Every year, Westbrook Christian School in Rainbow City, Alabama, participates in what they call a God’s World Day. Last February, Postmarks was invited to travel with the youngsters and to document their educational journey.
On this day, students are transformed into special agents who must wander the globe searching for clues that will save their beloved mascot, the Westbrook Warrior.
Classrooms become countries (this year, the countries were the United States, Venezuela, Nigeria, England, Germany, Russia, and North Korea). Students rotate from country to country to gather information and decode clues to help the Westbrook Warrior complete his mission.
And what is a necessity for every clue-collecting covert operative? Why, a suitcase, of course!
This is where the Postal Service was glad to help.
Postmaster Robert Beard arranged for approximately 200 priority flat-rate boxes to be delivered to the students for use in their extensive travels.
At each stop, the students learned about that country’s history and culture, received information and relevant edible goodies, decoded clues in the debriefing room, and had their passports and increasingly heavy “suitcases” stamped.
Germany
"Hello, welcome to Russia," where Russian tea and tea cakes energized the young spies.
The entrance to England. "Have your passports open, please."
England again, where the royal instructor did a bloody good job of making learning fun.
Nigeria, a land of beauty and much intrigue.
North Korea, where the travelers successfully battled ignorance of world affairs.
In Venezuela, enjoying a refreshing, exotic waterfall bursting with knowledge.
Back in the good old USA
Most students will hang on to their boxes to reuse and upon which to collect more countries' stamps in the years to come.
Hopefully, these keepsakes will remind the students and their families that priority boxes can go wherever and carry whatever our customers need them to go.
Postmarks offers a warm thanks to Westbrook students and staff and Postmaster Robert Beard. Sorry that you had to wait so long to see the article, but we had to wait for all of the permission slips to be completed and returned, which was a monumentous task in itself that we greatly appreciate you all having done.
We hope to be invited back for next year's day, where the theme will be The Great American Melting Pot.
