Anybody who has ever been a student remembers the first day of school after summer break. The anticipation of seeing old friends and making new ones. The favorite smells of new books and freshly sharpened pencils and your favorite meal served in the cafeteria (you know the one).
This week kicks off the season when more than 780 Southwest Pilots will head back to school but it's not to learn a new job skill. Flying is in their blood and, and it's what they love to do. These Pilots are entering the more than 1,250 classrooms working with almost 35,000 fifth-grade students across the country to help them learn how to make lifetime goals and achieve their dreams. These Pilots are what makes the Southwest Airlines Adopt-a-Pilot program so special.
Adopt-a-Pilot is an award-winning program that places Southwest Pilots in elementary school classrooms across the nation. SWA Pilots demonstrate to fifth-grade students how math, science, geography and other skills learned in school take on a real life application to any occupation you decide to pursue when you get older.
Last year, this same group of Pilots volunteered over 10,000 hours of their personal time mentoring these students from all walks of life. So this week as our Pilots prepare their lesson plans and try on the new Adopt-a-Pilot tie designed by one of last year's students, we thank them for their contribution to the young people of the community. And to the fifth-grade students who will enrich these Pilot's lives over the next few months, good luck and enjoy the Adopt-a-Pilot program. Adopt-a-Pilot and Southwest Airlines, It's On!
To view a video on Adopt-a-Pilot Click Here