Air Force Academy

May 1, 2009

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Several members of the Air Force volleyball team visited King Elementary School on Tuesday, April 28, as a part of the Air Force Pen Pal Program. The Falcons spent the afternoon with Mrs. Worden's fifth-grade class at King Elementary School in Colorado Springs, answering questions, playing games and getting to know the children.

Juniors Michelle Harrington and Nicole Hartig, sophomores Emily Frick, Julia Hansen, Caroline Kurtz, Jackie Norton and Stephanie Stanford and freshman Allison Laning represented the volleyball team during their visit to King Elementary School.

Norton was the "pen pal" for Mrs. Worden's class during the season and the students were especially excited to see her. The sophomore from Highland, Calif., missed the entire 2008 season due to injury and sequential surgery.

"They were quite excited to see Jackie," Harrington said. "They first game they attended, she wasn't there and then they next time they came, they found her, but she was still in her (arm) sling."

The team started their afternoon with a question/answer session, before breaking into smaller groups to play Scrabble with the students. The questions ranged from what classes were like at the Academy to what the player's plans were for the summer. There were a lot of comments from the class about how tall the Falcons were, as three of visiting players averaged a height of 6-1.

The Falcons' Pen Pal Program pairs up classes throughout the Colorado Springs area with a member of the Air Force volleyball team. The classroom receives correspondence throughout the year, as well as free tickets to select home matches and post-match meet-and-greet sessions with the team. Each season, one class has the opportunity to win a special visit from the Falcons.