Two Schools Reopened in Kirkuk, Iraq

By Sgt. Michael Tuttle, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Mr. Adel, a science teacher at the Musalla Secondary School in Kirkuk, Iraq, hands a bag of school supplies to a student during a school reopening ceremony Thursday. The secondary school and a city elementary school reopened after being renovated over the summer as part of a program in which they will serve as models for other schools in the region. Photo: Sgt. Michael Tuttle, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KIRKUK, Iraq - Two schools reopened here Thursday after being renovated as part of a program in which they will serve as models for other schools in the area.

Musalla Secondary School students proudly hung their country and school flags on the newly painted walls of their refurbished school in preparation for a ceremony attended by local officials.

The secondary school and a city elementary school are the first of six to be renovated as part of the program.

"These schools were developed to set the example for Kirkuk," said Maj. Paul Beekman, team chief, 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion. "The Board of Education can go in and look at the schools and the equipment, and emulate it throughout the region."

The plan was funded by the Commander's Emergency Response Program, funding authorized by Congress to restore Iraq. Local Iraqis were contracted to do the work over the summer while students were out of school.

Class is underway Thursday at the Musalla Secondary School in Kirkuk, Iraq. The school reopened, along with an elementary school in the city, after being renovated over the summer as part of a program in which they will serve as models for other schools in the region. Photo: Sgt. Michael Tuttle, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

The construction included a science laboratory featuring new computers. Students will now benefit from the improved learning atmosphere and the equipment.

"The school looks brand new and the environment will enable the students to be more focused," said science teacher, Mr. Adel, through an interpreter. "The lab is a big improvement, allowing the students to learn hands-on."

Musalla students were previously confined to small classrooms which limited the science projects they could work on. The new lab was designed with bigger rooms so that more students can get involved, Beekman said.

The commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, joined the governor of Kirkuk and local education officials at the ceremony marking the reopening of the schools.

Col. Patrick T. Stackpole, 3BCT commander, told the students assembled in front of him that they are their country's greatest resource.

"This is the best day I've had in Iraq," said Stackpole. "Being the future of Iraq, take this opportunity and I hope to see some of you up here (on stage) someday."

School supplies such as paper and pencils were donated by individuals stateside.

Computer desks and other materials used to build the laboratory were donated by a nongovernmental agency.

alan@newsblaze.com

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