Purple Star Bulletin
Ohio Association of Purple Star Schools, Spring 2021
Welcome to PSB Spring 2021!
Purple Star Bulletin
Welcome back Ohio Purple Star Schools! This is the fourth edition of the Purple Star Bulletin (PSB), created for Purple Star Schools and all supporters of military-connected students.The Purple Star movement began here in Ohio in 2017 with 8 schools and has now grown to close to 400 with the addition of the Round 8 Honorees! Congratulations to all Purple Star Schools - keep the momentum going!
The purpose of the PSB is to connect you to useful resources, to keep you informed of news and issues pertaining to military-connected students, and to share best practices to help you more efficiently take care of your military-connected kids.
Meet the Editor of the PSB
My name is Dr. Michelle Lewis and I am privileged to serve as the editor of the PSB! I am the Point of Contact (POC) at Hyatts Middle School, one of 17 Purple Star Schools in the Olentangy Local School District in Delaware county, a little north of Columbus. I am the mother of an Air Force veteran, a French and Spanish teacher, a USO of Central and Southern Ohio volunteer, a marathon coach, and an enthusiastic member of the Purple Star family!
We are living through unprecedented times and our military-connected students need us more than ever, hang in there! I know that I feel very stretched, barely treading water, but I am leaning on friends, family, and colleagues - please take care of yourselves so that you can take care of our kids!
Upcoming Events, Dates, and Deadlines
- April is the Month of the Military Child - The DOD designates April 15 each year as Purple Up Day while the Ohio MIC3's Purple Up Day is Wednesday, April 21. In the past, my district has chosen a day that does not conflict with spring testing - whatever date you choose, celebrate our military-connected students!!
- Enroll in Webinars in March and April - look for the PD on Purple Star Webinars in this issue.
- Purple Star Round 9 - will open soon! More details to follow on the ODE website - click below the article on the ODE Purple Star Schools button.
- Purple Star Awards are valid for three years, renewals for the first Purple Star Schools in 2017-2018, Rounds 1, 2, and 3 have begun. Deadline for submissions is April 6.
Purple Star POC Change?
Has your POC changed at your school? Please share this information with the PSB editor, via email (michelle_lewis@olsd.us) once you have "passed the baton".
- Name
- District
- School
- Staff/Building position/assignment
- Email address
- Phone number
Purple Star Media Presence
The Ohio Association of Purple Star Schools is on Facebook! Follow the Purple Star Schools Facebook Page and send us your photos and videos so we can share them with the Purple Star community. Not only are we on Facebook, but we are introducing our web page that has many resources for military-connected students and families. Click on the button below to be connected to the Ohio Purple Star Schools website.
Your Newsletter
This is the fourth edition of the PSB and our goal is to create a communication vehicle for Purple Star schools in Ohio. We hope to share the news about Purple Star Schools and educate you about issues important to military-connected students and their families. In closing this introduction I remind you that the PSB has been created for you and we welcome your input! It is my belief that a good teacher is like a pirate, we take from others and make it our own - no need to reinvent the wheel! We hope to share your ideas through this newsletter but please don't stop there. Follow us on Facebook, like the Purple Star Schools Facebook page and share your joy, creativity, and triumphs with your Purple Star Family!
IN THIS ISSUE:
Purple Star Schools - Renewal
Information about renewals for schools who earned the Purple Star in Rounds 1 and 2.
Commissioner's Corner
MIC3 Commissioner Pete LuPiba shares about the Purple Star movement that if growing nationwide and updates Purple Star POCs with important information.
Coming Soon
Information about the new Google site for Purple Star Schools.
Ideas for Purple Up Day from the MIC3!
April is the Month of the Military Child (MOTMC), the MIC3 has shared a list of ideas you can use! Send us your pictures!
Apply for the Janet Wynn Memorial Award: has an Ohio military family or school-aged youth in your school displayed exceptional perseverance, grit, and determination throughout a
PCS move or transition between school districts?
Purple Star Schools
Purple Star Schools J.F. Burns Elementary and Rossford HS share stories and pictures about their students. Share your stories with us!
Meet the Purple Star Family
You will meet MIC3 member Corey O'Brien, Purple Star POC at Hamilton Township HS, one of the first round recipients of the ODE Purple Star!
Professional Development
Enroll in Webinars to learn more about supporting military-connected students and their families, learn about the Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission (MIC3), the Compact itself, the Ohio Compact language, read the Commissioner's Corner, learn about the Military Student Identifier (MSI), and enroll in a class through Ashland University geared towards Purple Star POCs.
Purple Star Gear
There is a link at the end of this newsletter where you can find many Purple Star items to share your Purple Star pride!
