Program supports needs of military students

Treadwell said many military-connected students, meaning students who must frequently move and transfer to new schools due to a parent’s employment in the military, are subject to pressure and anxiety associated with the stress of having to repeatedly start over in a new place.

Upon arrival at a new school, students deal not only with new teachers, classes, and academic schedules, but also with the often not-so-easy task of trying to make new friends and fit in with a different social crowd. Handling all of this change at once can feel intimidating and isolating, Treadwell said.

The DHS S2S program is designed to help military-connected students in grades 8-12 cope with these difficulties. When new military-connected students enroll at the school, they are immediately invited to be a part of the unique program.

S2S is largely student-run, led by a team of 22 students representing all grade levels and both military and non-military backgrounds. The students meet twice a week after school, and offer time for peer tutoring and socialization. Treadwell helps new students connect with others who have similar interests and hobbies, and introduces younger students to upperclassmen who take on the role of mentors.

These introductions build friendships that help ease some of the social boundaries of being new, Treadwell said. Additionally, peer tutoring assists academic transitions, as many students find themselves learning new or different material. A major goal of the program is to provide the support and resources students need to stay on track in their studies and graduate on time, Treadwell said.

In 2011, the school received a three-year grant of $468,000 from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) that also provided designated funding for S2S team training and technology for the group’s meeting room.

In addition to using the funds to improve the S2S room, Treadwell was also able to send S2S team members to the S2S national conference, where they received training on how to support transitioning students.

S2S President Jakob Vanlandingham, who comes from a military family, said the training helped him realize the stress of a new student’s first few weeks at school, and how the S2S program can help make that time a more positive experience.

“One of the things that we learned in training is that the first three weeks of a student’s time at a new school are the most hard-hitting times for that kid, in relation to school and how he’s going to make friends, meet people and create relationships with teachers,” Vanlandingham said. “We want to make those first three weeks the easiest time of their life. We want them to be able to come here, sit down and get homework help or whatever else they need.”

Vanlandingham said new students must pick up on cultural and regional cues, learn new dress codes and also overcome interpersonal challenges. Many new students worry more about these social challenges than their academics, which is something Vanlandingham said he experienced when he moved back to the area following a move.

“It was when I came back into the school that I really experienced troubles trying to remake friends,” he said. “It was weird, because I knew people, and I remembered people, but no one remembered me. So there was that awkwardness there.”

Vanlandingham hopes the S2S program helps new students get past that awkwardness and anxiety. S2S team members, who must apply to be a part of the selective program, must show leadership, courage and initiative, as well as good etiquette and people skills, Vanlandingham said.

Most importantly, they must “be able to go out there and be a friend,” he said.

Vanlandingham said he and the other team members are also working to make the program an active and well-established part of the school. It seems their efforts are paying off, as the five-year-old program was highly praised as one of the school system’s most “well-spoken of” programs in a recent district-wide accreditation process.

“Hearing (those comments) really makes me feel like we’ve accomplished something,” Vanlandingham said.

To learn more about the national S2S program or the Military Child Coalition, visit www.militarychild.org.