Students get visit from SAR chopper

A Search and Rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island lands on the grounds of Crescent Harbor Elementary School near Oak Harbor June 1. Photo Courtesy of Kate Schreck

Students at Crescent Harbor Elementary School near Oak Harbor got an up close and personal look at a Search and Rescue helicopter from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island last week.

Members of the NASWI SAR team landed their chopper June 1 as the children were lining up to go into the school, so most of the youngsters had a chance to see it land. Later on, each class got 15 minutes to go out and see the helicopter and talk with crew members.

“The kids love this,” said Kate Schreck, Crescent Harbor Elementary’s principal. “This is the second year in a row we’ve managed to do this.

“What’s nice is that because our building has so many kids with families in the

Navy and they come and go so much, we had a lot of kids that didn’t get to experience this last year because they weren’t in the building,” she said.

Students from Crescent Harbor Elementary School do calisthenics with the SAR crew from NAS Whidbey Island. Photo Courtesy of Joe Hunt, Oak Harbor School District

Once on the ground the crew ran students through three different stations. The physical fitness/motivation station gave students a firsthand look at different types of workouts the crew uses to stay fit for the job.

At the rescue gear station, the different types of gear were explained, including the hoist, rescue basket and backboard/litter.

The last station offered a chance for students to ask questions about working with search and rescue helicopters.

“The crew provides such great role models for the kids,” Schreck said. “The teachers told me later how crew members encouraged the children to work hard in school, because they can’t do a job like that without an education.”

But the crew gets something out of these visits as well.

“Visiting the schools keeps my life perspective positive as I’m able to see so many students who are excited about the simple things in life,” said Lt. Brandon Sheets, a pilot. “We try to make the most of these opportunities to encourage kids who might need a self-esteem boost.”

Schreck said that while many of the students at Crescent Harbor Elementary School know a lot about the Navy, an experience like the one last week is still new.

“They don’t get a lot of up close contact with the aircraft,” she said. “It gives them a different perspective than what they normally see when they go on the base.”