By Christina Ritchie Rogers



Troops in the U.S. Marine Corps 4th Maintenance Battalion headquartered in Charlotte will get some extra holiday cheer from the students at McKinney Academy.

On Dec. 17 the school sent a large box filled with more than 200 magazines, candy canes and more than 50 handwritten notes to the troops, who are currently deployed in Afghanistan.

Fourth-grader Josh Hickman wrote, “I’m very happy that we have people like you to defend our country.” Third-grader Eva Boatsman wrote, “Thank you for all you do to protect us. We love having peace on our planet. I hope you can see your family again soon.”

McKinney fourth-graders helped pack the cards, candy and magazines into the box for shipment. The gently-used magazines, donated by McKinney families and community members over the course of a month, included Sports Illustrated, Time, Car and Driver and Newsweek, among others.

“When you’re out in the field and away from home you’re missing that information,” Community Outreach Program Volunteer Heidi Dietrich said. She helped to organize the magazine collection, card making and goodies for the troops’ care package. She helps organize the school’s outreach events during the year, which are key elements of the students’ curriculum.

“When we were considering Mecklenburg schools for our son, I was very impressed with everything (McKinney) does for the community,” Dietrich said. “We liked that it was part of their mission statement to get the students to think globally.”