Month of the Military Child
“Purple Up! For Military Kids” Day! Friday April 21, 2023
Each year schools join in solidarity to support military connected children. On April 21, 2023 schools and communities are encouraged to wear purple and this could continue even when we are under quarantine. Purple represents the blending of the colors of the five branches of our armed forces. Here in South Carolina, we are proud to be home to Air Force, Army, National Guard and Reserve families. Richland One has provided a save the date flyer to display in your school for the Purple Up! Celebration.
MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD
Throughout Richland School District One, educators and communities will take time in April to recognize the contributions of children whose parents serve in the military. Frequent moves, family separations through deployments, and reintegration following deployments can make school, home, and community-life challenging for military children. Yet, even in such circumstances, these students continually demonstrate resilience and courage.
Richland One encourages schools to use this collection of resource materials and ideas in planning their own Month of the Military Child activities throughout the month of April.
Customized Certificate of Recognition
Service members are often recognized with certificates and medals for their outstanding service, and now children will be able to hang their own certificate of recognition along with those of their parents. Richland One has created a certificate of recognition which schools can download, customize with the name of a military student, print, and present to military-connected students at a Month of the Military Child assembly, luncheon, or other recognition event. The signatures on the certificate represent the important partnership between our military leaders and schools.
“Wall of Honor” Recognition
Schools are encouraged to display a “Wall of Honor” as a visual depiction of the school’s military student population. These bulletin boards typically display pictures of military-connected students, or different color graphics (based on military branch) representing the number of military students in the school.
Invite Service Member Parents to a Recognition Event
Schools are encouraged to set time aside to recognize parents who serve in the military. Student across your campus would benefit from witnessing the affirmation shared to these service members by the school community. Whether it’s a simple “parent coffee” or more orchestrated affair both would deliver the same message; that the community values the contributions of these service members and their families. If you need help in inviting a military Command representative to your event please contact Dr. Traci Cooper at traci.cooper@richlandone.org.
“Purple Up! For Military Kids” Day - Friday April 21, 2023
“Purple Up! For Military Kids.” Is a day in April set aside for everyone around the nation to show their support for military connected students. Richland One encourages the entire school community – teachers, principals, students, parents, bus drivers, etc. – to wear purple on Friday April 21, 2023 to show support for our military students and appreciation for their strength and sacrifices. Purple represents the blending of the colors of the five branches of our armed forces. Here in Richland one, we are proud to be home to Air Force, Army, National Guard and Reserve families.
“Share Your Story” Project
Whether a military dependent yourself, classmate, friend, or neighbor of a military student, we are all impacted by the military community in South Carolina. Richland One encourages teachers to incorporate Month of the Military Child recognition of their instruction by having students share their military-connection story through the visual arts, creative writing, musical composition, poetry, etc.
#PurpleUpRichlandOne
Richland One encourages schools to share their Purple Up! and Month of the Military Child photos by using the hashtag #PurpleUpSC on social media. Richland One will be reposting your efforts on our various social media platforms.
Photos and/or descriptions of your activities can be sent to Dr. Traci Cooper, military family education liaison, at traci.cooper@richlandone.org.
Additional Resources
In addition to the materials provided above, the Military Child Education Coalition provides numerous resources through their Month of the Military Child Tool Kit.