Churchill County School District was informed Friday it has been identified as the first Purple Star District in Nevada.
All five of the school district’s K-12 schools were awarded Purple Star status in the most recent application window. The awards will be made April 26 for the school district and the following day at the schools.
The Purple Star award recognizes schools that show a commitment to students and families connected to the nation’s military. Schools are honored with the Purple Star award if they meet all the qualifications in the application.
Superintendent Summer Stephens said she made it a priority for each school to apply to become Purple Star schools.
“ChurchillCSD is located in a military community, so we have a lot of military-connected students who move into our district,” she said. “We understand how difficult school transitions are for students and for parents, so as a district we wanted to make this a top priority for these learners and our staff.”
The Nevada Purple Star School Award is a designation provided to military-friendly schools who display a major commitment to serving military-connected students and families. Nevada Purple Star Schools receive a special Purple Star recognition to display in their buildings, are recognized on the Nevada Department of Education webpage and social media and are highlighted by the various military installations across the state.
The Purple Star School program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready. Military-connected refers to children of service members on active duty, and in the National Guard and Reserves.
Nicole Jullanant, Naval Air Station Fallon’s school liaison officer, said the Purple Stars School Award recognizes schools that demonstrate a vested interest in understanding military lifestyle and supporting our military students.
“As NAS Fallon’s school liaison officer, I am appreciative of the commitment these schools and the district have demonstrated in supporting our military families,” Jullanant said. “This commitment has been recognized by the state in awarding them as Purple Star Schools and the first Purple Star District in Nevada. I look forward to future collaborations with the district and each school in support of our military connected students.”
According to the school district, each school designated a Purple Star leader and a committee to work on the application to become a Purple Star school. At Churchill County Middle School the Purple Star Committee is composed of teachers who are veterans affiliated with the military.
“The strong background that we possess with military students and their families helped us create a program that will be done with fidelity every year,” said committee member Deana Poretta. “This program will support current and future military students and their families. We are so excited to offer our continued support to all of them at CCMS.”
Furthermore, the school district said all committees worked with support staff to be sure they had everything required on the application including websites, resources, celebrations, and professional development. The committee members played an instrumental role in each of the schools being awarded the Purple Star.
Lahontan Elementary School strived for inclusivity, and by accepting this award, the school will continue to ensure that their military students receive the academic and social-emotional support they deserve.
“For us it was more than just checking off the boxes to meet the requirements,” said LES Principal Kimi Melendy. “It was about looking at what we already do to support our military-connected families and students and then building on those things and looking at how we could do better. We are always learning right along with our students, and this was an incredible opportunity for us to step back and evaluate how we can not only continue to support our military-connected students, but also learn and grow with them.”
For Churchill County High School, it is way more than just receiving an award; it is about supporting and connecting with military students. Committee member Heather Benjamin said the goal was to bring awareness to the school community.
“Having a U.S. naval base in our hometown creates a diverse and unique culture,” she said. “Our military students are living quite a unique life full of robust experiences. We want to ensure that our military students feel secure and at ease while they are here as well as find additional ways to support them through their educational journey.”
Numa Elementary School’s Principal Shawn Purell said could not be more proud of his school and Numa’s Purple Star
Committee for making this happen for their students and their families. He said this is an incredible recognition especially in a military community. Additionally, Purrell said although the district’s schools were already providing the support, having this extra recognition is really going to establish to military-connected families moving into the community that school district
supports them and their children.
“Numa Elementary is proud to become a member of the Purple Star Program, and we are excited to continue our work in supporting the unique challenges students of our military families face,” Purell said.
The staff at E.C. Best have and will continue to honor and support their military-connected students and families and look forward to future opportunities to demonstrate their support. “This honor in receiving Purple Star recognition is even more special coming in April as April is the Month of Military Child,” said team member Chelsey Franks. “It demonstrates to all our E.C. Best military students that we truly support, and care for them,”.
Military families have a unique view of education in America. According to various military studies, the average military family moves one to three years and will experience six to nine 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. With each move, many military service members bring their families with them.
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.
Kaitlin Ritchie is public information officer with the Churchill County School District.
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