Students in Ms. Holly Herron’s Social Studies Classes at River Watch Middle School are getting a first-hand look into the life of a cadet at the US Air Force Academy. The students have “adopted” Chris Patton, a 2005 graduate of South Forsyth High School.

Early in the Fall, students from Ms. Herron’s classes sent letters to Cadet Patton, congratulating him for receiving the congressional appointment from Congressman John Linder and subsequently the appointment to the Academy. The letters asked questions about the Air Force and about life at the service academy. In the responding letter, Chris answered many of their questions, including “No, I am not at war yet, but I get up every single morning and put on the uniform of the United States Air Force…in four years, I am going to be prepped more than I could ever imagine to face whatever enemy it is that we will have in the future.” In answer to another question, Chris wrote, “The academics are really hard, but I am going to graduate with one of the best educations I can get in this country.”

In addition to writing letters, Ms. Herron’s students recently collected some of Chris’ favorite snacks, a few magazines, and some playing cards, and sent these to him as a care package, since freshmen at the Academy seldom get the chance to leave campus. In the package, they included photos of themselves.

Ms. Herron, who has 26 years of teaching experience, is in her second year of teaching the eighth grade gifted Social Studies classes at Riverwatch Middle School. When asked why she chose to adopt a cadet for a class project, she said “Chris exemplifies many of the values we hold dear in this country; I thought it would be a valuable way for the students to see those values actually put into practice by someone not that far removed from their own experiences.”