April is designated as the Month of the Military Child,
underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces
community.
Sponsored by the Department of Defense Military Community
and Family Policy, the Month of the Military Child is a time to applaud
military families and their children for the daily sacrifices they make and the
challenges they overcome.
The Month of the Military Child is part of the legacy left
by former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who established the DOD
commemoration in 1986.
The Department of Defense Education Activity joins the DOD
and the military community in celebrating April as the Month of the Military
Child.
In DODEA communities around the world, the most essential
strategic imperatives are establishing an educational system that progressively
builds the college and career readiness of all DoDEA students; and establishing
the organizational capacity to operate more effectively and efficiently as a
model, unified school system.
The DODEA aims to challenge each student to maximize his or
her potential and to excel academically, socially, emotionally and physically
for life, college and career readiness.
Throughout the month, DODEA will encourage schools to plan
special events to honor military children and have administrators and
principals incorporate the themes of this month into their everyday duties and
responsibilities. These efforts and special events will stress the importance
of providing children with quality services and support to help them succeed in
the mobile military lifestyle.
"Purple Up! For Military Kids" will be celebrated
across DoDEA Wednesday. This is a day for DoDEA communities to wear purple to
show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices.
Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is the
combination of Army green, Coast Guard blue, Air Force blue, Marine red and
Navy blue.
“No matter the service, the color purple symbolizes all
branches of the military,” said Dr. Linda L. Curtis, DODEA principal deputy
director and associate director for academics. “Wearing purple Wednesday is a
visible way to show unconditional support for the heroism, character, courage,
sacrifices and continued resilience of our military-connected children and
their families.”
This year, DODEA is partnering with the Office of the
Secretary of Defense and the Air Force regarding National Nutrition Month in
March and the Month of the Military Child in April.
The DODEA will host a Month of the Military Child 5210
Artist Spotlight art competition on the DODEA Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/dodea.edu, based on the 5210 Healthy Military Children
public message.
Share a photo and caption of your local celebrations at webmaster@hq.dodea.edu.