School district recognizes the challenges facing military youth

April marks the Month of the Military Child when the Churchill County School District pays tribute to the resilience of military children who did not choose to serve but live each day supporting their parents.

Although life in a military family can include exploring new places and exposure to other cultures and customs, it can also bring many struggles. Military children face unique challenges related to military transitions and parental deployments.

Military children often change schools multiple times between the start of kindergarten and high school graduation. With each move, they experience difficult goodbyes and the challenge of making new friends. In many instances, they also have to navigate joining classes in the middle of a semester, which can be difficult.

These students either play catch-up or must relearn material they already learned at their previous school. Being in a military family is a challenging social and academic experience for these children, and they have to learn how to overcome many obstacles through these transitions.

Capt. Shane Tanner, commanding officer at Naval Air Station Fallon, spoke at the school board meeting on April 12 about the hardships military children endure and the importance of recognizing the unique lives and challenges they face.

“Many of them are not only dealing with the daily stressors of school but also the emotional stress of not knowing when their parent will be home or how long they will be home before they have to leave again,” he said. “When their parents do deploy, children do not always know if it will just be a few months or even longer. They go through the motions of their day while also worrying about their parent and wondering when they will see them again or when they will have to watch them leave, which is a lot for a child to handle.”

Tanner explained when military children move to a community, it is expected that they would be shy and unwilling to be involved because of how much they have to move and start over, but in his personal experience, that is not usually the case.

“They really immerse themselves in their new community and it helps shape them into outstanding individuals,” he said.

Tanner extended his appreciation to the school district for all they do for military students and their families.

“I had the opportunity to be a part of the Purple Star recognitions last year when Churchill County became one of the first districts in the state of Nevada to be recognized as a Purple Star District, which is an outstanding achievement,” Tanner said.

The Purple Star School Award is a designation provided to military-friendly schools that display a major commitment to serving military-connected students and families. Last April, the school district was named a Purple Star District because all the schools were named Purple Star Schools. All Churchill County School District schools proved they are committed to supporting the unique educational and social-emotional needs of the military-connected children in the district.

“Being a Purple Star District demonstrates your commitment to military families,” Tanner said. “When they receive orders, one of the first things a family will do is look at the schools, and it is clear this district is committed to the success and well-being of military-connected students and their families.”

During the Month of the Military Child, the school district is showing its commitment and service to military-connected students and their families. According to the school district, educators recognize the stress military children endure because of the demands of their parents’ military life.

The school district has had events and dress-up days in recognition of the Month of the Military Child.

To learn more about Churchill County School District and how it supports military-connected families, visit the military family support page at bit.ly/CCSDMilitaryFamilySupportPage.

Kaitlin Ritchie is the public information officer for the Churchill County School District.