State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced today that the Georgia Department of Education’s 2024-2025 Military Flagship School Award applications are open.
The Military Flagship School Award recognizes schools that go above and beyond to provide a supportive environment for military students and families. These schools specifically reach out to military families and recognize and accommodate their unique needs. School representatives should complete the 2024-2025 Military Flagship School Award application before the January 15, 2025 deadline.
Last year, GaDOE selected 17 schools as 2023-2024 Military Flagship School Award winners.
“Ensuring children of military families receive support in Georgia’s public schools remains a top priority of my administration,” Superintendent Woods said. “I extend my sincerest congratulations to the 17 schools that received the Military Flagship School Award in 2023-2024. I look forward to shining a light on the 2024-2025 Military Flagship Schools for going above and beyond to serve and support military-connected students and their families.”
The Military Flagship School Award applications are open to all Georgia K-12 public schools, and a panel of judges with experience in the education of military-connected students evaluates them.
Schools are asked to provide specific examples of their outreach to military families, including:
- Services and programs offered to support the needs of military students and their families.
- Training provided to school personnel to help them understand and support the needs of military children.
- Opportunities provided by the school to help military parents and their children connect with and feel supported by the surrounding community.
- Efforts to help military parents and their children feel engaged and respected in their new school by creating opportunities for them to get involved.
Every selected school has a way to recognize and know if students are from Gold Star Families. They allow excused absences for a student during their parent’s overseas deployment departure or arrival day. In addition, they allow enrollment with military orders, shot ID, or shot records for 90 days until the family finds a home or lease and allow online or phone registration for incoming military members from overseas Department of Defense military bases. Every school recognized has a military buddy system linking incoming military students with other military students during their first weeks of school.
“I am honored to oversee the Military Flagship School Award program,” GaDOE Military Student and Family Specialist Rachale LaVoie said. “These schools understand the unique challenges of military life and seek to support students and families, continuing to make Georgia one of the most military-friendly states in the nation. As a military spouse, I know the importance of the work the 17 2023-2024 Military Flagship Schools do for military students and their families.”
The 2023-2024 Military Flagship Schools are:
- Bonaire Primary School – Houston County School District
- Grovetown High School – Columbia County School District
- Joseph Martin Elementary School – Liberty County School System
- Lake Joy Elementary School – Houston County School District
- Lanier County Elementary School – Lanier County Schools
- Lanier County High School – Lanier County Schools
- Lewis Frasier Middle School – Liberty County School System
- Liberty County High School – Liberty County School System
- Liberty Elementary School – Liberty County School System
- Long County Middle School – Long County School System
- Mossy Creek Middle School – Houston County School District
- Parkway Elementary School – Columbia County School District
- Sallas Mahone Elementary School – Valdosta City Schools
- Shaw High School – Muscogee County School District
- St. Marys Elementary School – Camden County Schools
- Taylors Creek Elementary School – Liberty County School System
- Veterans High School – Houston County School District
Highlights from the 2023-2024 Military Flagship Schools
Bonaire Primary School – Houston County School District
Bonaire Primary School has an assigned Military and Family Life Counselor, a licensed mental health professional designated to provide solution-focused counseling support to military students and their families. The school also provides a Deployment Group program, in conjunction with Robins Air Force Base, which offers support for students with family members deployed. BPS also hosts the Anchored4Life program, a peer-led program that supports students in transition to make connections and have leadership and service opportunities. Additionally, the BPS school counselor intentionally links incoming military students with the Military Family Life Counselor and a student peer upon arrival. The school invites service members to walk with their students and be recognized by the entire student body during its Walk of Honor annual parade.
Grovetown High School – Columbia County School District
Grovetown High School partners with Fort Eisenhower to have a full-time Military and Family Life Counselor to support military-connected students specifically. The school has an annual student-planned and -led Veterans Day ceremony, during which students are encouraged to invite family members or friends who serve or have served in the United States military. The school also offers an Army JROTC program, which includes competitive Raider and Drill teams. Additionally, the organization hosts an annual Ice Breaker Meet and Greet, inviting veterans to engage with JROTC students.