Resources, Acronyms, References
There are useful resources to Purple Star POCs such as RISFAC, and Troops to Teachers. There are links to the NVMM. What is the NVMM or a RISFAC or a POC? Check out the Useful Acronyms list that grows with each issue as we combine educational and military acronyms.
Purple Star Renewal
Ohio Department of Education: Purple Star Schools
Click here to go to the ODE website. Here you will find files with lists of the current Round 8 Honorees as well as lists of Honorees from Rounds 1-7.
Ohio Purple Star Schools
Once you arrive at this website, click the tab Who are we? and you will find a list of the schools listed by the Round they earned the PS.
ODE Purple Star Contact
If you have any further questions regarding renewal, please contact Jared Copeny, the ODE Purple Star contact mailto:jared.copeny@education.ohio.gov
The deadline for renewal submissions is April 6, 2021.
Commissioner's Corner
Photo: Commissioner LuPiba and Chip Merkle (Youth Specialist, Education Outreach, ONG).
We made it to 2021! But the challenges and classrooms and communities have seen seriously tough COVID-19 days. We continue to witness and weather the impacts of this global pandemic, and we will work to secure a safe spring and Month of the Military Child (April)! The Buckeye state will honoring Military Kids by wearing Purple on Wednesday, 21 April 2021. The same week of our Purple Up! Day 2021 will be Ohio MIC3 Spirit Week (19-23 April 2021). The spring class of application for Purple Star will soon open. The first ever class of renewal for the Purple Star Schools in academic year 2017-2018 will soon be available to those nearly 100 schools.
In January, I had the privilege to record the awards ceremony for the 8th Class of Purple Star Schools (Fall 2020). Leading the program was State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Honorable Paolo DeMaria and Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard, Major General John Harris. Stay tuned! …more than 30 schools will be honored with The Purple Star Award. The national conference (Annual Business Meeting) of MIC3 will be held in Little Rock, Arkansas on 4-5 November 2021. Please log on to www.mic3.net and consider joining the Ohio delegation and represent fellow K12-MIL leaders and our Buckeye MIL kids!
We welcome new team members Darren Miller (Ohio School Counselors Assoc), Tim Freeman (Ohio Assoc of Secondary School Administrators), and Jared Copeny (Ohio Department of Education). We are grateful to the service of team members Ken Baker (Ohio Assoc of Secondary School Administrators), Roxanne Price (Ohio High School Athletics Assoc), and Jackie Spector (United Services Organization Ohio). As we close in on more than 400 Purple Star School Liaisons (PSSLs) – colleagues on a shared mission in support of Ohio’s Military families! PSSL are genuinely leading educators, veterans, volunteers around Ohio – they are the names MIL kids know and call coach and teach, and are in the hallways and classrooms, and on the fields of Ohio’s Purple Star Schools.
Should you as a PSSL have concerns, issues, questions on MIC3, and need support for a Military family in your community, please reach out to any Member of the Ohio K12-MIL team. Through the Ohio National Guard’s five regions across the state, our team will regionalize and lead on these levels. Please connect with T D Rutan MIC3 State Council Members Corey O’Brien, Chip Merkle, and Jared Copeny on leadership of your region. Military family and K12 student applications for the Janet Wynn Memorial Award will be accepted until 30 May 2021. Please see T D Rutan MIC3 State Council Members Jason Durell, Michelle Lewis, and/or Ashley Twedt with any questions, and to submit worthy MIL fams and kids!
Attached below is the first national report on Ohio’s Purple Star Schools as authored by Columbia University and sponsored by the Military Child Education Coalition out of Texas. Three additional States were included with Ohio as part of the national-trending honor in this review; Virginia, North Carolina, and Arkansas. This Ohio born, Military family-friendly designation just may have half the union counted as Purple Star by the 4th of July!
We continue to be grateful to the health officials, medical professionals – and to you, the educators – as the frontlines of care, support for our MIL kids and Ohio’s Purple Star Schools. We welcome to the ranks of Purple Star States – Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. Please do not hesitate to call, email, text should you need support for your Purple Star campus and community, just email Pete.LuPiba@obm.ohio.gov. Thank You…and we truly are #InThisTogetherOhio!
Commissioner LuPiba, Veterans Day 2020 at Anthony Wayne Junior HIgh School
Coming Soon: Ohio MIC3 and Purple Star Schools Google Site
Ashley Twedt, Purple Star POC from Bellville ES in Clear Fork Valley Local Schools near Mansfield, is sharing her work to help give POCs a central location for information.
Ashley, what can you share with us about the Ohio MIC3 and Purple Star Schools Google Site?
