SOUTHWEST AIRLINES ADOPT-A-PILOT PROGRAM LANDS IN SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE

Southwest Airlines has announced the 2011 takeoff of its award-winning, educational and mentoring program, Adopt-A-Pilot. Each Spring, fifth-grade students in more than 1,400 classes across the country will "adopt" Southwest Airlines pilots through a program that leads students through science, geography, math, writing, and other core subjects, all based in aviation-related activities. Students also will research careers, reinforce life values, and realize the importance of staying in school. Nearly 850 Southwest pilots are volunteering in this year's program. During the four-week long curriculum, pilots volunteer their time in participating classrooms and correspond from the "road" via e-mail and postcards. Classrooms chart their adopted pilot's course on an official United States route map and complete lessons related to the pilot's monthly flying schedule.

Created in 1997, Adopt-A-Pilot started as a community outreach program in just 50 classrooms in Southwest's destination cities, and has grown to reach more than 1,400 classrooms in communities nationwide. To date, the program has been offered to more than 300,000 students nationwide. Beyond the program's core mentorship and curriculum-based activities, Adopt-A-Pilot includes many other innovative learning opportunities. More details about the program and educator resources are available online http://www.southwest.com/html/southwest-difference/community-involvement/adopt-a-pilot/about.html.