Suffolk Company Commander Capt. Matthew Linton exchanges ideas with a New York school board member at the state’s annual school board association convention in October.
Army
Education Wins at
New York Convention
Story and photos by Tina M. Beller, USAREC, New York Battalion
Dec. 15, 2014
Approximately 2,500 New York State School Board Association members recognized the New York Recruiting Battalion during the NYSSBA’s 95th annual convention Oct. 26. The convention is an educational forum offering professional development for teachers and administrators. The battalion received an award for being the top sponsor of this year’s event.
“One form of education doesn’t work for all kids,” said Robert Gibson of Tech Valley High School. “We need to provide kids options, and the pursuit of technology … now that provides options. We need to innovate, collaborate, delegate and put students first. The U.S. Army and NYSSBA can do that.”
Accepting the award, Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Michael Stinnett told NYSSBA he knows no Army without an education.
“I’ve been on active duty for 21 years, and nine of those years were spent earning my education in the Army,” he said. “Whether it was my leadership schools or my college degrees, I paid minimal dollars for them because I earned them as part of my Army service.”
In 1995, Stinnett’s West Point education was valued at roughly $250,000. He applied the Army’s Tuition Assistance Program – valued at $4,500 per year – to complete his first master’s degree in Engineering Management, contributing only $600 out of pocket.
Additionally, he used a portion of his Post 9/11 GI Bill entitlement to pay $12,000 toward his second master’s degree in leadership studies from Marshall University. He has three years of value remaining on his GI Bill that he can either use for a third masters or transfer to his spouse or children – a unique feature of the GI Bill that no college scholarship offers.
“There are many paths to achievement,” said Anne M. Byrne, president, National School Boards Association. “And it’s up to every one of us to make student achievement and high expectations at the top of our list of things to do as school board members, or else why do we serve?”
In addition to ad New York Battalion placed in the annual convention magazine, more than $9 million dollars in ROTC scholarships were awarded to New York students, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs donated close to $8 million to Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
While the Army has certainly been a global university for Stinnett, educating him through hands-on career and leadership training from subject matter experts and offering him a variety of valuable life experiences, fewer and fewer Americans like him are actually stepping up to volunteer to serve their country today.
“Nearly 70 percent of today’s youth are disqualified for military service due to criminal and moral misconduct, national obesity and low ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] scores,” said Stinnett. “That means only one in four 17-24 year olds is fully qualified to join the Army, and less than one actually will serve.”
While weight loss and good conduct are personal choices, the Army has done its part to help improve the national ASVAB scores by partnering with Peterson’s, a company that develops test preparation guides. Together, the Army and Peterson’s have created March2Success.com – a free, online resource designed to help students improve their scores on standardized tests, such as, the SAT, ACT and the ASVAB.
Students create an account and navigate through the various academic modules at their own pace.
New York Convention
Story and photos by Tina M. Beller, USAREC, New York Battalion
Dec. 15, 2014
Approximately 2,500 New York State School Board Association members recognized the New York Recruiting Battalion during the NYSSBA’s 95th annual convention Oct. 26. The convention is an educational forum offering professional development for teachers and administrators. The battalion received an award for being the top sponsor of this year’s event.
“One form of education doesn’t work for all kids,” said Robert Gibson of Tech Valley High School. “We need to provide kids options, and the pursuit of technology … now that provides options. We need to innovate, collaborate, delegate and put students first. The U.S. Army and NYSSBA can do that.”
Accepting the award, Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Michael Stinnett told NYSSBA he knows no Army without an education.
“I’ve been on active duty for 21 years, and nine of those years were spent earning my education in the Army,” he said. “Whether it was my leadership schools or my college degrees, I paid minimal dollars for them because I earned them as part of my Army service.”
In 1995, Stinnett’s West Point education was valued at roughly $250,000. He applied the Army’s Tuition Assistance Program – valued at $4,500 per year – to complete his first master’s degree in Engineering Management, contributing only $600 out of pocket.
Additionally, he used a portion of his Post 9/11 GI Bill entitlement to pay $12,000 toward his second master’s degree in leadership studies from Marshall University. He has three years of value remaining on his GI Bill that he can either use for a third masters or transfer to his spouse or children – a unique feature of the GI Bill that no college scholarship offers.
“There are many paths to achievement,” said Anne M. Byrne, president, National School Boards Association. “And it’s up to every one of us to make student achievement and high expectations at the top of our list of things to do as school board members, or else why do we serve?”
In addition to ad New York Battalion placed in the annual convention magazine, more than $9 million dollars in ROTC scholarships were awarded to New York students, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs donated close to $8 million to Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
While the Army has certainly been a global university for Stinnett, educating him through hands-on career and leadership training from subject matter experts and offering him a variety of valuable life experiences, fewer and fewer Americans like him are actually stepping up to volunteer to serve their country today.
“Nearly 70 percent of today’s youth are disqualified for military service due to criminal and moral misconduct, national obesity and low ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery] scores,” said Stinnett. “That means only one in four 17-24 year olds is fully qualified to join the Army, and less than one actually will serve.”
While weight loss and good conduct are personal choices, the Army has done its part to help improve the national ASVAB scores by partnering with Peterson’s, a company that develops test preparation guides. Together, the Army and Peterson’s have created March2Success.com – a free, online resource designed to help students improve their scores on standardized tests, such as, the SAT, ACT and the ASVAB.
Students create an account and navigate through the various academic modules at their own pace.