Papio South was awarded a Purple Star last school year, but what does that mean? The Purple Star School Program is meant to accommodate military children in schools, yet how schools are meant to help the students is quite vague. Every military dependent might face different circumstances, such as how often they move or where they come from. As a military dependent myself, I will discuss what Papio South does for military children, what this school can do better and why all this matters in the first place.
Here at Papio South we have a somewhat welcoming environment and a webpage dedicated to communication with military families. I say somewhat because I did not meet other military dependents, nor did I know how many students were similar to me. The webpage, when I first opened it for this article, was sort of a mess: two of the quick links did not work, the weekly activities for April had future- and past-tense verbs, and the email of Senior Chief Jeff Nichols, one of the school’s NJROTC instructors, was present without him being aware. One of the required activities to be recognized as a Purple Star School under the Nebraska Department of Education is “maintaining a dedicated webpage for military-connected students and families,” so the little flaws in the “Welcome Military Families” page on the official school website could signal a lack of attention and care.
In the arena of the Purple Star, the Titan might not be the strongest, nor the weakest, warrior; the efforts to support military families here feel a bit minimalist. For example, the webpage has some weekly activities for April, the Month of the Military Child, but I have only recently learned that November is the Month of the Military Family. This amount of effort might be a result of poor communication across departments within the school. Setting up such a program requires teamwork, which is what the school is working on now. They are updating the website, including the quick links, and setting up professional development, or training, for teachers in late April.
Military children, in many cases, need accommodations like separate educational plans. For example, I needed some extra help back when I moved in the middle of a school year since I was not on the same page as my new classmates. The stress of falling behind others academically might make school counseling another accommodation a military child needs. A change in environment can also cause some stress. Snow storms, bustling traffic, and the local culture of Omaha could overwhelm military kids to the point their academics are affected.
A big reason Papio South’s status as a Purple Star school matters is because there are currently 164 military-dependent students here. This might not be a large number compared to the total student population, but every single one of these military children have their own needs. Not all of us need to visit the guidance counselors frequently after the transfer. I had only visited a guidance counselor about three times because adjusting to this school was not too difficult for me, but I do not represent over a hundred students. An entire school program is needed to effectively help military children ease into their new school.
One of the requirements needed for recognition by the Nebraska Department of Education is the maintenance of “a transition program led by students.” This would make it easier to integrate military kids into a student body that consists of many students who have lived in the area since childhood. Student leadership of such a program sounds much more welcoming than the school administration because it is difficult to feel comfortable around professionally clothed adults who seem to be trying too hard to gain favor.
A military-connected club sounds like a good way to learn about places around the country and/or world and help military children feel appreciated and welcomed. Even though there are over a hundred military-connected students here, it is not guaranteed all of us would attend a club focused on what we experienced, where we have been and how we are affected by the military job of a parent.
A few motivations for Papio South to work harder on the Purple Star program are excelling beyond rival schools, keeping as many students emotionally afloat as possible and helping students learn more about each other.
