WILMINGTON — Wilmington High School is one of 37 Ohio schools receiving the Purple Star Award this school year, announced State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMario.
The Purple Star Award was created to recognize schools who demonstrate a commitment to serving students and families of current service members, whether they are serving in the U. S. armed forces or the Ohio National Guard.
Schools who receive a Purple Star designation must designate a military family liaison, who receives additional training to work with families and helps teachers provide support in their classroom to those military families.
“Students with a parent in the military may experience six or more different schools from kindergarten through 12th grade,” said Brittany Larkin, school counselor and military family liaison at WHS. “It is my hope that through the Purple Star Designation program and training, we can further our commitment to meeting the unique needs of students and families connected to our nation’s military.”
For its part, WHS has added a page on its Counseling Center website — canecounselors.weebly.com/resources-for-military-families — for military families, created a staff committee to better support students with parents in the military, sent letters of support to veterans through the Valentines for Vets program, and the FFA hosted a Veterans Day assembly.
In addition, the Wilmington City Schools Board of Education passed a resolution in April of this year stating the district’s intent to “make every effort to connect military families with the resources they need and continue to look for ways to support, connect with, and educate our staff and students about our veterans, those currently serving, and their families.”
If your family has a student in the district who is military-connected and needs support, please contact your child’s school counselor.
