Chocolate bars brought together students from West Jordan, Utah and Berlin, Germany to commemorate Utah-native Col. Gail S. Halverson, a.k.a the Candy Bomber, who dropped candy from his supply plane for children stuck behind the Berlin Blockade after the end of World War II.

“Today we come together from America and Germany,” one of the Berlin students said. “We celebrate Gail Halverson. He showed us that chocolate is sweet. Chocolate is a gift. Chocolate is tasty. Chocolate is friendship.”

The students from Gail S. Halverson Schule in Berlin and West Hills Middle School in West Jordan, designed a chocolate bar honoring Halverson’s legacy, choosing the flavor as well as designing its wrapper. The student bodies voted for their favorites and the top four winners from each school gathered on May 12, the 77th anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade, for a celebration and candy drop simulation.

West Hills Middle School teacher Mark Sanderson organized the contest, building on a chocolate contest he’d done with his students when they read “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl.

“After doing that for a few years, we wanted to do something bigger and more ambitious, so I suggested a Candy Bomber-themed project,” Sanderson said.

Once he involved The Candy Bomber Foundation, the project took off as they facilitated the inclusion of the Gail S. Halverson Schule. “To me, the collaborations are what made this project special; everyone who joined the project quickly caught the vision and made it bigger and better,” Sanderson said.

Taste Artisan Chocolate, located in Provo, manufactured the bars of the winner from each country, which were unveiled at the candy drop. Due to undisclosed circumstances, the helicopter which flew over the school did not drop the chocolates, but as it circled the field, the bars, attached to parachutes, were handed out to students and community members at the event. Many students threw their parachutes into the air to catch them for a more authentic experience.

Berlin’s winning chocolate, created by 13-year-old Hana Pohl, was a dark chocolate bar with crisps named Taste Berlin. Her wrapper design showed a plane dropping boxes of candy. Utah’s winner was West Hill Middle eighth-grader Ryan Jazayerli, who designed his chocolate bar to represent Halverson’s legacy.

“I was excited to make something that felt comforting, memorable and meaningful--that's how I came up with the Halverson bar,” he said. “The bar is made with milk chocolate, caramel and honey. I chose milk chocolate because it's sweet and comforting. The caramel adds warmth and sweetness, and the honey represents kindness and generosity. I wanted the flavors to feel uplifting the same way Gail Halverson uplifted others through small acts of care.”

Sanderson called the event “a manifestation of Gail Halverson's belief that out of small things, great things come.”

“Gail Halverson did more than just provide sugary treats to the children of Berlin,” he said. “He provided hope at a challenging time, which melted the hearts of former enemies.”

Spreading kindness was the theme of the program which preceded the candy drop. WHMS choirs, symphony orchestra and ballroom dance students performed and several speakers spoke about Halverson’s example of kindness.

Halvorsen’s daughter, Denise H. Williams, told students that small and kind choices have more power than they realize.

“You can be a Candy Bomber in your own way, not by dropping candy from the sky, but by dropping kindness, by dropping gratitude and by dropping hope,” Williams said. “A kind word, a real ‘thank you,’ including someone who feels left out, can make the world different for somebody.”

Tamra Adamson, who met Halverson when she wrote a musical about him for American Heritage School in 2014, took her daughters out of school to attend the event. She said Halverson’s example sends a powerful message of the importance of freedom, hope and kindness.

“I think it's an amazing message to share with kids, especially those who are going through formative years and needing to figure out who they are and what they stand for,” Adamson said.

Ryan Jazayerli, Levi Peterson, Ava Bowers were the finalists from West Jordan Middle.

Hana Pohl, Aydan Abiyev, Bayan Preis, and Lara Kolak were the finalists from Gail S. Halverson Schule, earning them a trip to America. In addition to the candy drop anniversary event, their visit included a visit to Halverson’s grave, a tour of Copper Hills High School, the Utah State Capitol, Rio Tinto Kennecott Copper Mine and stops at a few National Parks before they spent two days in New York.

Florian Dieter, one of two teachers accompanying the students, said when it opened in 2013, the Gail S. Halverson Schule was the only school in Germany to have ever been named after a living person. Halverson, who passed in 2022 at the age of 101, was 92 at the time.

“He came to our school several times, every two years, and we saw him, and that was very special as well,” Dieter said. “He's kind of a hero for us.”

That’s what made coming to Utah so special for the winners.

“It is absolutely cool to see this and now to be at the right place, where he comes from, his family comes from, and where all this connection has started,” Dieter said.

Thirteen-year-old Bayan Preis said attending a school named after Halverson is special. “I'm very honored that it's named after such a great person,” she said. “He's an historic person. He did so many good things to Germany, Berlin, and it's just an honor to still have him as an historic part.”

Bayan’s chocolate bar was milk chocolate with dried strawberries. As an artist, she especially enjoyed designing the candy wrapper, which had elements of the German TV tower and Berlin Wall and included a rhyme.