| 52nd Civil Support Team gives lessons in science to Worthington school students |
WORTHINGTON, Ohio - When 13-year-old Robert “Robby” Parish III came home from school and asked his dad if he would talk to his class about what he does for a living, it didn’t seem an unusual request. Little did he know, it would become a lesson in science for all seventh grade classes at Worthingway Middle School. “Well, it kind of snow-balled,” said Robby’s father, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Parish, Jr., the logistics noncommissioned officer for the Ohio National Guard’s 52nd Civil Support Team, Weapons of Mass Destruction (CST WMD). “Robby came home from school and asked me if I could talk to his class about what we do—protecting our state and country when it comes to nuclear weapons and other uses of weapons of mass destruction.” As Robby explained to his parents, his seventh grade science class had been discussing alternate forms of energy, including nuclear energy and its hazards. When the discussion turned to radiation, Robby spoke up. “Robby raised his hand and tried to explain to his teacher, Miss Cara Smith, what I do on the team and how the Army National Guard assists federal, state and local authorities dealing with nuclear weapons, radiation and other weapons of mass destruction,” Parish said. The words caught Smith’s attention and she asked Robby if his dad would be willing to come to the school and talk to the class about the 52nd. Parish and Smith began coordinating and not long after, he and several other specialized members of the 52nd found themselves in front of more than 90 of the school’s seventh grade students and teachers. Parish enlisted the help of fellow team members Sgt. 1st Class Andreas Beneze, the team’s medical operations noncommissioned officer, Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Stichler, survey-reconnaissance noncommissioned officer and Staff Sgt. Douglas L. Melvin, survey team chief, to put together a program that would combine CST capabilities and incorporate what Robby’s class was studying. On June 4, the day of the presentation, Robby arrived at school clad in blue jeans and an Army physical fitness t-shirt. When he saw his dad, his face broke out in an ear-to-ear smile, beaming with pride. The presentation was held in the student library because school officials deemed it important enough to include all of the school’s seventh grade science classes. The room was filled almost to capacity with students and teachers, as well as a few onlookers that wandered in out of curiosity. “We wanted to put some ‘shock and awe’ in the program,” Stichler said. So as Parish opened the program, Stichler dressed in a fully-encapsulated chemical suit with a self-contained breathing apparatus, then entered from the back of the room, catching the audience off-guard. Using radiation detection equipment, Stichler began searching for nuclei training devices that they emplaced prior to the start of the class. “By the expressions on the students’ and teachers’ faces, I think we were effective in our demonstration on how our team operates in the ‘hot zone’ and also how radiation is present all around us,” Parish said. “The demonstration served as a springboard which grabbed the interest of the audience and we were able to lead into some pretty good questions from students,” Beneze said. “Furthermore, the students were very intuitive on science and it allowed them to see how important science plays in how we do our job, as well, in all our lives.” Beneze, who is responsible for assisting in the team’s analytical lab processes, used humor when teaching the students, which kept their interest. The presentation lasted more than two hours, during which students learned the effects of radiation and other topics related to chemical and biological agents. Both students and teachers were surprised to learn how the National Guard’s role in homeland security, defense and disaster support has helped save lives and make the world a safer place. At the conclusion of the class, Smith, along with several other teachers, expressed interest for a return visit from the 52nd CST for next school year. |
