"Leaving your friends is hard," said Mara.
"It feels weird being at a new school," shared Pythia.
Both
children
are
among
the
many
military-connected
students
at
Henderson
Elementary
School.
The
hardships
they
face
are
sometimes
difficult
to
understand
for
those
who
have
never
lived
a
life
connected
to
the
military.
According
to
other
military
children
at
the
school,
the
experience
isn't
always
bad.
"I
like
going
to
different
places
and
experiencing
new
things,"
said
Madyson.
"You
get
to
go
on
base,"
shared
Kennedy.
"You
get
to
move
all
over
the
world,"
said
Miles.
As part of April's designation as the Month of the Military Child, Henderson Elementary School staff celebrated their military-connected Huskies with activities focused on recognizing and appreciating the many challenges that military children endure.
Teachers used a school Canvas page loaded with facts, activities, and virtual books about military youth as a resource for students during the month. Staff decorated a bulletin board in the hallway with the names of all military-connected students at Henderson Elementary and the qualities, such as resilience and adaptability, that make each child special.
"Taking
the
time
to
celebrate
military-connected
students
and
all
that
they
have
been
through
helps
them
feel
seen
and
validated,"
said
Suzanna
Erlichman,
a
Henderson
Elementary
school
counselor.
"It
can
give
them
self-confidence."
Erlichman
noted
that
military
youth
face
a
host
of
challenges
including
multiple
moves,
new
schools,
temporary
separations,
parental
injury,
parental
mental
health
issues,
and
more.
"Even
just
one
of
those
things
can
impact
a
child's
growth
and
development,
but
military-connected
students
often
experience
more
than
one
on
a
regular
basis,"
said
Erlichman.
For this year's Purple-Up! Day, a nationally recognized day in April that celebrates military youth, Henderson staff and students showed their support of their fellow military-connected Huskies by wearing purple socks provided by a Prince William County Public Schools Department of Defense Education Activity military grant.
"Our
kids
loved
the
socks
and
it
made
them
feel
very
special
to
have
received
this
gift
from
the
county,"
said
Erlichman.
While
the
Month
of
the
Military
Child
may
be
in
April,
Erlichman
is
quick
to
point
out
that
the
effort
to
support
military
students
at
Henderson
doesn't
end
with
the
month.
"We
check
in
with
our
military
students
throughout
the
year,
communicate
with
parents,
provide
resources
and
opportunities
specific
to
military-connected
students,
and
provide
them
with
the
support
they
need
for
any
transitions
they
face,"
Erlichman
shared.
"When
our
students
step
in
our
doors,
they
are
Huskies,"
she
added.
"Whether
they
stay
with
us
all
six
years
or
just
six
weeks,
we
value
them,
we
understand
their
experiences,
and
we
want
their
time
with
us
to
memorable
and
impactful."