thedrifter
03-28-08, 08:03 AM
Scholarship will help struggling students
Friday, March 28, 2008
By Matt Michael
Staff writer
In December 2006, U.S. Army soldier Christopher Simpson visited Roberts Street Elementary School in Canastota to talk to fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders about his experiences with Iraqi children during his first tour of duty in Baghdad.
Janine LeBlanc, a special education teacher at Roberts Street and Simpson's aunt, said Simpson spoke to the children for about an hour. He was free to leave after that, but he stuck around the school, chatting with teachers and returning to LeBlanc's class to spend more time with her students.
"He loved it," LeBlanc said. "He was very taken with the kids."
It was because of that visit that Simpson decided to become a teacher after his enlistment.
"I think the fact that he really struggled in school himself, he thought it was a way for him to make a difference for other kids who were struggling, too," LeBlanc said.
But on March 17, Simpson was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. Simpson, a former Onondaga County resident, was buried Wednesday at Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
To honor Simpson, his family has established a scholarship fund in his name. The following is a statement from the family, explaining why they wanted to create the fund:
"Christopher was a bright, humorous, and curious person with great enthusiasm for living life. He wasn't content to settle for the ordinary and always wanted more in every sense. He noticed so many details in things and, more importantly, in people. He had a keen sense of seeing the authenticity of people.
"He was eager and wanted to find a focus for his life. These enthusiastic and fearless qualities in him were a big part of his decision to join the armed services. It wasn't just the Army that helped him find a focus and refine his innate talents, it was some very kind and loving people that took time to help Chris by asking him challenging questions like, 'What is your plan for the next few years?' It was the important people in his life, and the sense of purpose he gained by defending our freedom, that helped him formulate a plan for his immediate future.
"After returning from his first deployment, his aunt arranged for Chris to give an inspirational presentation to the children at her school who had been a huge support to him and his unit. He explained to them that Iraqi children were no different than children in the U.S. they just want a safe environment to grow and learn in and to be afforded the same opportunity to attend school and prepare for life's calling. It was not long after that presentation that Chris decided he would go to college after his enlistment to become a teacher. He knew he could reach out and identify with kids like himself that do not fit into our mainstream education system.
"Christopher was the first-born child, grandchild, and cousin, and always was loving and attentive to the children in the family. He really was drawn to children. In recent conversations with him, I learned that he was asking for history books from his brother (Richard), who is in the Marines, and English books from his aunt. In memory of Christopher, we have set up a scholarship fund in his honor to help the very children he could identify with, students who don't fit the mainstream education model, by way of the Jordan-Elbridge Dollars for Scholars education fund. It is through this scholarship fund that we hope to bring his dreams into reality and benefit future generations for years to come."
Matt Michael can be reached at mmichael@syracuse.com or 470-3085.
Ellie
Friday, March 28, 2008
By Matt Michael
Staff writer
In December 2006, U.S. Army soldier Christopher Simpson visited Roberts Street Elementary School in Canastota to talk to fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders about his experiences with Iraqi children during his first tour of duty in Baghdad.
Janine LeBlanc, a special education teacher at Roberts Street and Simpson's aunt, said Simpson spoke to the children for about an hour. He was free to leave after that, but he stuck around the school, chatting with teachers and returning to LeBlanc's class to spend more time with her students.
"He loved it," LeBlanc said. "He was very taken with the kids."
It was because of that visit that Simpson decided to become a teacher after his enlistment.
"I think the fact that he really struggled in school himself, he thought it was a way for him to make a difference for other kids who were struggling, too," LeBlanc said.
But on March 17, Simpson was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad. Simpson, a former Onondaga County resident, was buried Wednesday at Onondaga County Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
To honor Simpson, his family has established a scholarship fund in his name. The following is a statement from the family, explaining why they wanted to create the fund:
"Christopher was a bright, humorous, and curious person with great enthusiasm for living life. He wasn't content to settle for the ordinary and always wanted more in every sense. He noticed so many details in things and, more importantly, in people. He had a keen sense of seeing the authenticity of people.
"He was eager and wanted to find a focus for his life. These enthusiastic and fearless qualities in him were a big part of his decision to join the armed services. It wasn't just the Army that helped him find a focus and refine his innate talents, it was some very kind and loving people that took time to help Chris by asking him challenging questions like, 'What is your plan for the next few years?' It was the important people in his life, and the sense of purpose he gained by defending our freedom, that helped him formulate a plan for his immediate future.
"After returning from his first deployment, his aunt arranged for Chris to give an inspirational presentation to the children at her school who had been a huge support to him and his unit. He explained to them that Iraqi children were no different than children in the U.S. they just want a safe environment to grow and learn in and to be afforded the same opportunity to attend school and prepare for life's calling. It was not long after that presentation that Chris decided he would go to college after his enlistment to become a teacher. He knew he could reach out and identify with kids like himself that do not fit into our mainstream education system.
"Christopher was the first-born child, grandchild, and cousin, and always was loving and attentive to the children in the family. He really was drawn to children. In recent conversations with him, I learned that he was asking for history books from his brother (Richard), who is in the Marines, and English books from his aunt. In memory of Christopher, we have set up a scholarship fund in his honor to help the very children he could identify with, students who don't fit the mainstream education model, by way of the Jordan-Elbridge Dollars for Scholars education fund. It is through this scholarship fund that we hope to bring his dreams into reality and benefit future generations for years to come."
Matt Michael can be reached at mmichael@syracuse.com or 470-3085.
Ellie