Georgia’s Department of Education congratulated Columbia County School District’s Grovetown High and Parkway Elementary on Tuesday morning, May 7, for earning Military Flagship School Awards.
With the award designed to recognize schools for going above and beyond to provide a supportive environment for military students and families, according to Georgia’s State School Superintendent Richard Woods, schools are reviewed for the award by members of the Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission.
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“Our mission at the DOE is to prepare all students for life, and for our military families that is no exception. They have a very unique culture; they are very highly mobile in their careers,” Woods said. “So, to make sure their kids succeed, we have to do things a little bit differently, and we appreciate all the things Columbia County has done to ensure that.”
Proud to announce that 19 schools in the state have earned Military Flagship status this year, Woods also said Grovetown High and Parkwark Elementary were awarded for providing specific outreach to military families by recognizing and accommodating their unique needs.
“The kids in Columbia County are looked after from the day they step onto campus to the day they potentially leave the campus as well,” Woods said. “It’s about the leadership and intentionality here.”
After Columbia County won its first Military Flagship School Award in 2019, at Riverside Elementary School, the school district’s efforts for supporting Fort Eisenhower families has only grown over time, according to Superintendent Steven Flynt.
“We want to provide that support not just when they first enroll but also while they’re enrolled – to provide that feedback and that nurturing location for them,” Flynt said. “That’s very important for us as a district … our focus is on providing the right thing for our students everyday.”
Standing apart from other schools, Flynt said both Parkway and Grovetown employ a Military Family and Life counselor, who pays special attention to military children integrating into the district.
In addition, Grovetown High features a 45% student population of military-connected families, while Parkway Elementary boasts a nearly 50% population.
Parkway’s principal Stephanie Winter said her experience as a military spouse gave her firsthand experience with children’s struggles, and made her determined to provide a welcoming environment that truly impacted Fort Eisenhower families.
“It’s such a great honor,” she said. “Knowing what my children went through kind of leads the way in how we develop this program and how we move forward with helping our military children come in. These children need to feel welcomed.”
Winter said she was especially proud when the school’s registrar’s office reported that several families enrolled their children at Parkway, specifically because of its great reputation among military families.
“When I heard that, I said ‘we made it,’” she said. “I was so proud and our Military and Life counselor is just amazing. She’s a valuable resource to us.”
Winter said she also believed Parkway’s environment was special for military children, because they always have access to peers who understand similar struggles and worries.
“There’s not a classroom that doesn’t have somebody that’s probably moved in the area in the last year, so it’s highly relatable to them,” she said. “Especially when they are moving from places like Maryland or Germany – it just continues to expand that community we have.”
Grovetown High’s principal Andrew Young said he was also thrilled for his school to be receiving the state award.
“It lets us know that we’re on the right track here,” he said.
Aiming to always enhance Grovetown High’s environment for military families, Young said faculty will continue to actively reach out for feedback from students and their active duty parents to prioritize strategies for further improvement.
“With Fort Eisenhower being so close, there’s a huge military presence here,” he said. “It just feels good to know that parents can know their kids will be going to a good school where we can support them. They’ll have one less worry.”
After transferring to several schools over the years, Grovetown High student Amaiya Ruff said she has never felt more at home or valued in a school than when she moved to Columbia County.
“At my past schools, I have never been able to connect with anyone like I did here,” she said. “None of my past schools provided support for children of military families and they never really helped me quite integrate into their schools.”
However, thanks to several teachers and Grovetown High’s Military and Life counselor, Ruff said she finally looked forward to school and her academically challenging classes.
“I feel like I finally have a place,” she said. “… for the first time, I was able to bloom where I was planted.”
As a veteran of the Army National Guard and U.S. Army, Columbia County District Attorney Bobby Christine said he appreciated the hard work of both schools’ staff and teachers to provide support for military families.
“I think it’s really a testament to what the school board and what Dr. Flynt are doing,” he said. “It’s really an attention to detail that really doesn’t exist in many communities.”
