Charleston, West Virginia educators get a firsthand look at Marine Corps recruit training

    Thirty eight educators from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio endured the rigors of Marine Corps recruit training during the 2015 Educator Workshop, Feb. 10 to 13 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

    Educator Workshops are conducted annually by Marine recruiting stations across the United States as outreach programs to high schools within their area; with the goal of showing educators how the Marine Corps can be a possible career path for their students.

    Staff Sgt. Emanuel Krile, the staff noncommissioned officer in charge of Recruiting Sub-Station Circleville sent six educators from his local area to the workshop and said that it helps improve relations between schools and recruiters.

    The Educator Workshop played a big role in opening their eyes to the military, said Krile

    During the four-day workshop, educators received briefs about educational.

    The workshop activities began in the early morning on Feb. 10 at the yellow footprints, which is where all recruits begin their journey of recruit training at MCRD Parris Island. From there, educators spent Wednesday and Thursday running through obstacle courses, firing on rifle ranges and taking tours of recruit squad bays.

    The workshop ended Feb 13, with the educators attending a graduation ceremony for two companies of recruits who had just completed recruit training.

    According to Stacey Walton, an assistant principal for Point Pleasant High School in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, the workshop was one of the best professional development courses she had attended in her 12 years as a principal. She said that it helped her to gain new knowledge which will benefit her students.

    “After the recruiter leaves the school, the kids will come to an administrator like myself and have questions they might be afraid to ask,” said Walton. “Going to the workshop allows me to answer those questions with a little bit of knowledge. It allows me to see everything first hand and answer those questions with more than just what I saw on TV or heard other people talk about.”