MADISON – A record of outreach by the Student 2 Student or S2S chapter at Liberty Middle School has earned impressive awards at the national level.

Liberty S2S won the Pete Taylor Partnership of Excellence Award, which recognizes projects that succeed in benefiting children with military connections. In addition, Liberty was recognized as Elite Team of The Year.

Liberty students accepted the Pete Taylor Partnership of Excellence Award at the Global Military Child Education Coalition’s conference in Washington D.C. on July 29-31. Liberty’s School Nurse Benita Tunstill and language teacher Anne ‘Kitty’ Mingus sponsor S2S.

Madison City Schools has S2S chapters in all schools, which qualifies MCS as a Purple Star school district that qualifies for education grants in the statewide program. S2S focuses on helping students from military families in transitioning to a new school, but the organization also welcomes all new students. S2S chapters participate in diverse service projects, sometimes in partnership with other groups.

Liberty’s S2S raised donations to help set up ‘free little libraries’ in several states. Student members conducted a STEM night, participated in Read Across America, led monthly bingo games at the Tut Fann State Veterans home and provided activities for Military Child Appreciation Week. They participated in Wreaths Across America, organized a Dandelion Gala for military children and their families, along with other activities.

Students in grades 6-8 at Liberty are eligible to join S2S, which focuses on six core values:

* Leadership – Serving as a role model, welcoming new students and strengthening the program for the future.

* Academics — Encouraging educational achievement and informing new students about Liberty’s unique requirements.

* Service — Giving back to Liberty, the community of Madison and the world.

* Climate and culture — Helping new students understand the behaviors, beliefs and characteristics of Liberty’s campus, school culture and community.

* Relationships — Helping new students make connections to others with similar values and interests.

* 100-percent acceptance – Agreeing with all these standards with no exceptions and helping new students discover where they belong at Liberty.

Founded in 2021, the Purple Star School program supports military-connected children as they relocate to new schools because a parent in the military has a change in duty station. The Military Child Education Coalition is a national advocate for Purple Star schools.

To apply for S2S, a student should visit Liberty’s website, click the “Organizations” tab and click S2S.