CARIBOU – Caribou Middle School physical education teacher Neal Genz’s belief that “gender should not be a deterrent to accomplishing your goals” was conveyed to pupils at Caribou Middle School in a big way Friday morning when a Black Hawk helicopter carrying a group of woman soldiers touched down at the facility.

The crew members were from the Maine Army National Guard’s 112th Medical Company, which returned last April after a serving a year in Iraq and Kuwait. The crew flew to the school from Bangor.

The pupils were treated to the display during the school’s annual theme day, said Genz, who is also the athletic director at the school.

“This year’s theme was ‘raising goals and aspiration for girls,'” he said. “I thought that it would be great if the students could see these women who are just fantastic role models for young girls.”

Chief Warrant Officer Meaghan Lombard, who once was one of Genz’s students, co-piloted the helicopter. At an assembly Friday, she was accompanied by Chief Warrant Officer Erica Green and Staff Sgt. Debbie Urquhart, who talked with pupils about the time they spent overseas.

Although the focus of the event was primarily on girls, boys were not left out of the activities. They attended an assembly that featured Maine Army National Guard Spc. Jesse Cote, who is a member of the 152nd Field Artillery Unit.

The battalion returned from Iraq in February after a yearlong deployment.

Cote, 22, spotted a cat, which later became known as HP, outside the infamous Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad last July.

Soldiers fed the toothless, emaciated cat, and HP eventually was brought to Caribou to live with Cote.

Genz said that Cote brought the cat along to show the pupils.

CMS Principal Diane Parent said that the soldiers ate lunch with the pupils, who were excited to be in their company.

On Friday, Genz had to agree. “This school has never been so jacked,” he said.