Joseph Martin Elementary School – Liberty County School System
The Military Family Life Counselor at Joseph Martin Elementary School offers individual sessions and lunch groups for students with an active-duty parent. JMES student ambassadors receive training from the Fort Stewart School Liaison regarding best practices to assist newly enrolled military-connected students. JMES offers monthly lunch groups for students with a deployed parent, helping them connect. Each year, the school incorporates special days to honor active-duty families during Red Ribbon Week, including Camo Day to show kindness and appreciation to military families and Wear RED (Remember Everyone Deployed) Day.
Lake Joy Elementary School – Houston County School District
The Lake Joy Elementary School Military Kids Club offers students with military ties an opportunity to engage in various activities fostering camaraderie and mutual support. During Lunch Bunch, the school sets aside dedicated time for military students to connect, ensuring a welcoming environment during lunch hours. The LJES Military and Family Life Counselor ensures effective communication and assistance for military families, addressing their unique needs. The school’s Freedom Friday series includes tailored events and activities designed to honor and recognize the sacrifices of military service members. The school also hosts active-duty military personnel guest speakers who provide valuable insights and foster connections.
Lanier County Elementary School – Lanier County Schools
Lanier County Elementary School offers Military Child Education Coalition counseling services for military-connected students. LCES participates in Student 2 Student (S2S), a peer-to-peer student-led program that brings military and civilian students together to welcome new students. LCES helps military parents and their children feel engaged and respected by hosting opportunities to celebrate military families, including on Veterans Day and Purple Up Day. In addition, on Fridays, students are encouraged to wear red for (Remember Everyone Deployed).
Lanier County High School – Lanier County Schools
Lanier County High School offers military-connected students Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) counseling services. Additionally, the Student 2 Student (S2S) program provides students with various ways to integrate into the school and surrounding community’s culture. The LCHS athletics department hosts home games dedicated to the military, which all military personnel can attend at no charge. Before each game, a program, including a flag presentation, honors past and present service members. For Veterans Day, LCHS invited all military families affiliated with their students to attend a pep rally in which they were honored and presented with small tokens of appreciation.
Lewis Frasier Middle School – Liberty County School System
Lewis Frasier Middle School offers a student ambassador program, which helps ease the pressures of becoming part of a new school and community by pairing students with other military students currently enrolled or students taking the same or similar courses. Other engagement activities include having military personnel as guest speakers during honor roll celebrations and their active participation during literacy night, book fairs, and STEM nights. LFMS military students and their families are also honored and celebrated during the Month of the Military Child, each receiving certificates signed by the principal. The school facilitates service projects focusing on collecting items for care packages for deployed soldiers.
Liberty County High School – Liberty County School System
Liberty County High School established Operation Brothers’ Keeper, a voluntary support program to build connectedness between military and non-military-connected students. The program offers opportunities for peer involvement through student ambassadors and volunteers. Each year, the school participates in local Veterans Day celebrations, including the annual parade. LCHS staff, students, and parents also participate in the annual Military Ball at Fort Stewart. The school celebrates the Month of the Military Child by honoring veterans and currently enlisted service members by displaying their photos in the school hallways. LCHS also participates in a Christmas Cards for Heroes campaign annually between November and December.
Liberty Elementary School – Liberty County School System
Liberty Elementary School offers military students and their families access to a Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC). At LES, families and military partners visit classrooms and read books to the students during Children’s Book Week. Additionally, LES military partners speak with the students about their jobs during Career Week. The school also has signs recognizing veterans, military spouses, and military children because each group provides a unique perspective on military life. The LES Cub Squad Mentoring Program links military students with staff members who are veterans, military spouses, or grew up as military-connected students. The program provides students with different staff members to speak with when experiencing something that only other military members understand.
Long County Middle School – Long County School System
Long County Middle School has a designated Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) on site. Each year, LCMS students write thank you notes, which they deliver to faculty and staff who are veterans. Posters of each veteran are featured in the common area for all students to see. LCMS celebrates the Month of the Military Child throughout April with announcements and awareness. LCMS offers a buddy system to assist new students with acclimating to the school, staff, and fellow students. A military student representative is partnered with new military students to give them a tour of the school and explain some of its clubs and sports activities. LCMS plans to expand the buddy system to a support group that meets once per month.
