International Studies Elementary Charter School celebrates its military students

ALBANY – About 30 elementary school students lined up, clad in purple T-shirts, to accept a goodie bag and pose with their cheesiest smiles for a photo Friday morning. 

The International Studies Elementary Charter School students were celebrating and being celebrated for their parents’ service in the U.S. military. The school sits just a couple of minutes from Albany’s Marine Corps Logistics Base and has about 35 students with family members in active military service. 

Killian McKinney, a third-grader, was a burst of energy that morning. His father is the commanding officer at MCLB-Albany, and his mother also works for the military in medical patents. 

“I’m very proud of them,” Killian said. “I’m wearing purple to celebrate my dad and mom.” 

April is the Month of the Military Child. International Studies Elementary Charter School makes the month special for its larger population of military students, through small recognitions in the classroom or with treats like the ones received Friday. However, the school recognizes the sacrifices these families make year-’round and tries to foster a school environment that welcomes them and accommodates their unique needs. 

Military families move around a lot. International Studies Principal John I. Davis said the school has families from all across the country and even Japan. He said the school started to see more military families in the last 10 years or so, most likely because of the proximity to the base as well as the start of the school’s International Baccalaureate program. Davis said the diverse makeup of the school helps the transition for those who’ve moved around a lot. 

McKinney said along with Georgia he’s also lived in North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama. His classmate, Steven Allen, who is in the fifth grade, moved to Albany from Memphis, Tenn.

Both students talked about the challenge of leaving old friends and making new ones.

“It’s kind of hard to make friends considering how much moving we do; it’s especially tough because we just moved here” Steven said. 

McKinney said he had to leave a best friend behind at his old school.

“It was very hard,” he said. “I made one best friend, Jake. We were like the gang.” 

He said he feels hopeful about making new friends in Albany. Both students said the kindness of the teachers at International Studies helped them settle in. 

Davis said both he and the Dougherty County Schools Superintendent are committed to serving their military families.

DCSS was ahead of the curve 10 years ago when it began allowing military families to decide which school they wanted their children to attend, regardless of zoning. Georgia followed suit five years ago. Davis said he’s ready to let military families tour the school at the drop of a hat.

“We are a magnet school, and our school has a waiting list … it’s difficult to get in,” Davis said. “But if … your mom or dad is active duty, there’s no wait.”

Students who live on the MCLB base are transported back and forth from school on a direct bus. If an emergency happens on the school campus, the Marine base is one of the first organizations notified. 

While the students aren’t treated any differently by administration and staff than any other student, Davis said teachers are always made aware when a student is part of a military family in order to serve unique needs, especially if a parent is deployed.

“I believe that we have a school that embodies the culture, the care, the love of students,” Davis said. “So when those parents are deployed, of course we are informed. We’re just more of that support system.”

Davis said MCLB-Albany is also one of the school’s major partners. Service members from the base maintain a regular presence on campus. They read and mentor within classrooms; they help with school projects, Ribbon Week celebrations and other activities. 

“The best partners that you have in the school are not those that do specific activities in the event, but they’re with you on the journey,” Davis said. “So the Marine Base is with us on this journey.”

Davis said he is always looking for new ways to support military families. Next year, the school is looking to implement a Marine Parent Board to better address any unique needs or challenges. 

On Friday, as Davis got the students together for a photo he let them know their school community was proud of them.

“We want to just celebrate our military families, our military students, those that sacrifice so we can live in this country and be free,” Davis said. “We just pause to celebrate them, give them a token and let them know how much we appreciate their service.”