Intermediate in Chesterton, Indiana, penned the winner in the student category.  She wrote about her adopted Pilot, Captain Ken McAloon.  In her words, “Captain McAloon was very good at explaining things in fifth grade terms…  (He) taught me a lot of things: but the major thing he taught me was to go for the gold, and don’t stop until you get it.”  Hannah, by George, I think you’ve got it!

Thank you to all who entered their AAP stories.  We LUV hearing stories of our Employees reaching out in their communities.  We understand that each of our 35,000 students and 1,200 classrooms experience Adopt-A-Pilot in a unique way.  These stories remind us that Southwest and our fabulous Pilots are making a positive difference in our communities with the AAP program.  We believe it will continue to be a platform for students’ positive growth and development—as well as a way for Southwest to give back, give forward, and go for the gold.

For more info on AAP, visit www.southwest.com/adoptapilot or contact adoptapilot@wnco.com.

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