Military Kids Help Peers Adapt to New Schools
The Military Child Education Coalition, based in Harker Heights, Texas, aims to address the educational challenges of military children with its Junior Student 2 Student program in middle schools and the Student 2 Student program in high schools. Both welcome new students through tours, activities and lunches with student guides.
San Diego – Ciarra Stroud, 13, has faced a school cafeteria filled with strangers and the fear of sitting alone at lunch.
While her father was in the Navy, Stroud attended six elementary schools. Now, she helps other children in military families who are new to her school adapt.
“It’s never fun to be the new kid,” said the seventh-grader at Jean Farb Middle School in San Diego. “There’s no one to eat lunch with, and there’s no one you can talk to because you don’t know anyone.”
Children in military families often are the new kids, prompted by a parent’s new assignment or deployment. The moving around and the separation can take its toll on students, a new study found. As wars continue in Afghanistan and Iraq, the military also is boosting efforts to help meet children’s needs.
San Diego County, with its large military population, is the only one in California with a peer support program to help military children in both middle and high schools.
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GI Bill Magazine is the premier online publication for U.S. service members, veterans and dependents seeking to further their education. GI Bill Magazine provides resources, information and breaking news that help students make the most of the benefits and opportunities they have earned while serving in the military.
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