Mossy Creek Middle School – Houston County School District
Mossy Creek Middle School (MCMS) has a designated Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC), a licensed professional counselor assigned to the school to provide non-medical, solution-focused counseling to support military families and students. MCMS also supports military parents, guardians, and students by honoring and celebrating important military holidays and special dates such as Veterans Day and Month of the Military Child, including Purple Up Day. The Robins AFB School Liaison provides professional development to all teachers and staff to help them understand military children’s unique challenges. This training helps staff understand the hardships of moving repeatedly and having their military parent deploy for long periods.
Parkway Elementary School – Columbia County School District
Parkway Elementary School has an in-house Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) who provides non-medical counseling, consultation, and outreach services to support military students and families as they encounter the challenges associated with military life. School counselors also host a biweekly Newcomers Club meeting for military students new to the school. PES Month of the Military Child celebrations include Purple Up Day and a military-themed spirit week. Additionally, the school has a monthly wear RED to Remember Everyone Deployed day. The daily PES morning show features a military fact of the day and highlights selected military-connected students.
Sallas Mahone Elementary School – Valdosta City Schools
Sallas Mahone Elementary has a Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) onsite, who offers support to both children and families for all their concerns related to parents or guardians deploying, reuniting, transitioning to and from different schools, connecting with new friends, feeling welcomed and accepted into a new school, and adjusting to life with a parent on a temporary duty station (TDY) or deployment. SMES has a Scott Craven Military Breakfast Club that meets with the school’s entire military population twice a month. Additionally, the school invites Moody Air Force Base service members to mentor students. In April, SMES collected donations for deployed airmen, and students used camouflage lettering to create a sign identifying military students, which hung in the school hallway.
Shaw High School – Muscogee County School District
Shaw High School offers a mentor program, Student 2 Student (S2S), through which a current student is assigned to be a new military student’s buddy. S2S students give tours to all new arrival students, help them find a lunch buddy, and check on them throughout their first few weeks at Shaw. New military students are encouraged to join the S2S and the Military Club. During Military Club meetings, S2S students share the clubs and sports they are involved in so new military students can find extracurricular activities to give them a sense of belonging at the school. SHS students help serve veterans during the Veterans Breakfast at the Mall each year. SHS students also attend an annual banquet at the Fort Moore Officers’ Club to recognize outstanding military students who received awards and scholarships.
St. Marys Elementary School – Camden County Schools
St. Marys Elementary has a designated Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) who visits classrooms, meets with military-connected students individually, and offers students Lunch Bunch days, providing casual opportunities for conversation during lunch. The MFLC works closely with the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base School Liaison Officer to stay up-to-date regarding base activities. SMES also has a Connections Club program that meets monthly to plan ways to reach out to new military students and support events honoring military personnel and their families. Two submarine crews have adopted the school through the Adopt-A-School program. Through this program, sailors visit the school and read to SMES students, help with special events, and assist in other ways as needed.
Taylors Creek Elementary School – Liberty County School System
Taylors Creek Elementary School offers unique programs for military students, including HERO Boys and SHERO Girls Mentoring programs, which active-duty, retired service members, and other veterans lead. TCES also has an Ambassador program, in which military-connected students hold several positions. The Ambassador program allows students to have ownership in the school and provides them an opportunity to meet and support new incoming military students as well. The school has a dedicated Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) who supports military students and their families.
Veterans High School – Houston County School District
Veterans High School worked closely with the Robins Air Force Base School Liaison to select a Military and Family Life Counselor who strongly desires to serve high school students. The MFLC provides regular updates and presentations to staff on topics such as understanding unique military life challenges, transitions, deployments, military culture, bas events, and resources. The Warhawk Welcome Team, comprised of trained ambassadors, welcomes and provides tours for new military students. The school hosts a Military Family Engagement Night annually to honor military students and families for their continued sacrifice and resilience. VHS class officers facilitated a snack, food, and letter-writing drive supporting the 21st Century Partnership for deployed service members and their families at Robins AFB. The student body wrote over 1,500 letters of encouragement and gratitude and donated over 300 snack food items for care packages.