CARLSBORG — Lt. Dan Leary, a self-described “overpaid bus driver,” flew his U.S. Coast Guard helicopter to school Wednesday to see his son, Danny.
Conveniently enough, Greywolf Elementary has a field next to it that belongs to Clallam County Fire District No. 3.
That grassy swatch provided a landing pad for Leary and his crew to pay a motivational visit to a dozen fourth-graders.
Danny, 10, is among the students who go to school more than an hour early on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to prepare for the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, or WASL, test.
“They come willingly — and we have snacks for them,” said Gini Wuebold, who teaches the class with fellow reading specialist Penny Marinaro.
“We try to make it fun; we do a cheer,” as in “Give me a W! Give me an A!” Wuebold added.
Possibly the most enjoyable WASL prep session was the one this week, in which a helicopter alighted alongside the school.
At the appointed time of 8 a.m., the orange copter swung onto the horizon, descended to the grassy turf and unloaded three men to cheer on the students.