Nearly two years ago, Cathy Laliberte was tapped for a mission.
It was known throughout School District 27J that the Assistive Technology Technician was a member of the North Valley Civil Air Patrol. It was also widely believed that 27J students could use a program like that.
After relentless requests, Laliberte decided to split her attention between North Valley and the budding process of creating another troop in the Brighton area.
On Nov. 4, 2011, she and master sergeant Cynthia Smith helped to charter the first Adams County Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
But there was a problem: You need at least 20 interested cadets to get the group off the ground.
“We didn’t have enough members in the beginning, so we borrowed four members from North Valley,” Laliberte said.
She and three cadets – including her son, Chad, 17 — performed double duty for both squadrons for more than a year. To boot, every senior member on the Adams County cadet squadron is a volunteer.
Both Civil Air Patrol sections are thriving today, and Laliberte’s new squadron is 56 members strong.
“It was a unique way to begin,” Smith said. “We were lucky enough to have the three experienced cadets come over and teach everyone in the beginning. Now, we have a core group of leaders who have been there the whole time.”
Smith said the success of the young squad, as far as promotions and graduation rates, is very impressive.
“The superintendent thought it was a fabulous idea to have a district-chartered squadron,” said Nancy Ross, 27J emergency response and crisis specialist. “And they became the first successful district-chartered squadron in Colorado — quite an accomplishment.”
Ross said the program immediately did exactly what it was supposed to do. It was instilling leadership skills, building character, promoting a healthy, drug-free lifestyle and offering an alternative to other poor choices, which is what many students need to prevent them from getting into trouble or dropping out of school, she said.
The students meet every Tuesday after school at Brighton Heritage Academy at 830 E. Bridge St. There, they work for a month in the same cycle: physical training one week, leadership training the next, aerospace class the third week, and character development and safety at the end of the month.
In addition to classes and field training, the cadets do a substantial amount of volunteer work.
They were instrumental during Colorado flood recovery relief last month, and they also volunteered for substance abuse education at this year’s 27J Wellness Fair.
For the two-year anniversary, Laliberte and her squadron are playing it low-key.
“We’re just having a normal award ceremony,” she said. “Our big promotion celebration with be at the (Brighton) Armory in February.”
Smith said that the squad’s success can be traced to its humble beginnings.
“Our strength is derived from our roots and our leadership,” she said. “It would probably benefit all squadrons to start out the way we did.”
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, or mmitchell@denverpost.com
