By: Marissa Schwartz
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is home to 1,296 military-connected students. The schools with our highest population of military-connected students include La Mesa School, Marshall Elementary School, Monterey High School, Monte Vista, and Seaside High.
April is designated Month of the Military Child and the perfect opportunity to recognize our students for their resilience. Due to quarterly, permanent change of duty cycle at local military bases, the children of MPUSD service members may attend school for as little as five to six weeks. The average length of stay of our military-connected students is 18 months, much shorter than those of other military-connected students in other school districts and schools across the nation, which is two to three years.
The Month of the Military Child was created in the mid-1980s and the Pentagon and other military support organizations and agencies take this month to honor and recognize military children for their sacrifice and bravery on the homefront. Military-connected children travel the world with their parent(s), deal with separations, deployments, and frequent moves
On April 19, the Department of Defense Education Activity encourages students, teachers, and staff to wear purple in celebration of the month and Purple Up Day. The color purple is used to represent all military services.
Many of our schools with high populations of military-connected students will celebrate our students. For example, students at La Mesa School will celebrate Purple Up Day on April 20 during a schoolwide event.
Join MPUSD and its schools as we celebrate our military-connected students and their families for their selflessness and sacrifice as they serve our country.