DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam along with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) joins the Department of Defense and the armed forces community in celebrating April as The Month of the Military Child.

We know that military children face many obstacles unique to their situation, such as having a parent deployed for extended periods of time and moving frequently. Deployments and family separations can be stressful times for children. Our schools are part of the wide community support network available to families. Training is provided to our teaching staff on the various stages of deployment and the ways that children are affected. Teachers, counselors and psychologists guide honest and open discussions with students. Schools link deployed parents and students by email and other technologies. “Our teachers and staff are uniquely positioned to appreciate the military child, as our mission is to provide exemplary educational programs, in the military communities we serve throughout the Pacific. Our educational initiatives serve to inspire and prepare our students for success in the global environment. Our most important contribution is to remain focused on the educational mission and provide a stable environment for the children in our schools especially during times of stress,” explained Dr. Nancy Bresell, Director DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam.

We are proud to announce Laura Curran a 6th grade student at Humphreys American Elementary School won the YMCA Month of the Military Art Contest. Laura also won the National Association of Pupil Transportation Poster Contest.

There are numerous examples of programs and activities that are being held throughout our 45 schools. For example in the Korea and Japan District these include;

Korea District
OsanAmerican Elementary School
Contact person and email address: Monica Hoagland  monica.hoagland@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: Every morning the students in Jim Clark’s sixth grade post the colors of the Armed Forces, and sing the songs of the US military and other patriotic songs.

Japan District
YokotaMiddle School
Contact person and email address: Sandy Spruill sandy.spruill@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: The office staff and a teacher aide have used essays that the students wrote about their military parent to create a beautiful display in our lobby.

SaseboElementary School
Contact person and email address: Nicole Darce  Nicole.Darce@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: PTO Children’s Carnival  April 22, 2006 1100 to 1400 on campus

YokosukaMiddle School
Contact person and email address: Dale Duncan  Dale.Duncan@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: Student participation with Family Service Center activities for Month of the Military Child Festival on Sunday, April 15.

KinnickHigh School 
Contact person and email address: Tari Wright  tari.wright@pac.dodea.edu 
Activity/event: Students are being encouraged to submit posters and to write essays; those projects are being coordinated with our Yokosuka Teen Center and a Month of the Military Child project they are doing. 

CummingsElementary School
Contact person and email address: John Williams  John.Williams@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: Classroom art and writing enrichment activities; Taiko Drum Program (presented by Misawa students and teachers; Kindergarten and 1stgrade musical programs.

YokotaWest Elementary School
Contact person and email address: Charlene Harris  charlene.harris@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: First graders will wear camouflage shirts, paint faces, and eat MREs with parents
during lunch on the 27thof April. They will also make a red, white and blue banner for the troops in Iraq on that day with their handprints and messages of goodwill.

EJ King HS & Sasebo Elementary
Contact Person and email address: Daren Schuettpelz  daren.schuettpelz@pac.dodea.edu
Activity/event: The 7th grade creative writing class wrote and illustrated children's books, based on the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" series and read them to the two kindergarten classes at Sasebo Elementary. Some of the kindergartnersthen took the initiative to reciprocate, and read their favorite stories to the 7th graders. It was a fun time for kids with plenty of changes in their lives to form bonds with others.

"Our work is important and we do make a difference in the lives of each of our students.  I wish to thank our teachers for their continued commitment and professionalism to our students and our organization. Their efforts make DoDEA schools a place to be proud of,” added Bresell.