Eagle River High School models service to military-connected students

More than a third of the student body at Eagle River High School in the Anchorage School District is made up of military-connected students. It’s close to Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson, and its positive reputation for meeting the needs to military families has spread through word of mouth among those in the service. Beginning next year, Eagle River High School and all other schools in Alaska will have a way to show that they are committed to helping military-connected students succeed through the Purple Star School program.

The Purple Star School designation signifies that a school has taken steps to ensure that transitions for students in military families are as smooth as possible.

“The hardest part is kids coming and going at the most inconvenient time. It’s not always at the end of the semester, and it’s not always at the end of the quarter,” Eagle River High School Principal Tim Helvey said. “Just working with those families to get the credits or the time that they need to finish the credits for that semester is the biggest thing.”

Helvey, who is also an Air Force veteran,  says that for years, staff at Eagle River have worked on a case-by-case basis to meet the unique needs that come with a military-connected student moving into or out of the school. He learned about the Purple Star program through his student Madelyn Brokaw.

“I really didn’t know anything about it, and when she mentioned it to me and what it’s about, that’s exactly what we are. And if we can get some recognition for that it just goes for those people who have done a great job and put in a lot of hard work to get where we are,” Helvey said.

Brokaw, now a senior, took on Eagle River High School’s Purple Star application for a Gold Award Project for Girl Scouts. Brokaw’s father retired from the Air Force. The cause is close to her heart.

“When looking at the application, I noted that we have the basic framework already present through different aspects. We just have to revise certain things or find documentation, so it was super easy to see what already existed and see what I could add on to it,” Brokaw said.

Brokaw identified a few teachers to be involved and looked at what Purple Star schools in the Lower 48 have put into place.

“One thing that we brought back this year that I’ve already done a couple of times, is when new students come, I want there to be a student who can give them a tour during that period. They’re like an assigned buddy so that on the first day they have someone to go to, they have a face to connect to,” Brokaw said. “I’m a very social person to begin with, so it definitely has been fun for me because I enjoy meeting new people and just socializing and things like that. So it’s been nice to meet new people, especially being back in school this year.”

Moving forward, Eagle River’s program will ensure a warm welcome, while maintaining a case-by-base approach to ensure each student’s transition is as smooth as possible.

“I think for us it’s just to continue to streamline the process, keep learning from what we’re doing and make it that much better. I have to say it’s truly about the people who run the programs, and we’re really conscientious of our military families coming in to make the process as easy as possible. These kids have already been pulled out of however many schools since they were with the military. They transition great, but if we can make it that much easier, we’re going to do that,” Helvey said. “For me, it’s really about what their families are doing for us. So the least we can do is make a transition period for them that much easier. Their families are already giving up a lot as it is.”

DEED will announce the first Purple Star School designations for Alaska in April 2022. You can learn more about the program here.