{"id":1335,"date":"2018-01-29T14:25:41","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T14:25:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2018-02-01T18:21:31","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T18:21:31","slug":"kaiserslautern-middle-school-student-wins-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/29\/kaiserslautern-middle-school-student-wins-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-achievement\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaiserslautern Middle School Student Wins $1,500 Exchange Gift Card for Academic Achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"RAMSTEIN AIR BASE \u2013 <\/strong>For the second-place winner of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes, the Kaiserslautern Military Community isn\u2019t just a place to live\u2014it\u2019s an opportunity to broaden horizons.<\/p>\n

Aaron Perez, a seventh-grader at Kaiserslautern Middle School, received his prize, a $1,500 Exchange gift card, during a Jan. 27 presentation at the Kaiserslautern Military Community Center Exchange<\/a>. Col. Scott McFarland, commander of the Exchange\u2019s Europe\/Southwest Asia region, and Richard Toney, deputy director of the 86th Mission Support Group, congratulated Aaron on his win.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe KMCC Exchange is privileged to honor Aaron\u2019s exemplary academic performance with this prize,\u201d McFarland said. \u201cWe know Aaron will do great things in the future and can\u2019t wait to see the heights to which he\u2019ll soar as his academic career progresses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through the You Made the Grade program, first- through 12th-graders who maintain a B average or higher are eligible to receive a coupon book filled with Exchange discounts and a sweepstakes entry form for a shot at a $2,000, $1,500 or $500 Exchange gift card.<\/p>\n

Aaron, 12, was one of three winners randomly selected from more than 550 eligible entries. He said he plans to use the gift card to purchase a laptop to help with his schoolwork.<\/p>\n

Since moving to Kaiserslautern two years ago, Aaron has taken full advantage of living in the heart of Europe. Earlier this month, he traveled to the Swiss Alps for the Boy Scouts\u2019 annual Klondike event, and recently traveled to Naples, Italy for a Boy Scouts summer camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like meeting new people and staying in new places,\u201d Aaron said.<\/p>\n

Aaron\u2019s father, Sgt. 1st Class Juan Perez, is an Army Reservist serving in the 7th Mission Support Command. He said the frequent moves of a military lifestyle have not always been easy, but Aaron has always found a way to make the most of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to be in a new place, but it\u2019s also sad to leave the place we were at,\u201d Perez said. \u201cOur children are really resilient in that aspect, and they\u2019ve learned to adapt. It\u2019s hard to leave behind those friends they\u2019ve made in the past, but they\u2019ve become very social and can make new ones easily.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students and guardians can contact the KMCC Exchange at (0)6371-4079100 for more information about the You Made the Grade program. Students can send You Made the Grade sweepstakes entry forms, which are included in the coupon booklets, to:<\/p>\n

You Made the Grade
\nPO Box 227398
\nDallas, TX 75222-7398<\/p>\n

Facebook-Friendly Version:
\n<\/strong>The second-place winner of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s You Made the Grade sweepstakes says Kaiserslautern isn\u2019t just a place to live\u2014it\u2019s an opportunity to broaden horizons. Read more: http:\/\/bit.ly\/2rMHja5<\/a>.<\/p>\n

— 30 —<\/p>\n

Since 1895, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service (Exchange) has gone where Soldiers, Airmen and their families go to improve the quality of their lives by providing valued goods and services at exclusive military pricing. As the 56th-largest retailer in the United States, Exchange earnings provided $2.4 billion in dividends to support military morale, welfare and recreation programs over the last 10 years. The Exchange is a non-appropriated fund entity of the Department of Defense and is directed by a Board of Directors. To find out more about the Exchange history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http:\/\/www.shopmyexchange.com<\/a> or follow us on Twitter at https:\/\/twitter.com\/ExchangePAO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

Media Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For more information or to schedule an interview with an Exchange representative please contact Conner Hammett, 214-312-2714 or hammettc@aafes.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Follow the Exchange:
\nFacebook:\u00a0 www.facebook.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Twitter:\u00a0 https:\/\/twitter.com\/shopmyexchange
\n<\/a>Instagram: @shopmyexchange<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE \u2013 For the second-place winner of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service\u2019s worldwide You Made the Grade sweepstakes, the Kaiserslautern Military Community isn\u2019t just a place to live\u2014it\u2019s an opportunity to broaden horizons. Aaron Perez, a seventh-grader at Kaiserslautern Middle School, received his prize, a $1,500 Exchange gift card, during a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":1362,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/29\/kaiserslautern-middle-school-student-wins-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-achievement\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Kaiserslautern Middle School Student Wins $1,500 Exchange Gift Card for Academic Achievement","url":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/29\/kaiserslautern-middle-school-student-wins-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-achievement\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/2018\/01\/29\/kaiserslautern-middle-school-student-wins-1500-exchange-gift-card-for-academic-achievement\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/39935066622_bf0880a35e_z-F-e1517500440538.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/publicaffairs-sme.com\/ExchangePost\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2018\/02\/39935066622_bf0880a35e_z-F-e1517500440538.jpg"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marisa Conner"}],"creator":["Marisa Conner"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Exchange Newsroom","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2018-01-29T14:25:41Z","datePublished":"2018-01-29T14:25:41Z","dateModified":"2018-02-01T18:21:31Z"},"rendered":"