Soldier's visit to school part of lesson on global education

Army Capt. Craig Giancaterino commands a company of 170 soldiers, all military police, who recently returned from Iraq where they had partnered with Iraqi police for a series of training sessions.

It was Giancaterino's third tour of duty in Iraq, including a second deployment where he saw combat almost daily.

Still, on Friday, Giancaterino found himself a bit intimidated, if not speechless, as he faced a gymnasium filled with schoolchildren ready to hear what he had to say.

"Wow," he said under his breath as he was introduced by Claudia Molick, principal of Queen of the Rosary School in Elk Grove Village.

For Giancaterino, an Elk Grove native, it was a bit of old home week. He graduated from the school in 1995 before continuing to the former Driscoll Academy in Addison and then Northern Illinois University, where he joined the Army ROTC.

His appearance came at the request of Gwen DeLutio and Kathleen McGinn, language arts teachers who coordinated a schoolwide reading unit around the youth versions of Greg Mortenson's best-seller "Three Cups of Tea."

In it, students learned about Mortenson's campaign to build schools in remote Pakistan, in his attempt to promote peace and make education accessible to children, particularly girls.

During the unit, children at Queen of the Rosary not only read portions of the book every day, but they simulated drinking cups of tea. The book's title is taken from an ancient Balti proverb about the humanizing effects of drinking tea together.

Now, Elk Grove students are raising money through Mortenson's "Pennies for Peace" initiative designed to educate American children about the world beyond their experience.

"The kids benefited greatly from reading the book every day," DeLutio said. "They learned so much about the Muslim culture and just how much they can help in this global peace-building effort."

Giancaterino's visit reaffirmed their mission. While serving in Iraq he volunteered at Iraqi schools and delivered school supplies collected by his mother, Helen, of Elk Grove Village.

"The schools there are not the same as we have here," Giancaterino told them. "Some of the things you have here they'd only dream of. They have no books, clean clothes or running water.

"When I'd bring boxes of school supplies to them, they'd line up for more pencils," he added. "Pencils!"

Students asked questions that lasted nearly an hour, ranging from the weapons he carried to the food he ate in Iraq. But his description of their meager school supplies stayed with students long after he left.

"That's what I'll remember," said eighth-grader Sam Ostling of Elk Grove Village, "just how the kids are so much less fortunate."

His classmate, Jessica Jones of Elk Grove Village, recognized the link between Giancaterino's work with Iraqi schoolchildren and Mortenson's campaign to build more schools.

"It's just important that we help children who want to learn and grow," Jones said. "In their culture, it's not seen as important for them to learn, especially for girls."

Her teachers concurred, adding that Giancaterino's military experience and interaction with children in the Middle East helped bring their reading unit into focus. "The students deepened their understanding of the Pakistani culture," McGinn said, "and of the necessity of educating children in order to promote global peace."