Guam Sailors Join Local School in Cleanup Effort

Photo By Lt. Meagan Morrison | BARRIGADA, Guam (Oct. 10, 2019) Legalman 2nd Class Bria Stuckey (left), assigned to Region Legal Service Office-Western Pacific, from King, N.C., Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelsey Hockenberger (middle), assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron Fifteen, from Hudson, Wis., and Ken Barnes, a local parent volunteer, remove a tire from the ground during a community outreach project for the Guahan Academy Charter School. During the project, military members from multiple Guam-based commands and school parent volunteers removed old tires from a playground to prepare for a new play area for the children. CSS-15 staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to four Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine commands at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Meagan Morrison)  

TIYAN, GUAM

10.10.2019

Story by Lt.j.g. Meagan Morrison 

Commander, Submarine Squadron 15

Barrigada, Guam (Oct. 10, 2019) – Service members from multiple Guam based commands including Commander, Submarine Squadron Fifteen joined faculty and family from Guahan Academy Charter School during a school cleanup, Oct. 10.

More than 30 service members took part in the community outreach event to help prepare the school grounds for new equipment and future soccer fields.

‘This is a nice surprise for the students,” said Tammy Terlaje, the school’s special programs assistant. “We want to be able to provide our students with something new and longer lasting.”

To help improve the playground area, service members worked with the faculty and parent-teacher organization to remove tires, clear debris, and beautify the grounds. The volunteers removed more than 50 tires that had been filled with sand and placed in the ground.

Terlaje praised the military and parents for working together to make progress on the school grounds.

“We’re seeing all of this progress because of the help we receive from the military commands around the island,” said Terlaje. “Having the parents involved allows them to see that progress and how we’re working to provide their children with better outdoor activities.”

Guahan Academy Charter School is non-profit public school of the Government of Guam that serves students from kindergarten to 12th grade. Sailors on the island routinely help local schools throughout the year as part of the Joint Region Marianas Sister School, Sister Village community relations program.

The purpose of the program is to create, foster, and develop sustained positive relationships between the military and the local Guam population.

“It’s always a great experience being able to come out and help the community,” said Torpedoman’s Mate 2nd Class Curtis Branz, a native of Wallace, Idaho. “I enjoy working side by side with the parents and faculty to help improve the quality of the school for the students.”

CSS-15 is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam in Santa Rita, Guam, and includes four Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines.

The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands. Also based out of Naval Base Guam are submarine tenders USS Frank Cable and USS Emory S. Land.

The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy's forward-deployed submarine force and are capable of meeting global operational requirements.

For more news from CSS-15, visit our official website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/css15 and our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SubmarineSquadron15/.

Are you interested in taking orders to Guam? Want to learn more about the duty station and life on our island? For more information, check out the ‘Go Guam!’ website at http://www.csp.navy.mil/go-guam/ and download the ‘1st Fifteen’ checklist.

• Date Taken: 10.10.2019
• Date Posted: 10.14.2019 22:33
• Story ID: 347622
• Location: TIYAN, GU
• Hometown: WALLACE, IDAHO, US