Carson City School District hosted a ceremony this morning with local dignitaries from the Nevada Department of Education and officers from local military bases. Carson High School was honored with a Nevada Purple Star School designation for supporting military-connected students and their families.
The Nevada Purple Star School Award is given to schools that show a major commitment to students and families connected to our nation’s military. Schools that earn the Purple Star designation are recognized for their outstanding programs that aid military families during their transition to a new school amid deployments.
The award announcements coincide with Month of the Military Child, proclaimed by Gov. Joe Lombardo to recognize the nearly 11,000 military-connected children in Nevada. The Purple Star School Award Program is facilitated by the Nevada Department of Education in partnership with the Nevada Military Interstate Compact Commission Council.
The program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face and keep them on track to be college, workforce and life-ready. The Purple Star School designation helps military-connected families identify which schools in their community have taken extra steps to fully support military-connected families.
Military families have a unique view of education in America. The average military family moves every 1-3 years and will experience 6-9 different schools through their K-12 education experience, depending on the needs of the military. Some of those moves are state to state while others are overseas to foreign countries. With each move, many military service members bring their spouses and children to resettle into new communities and attend new schools.
With more than 1.1 million military-connected students attending public schools, issues surrounding school transition have become a top priority for families and some schools. Mobile military students face issues such as gaps and overlaps in curriculum, different graduation requirements, course placement disruption and many other hurdles when changing schools. Besides the academic issues, these students also face social and emotional challenges of relocation, such as leaving supportive social networks and activities, to start new again.
"Carson High School is dedicated to providing substantial support to our military-connected students and ensuring they achieve academic success and social integration within our community," said Josh Billings, assistant principal over Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Fine Arts at Carson High School. "We understand the unique challenges these families face, and we strive to offer a welcoming, supportive environment."
Dignitaries in attendance during the award ceremony included Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert (Nevada Department of Education); Commissioner Felicia Gonzales (Nevada Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission Council); School Liaison Officer Melanie Murphy (Fallon Naval Air Force Base); KellyLynn Charles (Nevada Department of Education); Superintendent Andrew Feuling (Carson City School District); Carson High Assistant Principal Josh Billings (Career and Technical Education and Fine Arts); Lt. Cmdr. Dan Meyer (Carson High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) and more.