Students From Military Families Honored at North Shore School District 112

          When Pat Heefner ended her fifth-grade year at Oak Terrace School in 1954, it marked the first time in her childhood she had been in one school for an entire year. Her father was stationed at Fort Sheridan, and her family moved frequently.

            She recently found herself reminiscing about her year at Oak Terrace, and looked up Oak Terrace’s website to see if she could find her teacher’s name. She couldn’t, but what she did find was a notice asking community members to write thank you notes to children in the district from military families.  Dubbed Operation Thank You, it was one of the ways North Shore School District 112 schools honored students whose parents serve in the military as part of National Month of the Military Child in April.  The district received about 400 notes for children from district students, staff, parents, and community members. Ms. Heefner’s note had the distinction of being the one that came from the farthest away---she lives in Pennsylvania.

            While the world has changed in many ways in the 60 years since she was a student, children from military families still grapple with the same issues. “One thing you have to cope with sometimes is leaving old friends behind and having to make new friends in your new school,” she wrote, and thanked the children and their parents “for the sacrifices you make every day in the service of your country.”

  About 320 of the district’s nearly 4,000 students have a parent who is on active military duty, and those students face special challenges---they move more often than typical families, and their parents have extended periods away from home when they are deployed.  The month is set aside to honor the character, strength and sacrifices of military children, and to give communities a chance to show their appreciation.

            “It’s nice for kids to understand what it’s like for other children who have families in the military,” said Oak Terrace Principal Sandy Anderson, who suggested the idea of Operation Thank You.  While Oak Terrace only has a few children whose parents serve in the military, Anderson speaks from more personal experience.  Her son-in-law was deployed to Afghanistan in April, and her grandchildren are missing their dad. “Children whose parents aren’t in the military learn empathy by hearing about the experiences of other students,” she said.

            At Wayne Thomas Elementary School, where almost 80 students have parents in the military, children were invited to a special luncheon with their parents and thanked for their contributions. 

            Red Oak Elementary School began the month by inviting military families to a breakfast, and distributed a Deployment Journal to help facilitate an open discussion and understanding about family dynamics and relationships during deployment.           

On Monday, April 30, a school assembly was held to honor students who have parents in the military, as well as all students and staff who have any relatives past or present with military service.

             "Red Oak School proudly salutes our military family members who bravely served our country today, and who have served us fearlessly in the past," Principal Jeanne Banas told the gathering of students, staff and parents. Earlier in the year, for a Veteran's Day activity, she collected photos of students’ and staff’s parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, and aunts who have current or past military service, and turned it into a moving video showing each portrait, with students and staff narrating the reasons each person is or was important to our country.

            Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering was on hand, and read a proclamation from Illinois Governor Pat Quinn thanking the state’s students from military families.  The entire school participated in making a giant painting of a flag using red, white and blue handprints of students to create the stripes.

            Initiated by Sherwood teacher Jill Hancock, Sherwood 5th grade students sent letters to Red Oak students from military families and have extended an invitation for several of these students and their parents to come to Sherwood to speak to the grade level and answer any general questions they have.  At Monday’s assembly, fourth-grade teacher Andrea Feldman presented students with a basket of more than 200 thank you notes collected from the community. 

            “Dear friend,” wrote one fifth-grade student, “I just wanted to say thank you for all the kind things you and your parents have done for the country. If you are wondering what you have done you supported them and made it possible for them to do their job. I'm sure you have a lot more responsibilities than me at home and you should be proud of that. I know it’s hard when your parents leave but you have acted well through it all. So, I owe you a big thanks. And also, remember you are a hero, not just your parents.”

            The school assembly was a wonderful culminating event to the month that not only honored the students from military families, but fostered a sense of patriotism and community pride, said Banas.