Let’s call the Ohio MIC3 and PSS Google Site our new information hub. When you question, “Where can I go for Ohio MIC3 information?” The answer is the Google Site. What about Purple Star School information, the Google Site. Ohio’s MIC3 and PSS Google Site will be the central location for the Purple Star Bulletin, a calendar of upcoming events, links to other important websites and databases, and finally a guest book with a question board. Please stay posted for updates on when the site will go “LIVE”!
Purple Star Schools
Veterans Day - Macke Family - Submitted by Principal Montag, J.F.Burns Elementary
PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS
Rossford SOS Students in Action
Story and pictures Submitted by Martha Fellman, SOS Club Advisor, Rossford High School
Meet the purple star family
Meet Christopher «Corey» O'Brien
Photo
Meet Corey O'Brien, MIC3 member and Purple Star POC at Hamilton Township HS, one of the first round recipients of the ODE Purple Star!
A Veteran
Mr. Christopher “Corey” O’Brien joined the Ohio Army National Guard in 1998 as a Combat Engineer/Bridge Crewmember (21C). He served 9 years, including two deployments to the Middle East, (Kuwait in 2003 as a 21C attached to the 130th Engineer Brigade, and a 2nd time to Iraq in 2004-2005 as a 21V attached to 1st Infantry Division). He was honorably discharged as an E-6 Staff Sergeant. SSG O’Brien graduated from THE Ohio State University twice (BS in Science, and MEd), and has taught at Hamilton Township High School for 15 years. Corey and his wife live in Dublin with their 5 children.
Purple Star
O’Brien serves as Purple Star School Liaison at Hamilton Township High School, the first Purple Star School in the State of Ohio and in the Country. The Purple Star Program popped up on Corey’s radar when he received simultaneous emails from The VA and the Ohio Department of Education. Mr. O’Brien presented the opportunity to his Administration, and they gave him the green light to proceed. It was a Team effort. Corey is very grateful to be a part of the Purple Star movement, and wanted to thank Jason Durell, Pete LuPiba, Chad Wyen, Chip Merkle, and the many folks of the Purple Star Advisory Board that put many months into the formation of the award and implemented the program. O’Brien recalls his 2nd deployment very vividly, and feels blessed to have made it home. For this reason, he is very passionate about helping connect Military Families to available resources and opportunities, and empathizes with the unique challenges military families endure. In 2018, O’Brien, Jason Durell, Chad Wyen, Ashley Twedt, Dr. Michelle Lewis, Terry McDermott, and many others answered the challenge that Chip Merkle and State MIC3 Commissioner Pete LuPiba set forth: To promote and expand the Purple Star Program around the state and nation. From this challenge has been born an impressive group of dedicated Ohioans that volunteer much time, effort, and energy, aptly named “Team Ohio”, who have collectively manufactured the Purple Star Facebook page, the Purple Star Bulletin, the Purple Star webpage, and the Purple Star Google Site. Team Ohio is continuing to promote Purple Star Schools and to bring awareness to the needs of military-connected students and their families.
He Continues to Serve
Corey currently serves on the Purple Star Advisory Board, the State MIC3 Rutan Board, and is part of the Ohio Association of Purple Star Schools. O’Brien pushes and advocates for Veterans and Military Families by working with the David Lynch Foundation and the Resurrecting Lives Foundation, assisting with their Veteran Transcendental Meditation Initiatives. Mr. O’Brien is a member of The American Legion, lifelong member of the DAV (Disabled American Veterans), and is affiliated with Team RWB and The Mission Continues.
Between Corey, his father, and his grandfather, the O’Brien men have served in 4 wars (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, OIF/OEF) and have over 56 years of military service. O’Brien’s grandfather was a WWII B-17 Pilot whose life was saved by the Tuskegee Airmen. Including extended family, Corey’s military family history includes many family members that have earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and even a Silver Star. Corey did not receive any of those distinguished medals, but has much respect for those that did.
If you have questions for Corey, please contact him at mailto:cobrien@hlsd.org
PD: Purple Star Webinars
PD: ESSA and the MSI
Finding Military-Connected Students
Most Purple Star Schools are not located near a base so our military-connected students are not as obvious, they are hidden among the general population. The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) requires that all states collect and report assessment data on military-connected students. Implementation of ESSA began in the 2017-18 school year. Ohio schools have been phasing in the use of the Military Student Identifier (MSI) as the instrument used to identify military-connected students. This is will be the third year of implementation of the MSI in most schools in Ohio.Trying to Identify Military-Connected Students?
