Building Positive Relationships With Kindergarten Students

Kindergarten students from Greater Latrobe and the Valley School of Ligonier descended on the K.L.B.E Air Museum located at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe for a community outreach field trip and Excela Health team members were on hand to make sure they enjoyed every minute. 

Volunteers from Excela Health included: Dr. Christina Armanious, Internist; Kelly Bedner, System ED Nurse Educator; Dr. Jim Breisinger, Hospitalist; Susan Bradley, Clinical Director, WH ED; Jeff Oliver, Supervisor, Care Support; Dr. John Peoples, Emergency Medicine; Glenn Repko, Clinical Director, SST/Care Support; and Mollie Repko, Clinical Nurse, Laurel Surgical Center. 

“The goal of this project,” said Marian Ferlin, Latrobe Kindergarten teacher, “is to build relationships, spike interest in the community service fields as well as aviation, while alleviating fear of situations that could include First Responders.” 

In addition to touring vintage aircraft, children rotated through stations operated by community first responders and hospital staff. They spent time with 911 and Mutual Aid teams learning when and how to call 911 in an emergency and spoke with EMTs and paramedics inside an ambulance while trying out stretchers and sirens. They met with fire fighters and police, including K-9 officer Zeus.