Someone in your district has information about military-connected students who have been officially identified. At my school, no one had the information directly, but it was easily obtained. I talked with a school counselor who emailed our district statistician who had the information to me in a few minutes. This information is a starting point but IT WILL NOT IDENTIFY ALL MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS! Why? Well, first and foremost it is information that is voluntary from parents. Also, it does not identify students who have siblings who are serving, it is only about parents.
What Has Worked for You in Identifying Military-Connected Students?
In the first PSB I shared the story of my school, Hyatts Middle in the Olentangy Local School District. In the Winter edition, Ashley Twedt, POC at Bellville Elementary in the Clear Fork Valley School District near Mansfield shared her story. This Summer edition features two stories on Purple Star schools. Future editions will include more stories from the Purple Star family - which includes you!
Please share your stories and ideas - we welcome your input!
PD: click below to access the MIC3 website
PD: Important to understand: MIC3
What is the Compact?
The Military Interstate Children's Compact is an agreement or compact among the 50 states and the District of Columbia that attempts to level the playing field for military dependents of active-duty service members. The Commission (MIC3) is the group that meets to discuss the needs of military-connected students and their families. The Ohio MIC3 Rutan State Council is lead by Navy veteran Commissioner Pete LuPiba.Why the Compact?
The purpose of the Compact can be summed up in one word - TRANSITION. The purpose of the compact is to ease the transition of military-connected students.
Who is covered by the Compact?
Children of active duty members of the uniformed services, National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders, commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Unites States Public Health Service (USPHS), and members or veterans who are medically discharged or retired for one year are eligible for assistance under the Compact. The Compact also covers students of members who perish on active duty for a period of one year following their death.
The Compact attempts to reduce education challenges such as, eligibility, placement and graduation for transitioning military families. On average, military students will attend six to nine different school systems during their K-12 years.
The Commission - Ohio Creates Purple Star Schools!
The Ohio MIC3 is a very active group that sought to take the Compact one step further by creating the Purple Star School designation in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The idea was not just to solve problems through the Compact but perhaps avoid problems and provide support for military-connected students and their families.The Ohio MIC3 The Purple Star Point of Contact (POC) is the critical link in a school to provide information to military-connected families.
PD: Ashland University
In addition, Dr. Basinger worked with the Purple Star team to create the Ohio Purple Star Schools web page: it has resources that you and your military-connected students and families might need will be located in one easy website. The Ohio Purple Star Schools button below will connect you to these resources.
MORE RESOURCES
Regional Inter-Service Family Assistance Committee (RISFAC)
The RISFAC is a group of community partners that meet in order to share resources and find ways to better address the needs of active duty service members and their families as well as veterans. It is a great way to network in order to find out about services and opportunities for your military-connected students and their families. Although in-person meetings are paused at the moment, the RISFAC contacts can point you in the direction of information or resources. You can click on the map or the link below to be connected to the most current information.
Show your purple star pride!
Purple Star!
Corey O'Brien
Team LuPiba
Useful Acronyms
ABM: Annual Business Meeting of the MIC3
AFJROTC: Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
DOD: Department of Defense
DODEA: Department of Defense Education Activity
ESSA: Every Student Succeeds Act
ISFAC: Inter-Service Family Assistance Committee (Ohio, state level)
LEA: Local Education Agency
MCEC: Military Child Education Coalition
MIC3: Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission
MOTMC: Month of the Military Child
MSI: Military Student Identifier
NVMM: National Veterans Memorial and Museum located in downtown Columbus, OH
NJROTC: Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
ODE: Ohio Department of Education
OHSAA: Ohio High School Athletic Association
ONG: Ohio National Guard
PCS: Permanent Change of Station
PD: Professional Development
POC: Point of Contact, military family liaison (PSS)
PSB: Purple Star BulletinPSL: Purple Star Liaison (POC)
PSS: Purple Star School
RIF: Reduction in Force (education)
RISFAC: Regional Inter-Service Family Assistance Committee
USO: United Service Organizations
USOCSO: United Service Organizations of Central and Southern Ohio
References
Klein, A. (2016, March 31). The Every Student Succeeds Act: An ESSA Overview. Education Week. Retrieved Month Day, Year from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/every-student-succeeds-act/
Miltary Interstate Childrent's Compact Commissionhttp://www.mic3.net/background.html
Mesecar, D. and Soifer, D. (September 2018). The Lexington Institute.Getting School Districts Ready for the Military Student Identifier. Retrieved August 5, 2019 from https://forstudentsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/MSI-Lex-Report_final.pdf
Adams, J. (2016, June 1). Schools Will Begin to Track Students from Miitary Families. EdSource. Retrieved August 5, 2019 from https://edsource.org/2016/are-students-from-military-families-succeeding-schools-will-begin-to-track/565042