MADISON – The observance of April as “Month of the Military Child” gathers increased importance in Madison with thousands of families connected with the U.S. Military, especially working and serving at Redstone Arsenal.

To show its support, Madison City Schools has designated April 14 as “Purple Up Day” to recognize military families. Students and faculty members can wear purple clothing to show support of military students on campus.

Purple references the joint environment of the military, encompassing all service branches and individuals serving as Active Duty, Reserve and National Guard, along with veterans. Purple combines each branch’s colors into one hue for the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard, all using shades of blue; green for the Army; and red for Marines.

MCS endorses work of the Military Child Education Coalition or MCEC, which strives for all military-connected children to be ready for college, work and life. MCEC supports all military-connected children by educating, advocating and collaborating to resolve education challenges associated with the military lifestyle.

The Military Child Education Coalition is a professional coalition with a diverse community of school districts at all levels, small businesses, corporations, military installations, military families and residents.

Aligned with MCEC’s goals, Student 2 Student or S2S groups in MCS orient and support new students on campus, especially those involved in a military move. Each campus in MCS has a S2S chapter or a Junior S2S for younger students.

For welcoming and inclusion, members in S2S chapters in Madison give tours of the school building and grounds, explain academic requirements, schedule social events and introduce new students to the schools and to new, potential friends.

On April 7, Madison Board of Education passed a resolution that honors military families and recognizes the impact from frequent moves by children and their families. The board also supports the objectives of “Month of the Military Child” and “Purple Up Day.”

The resolution states that the school board honors “thousands of brave Americans who have demonstrated their courage and commitment to freedom. . . The board holds these military children as a source of pride and honor to us all.”

In addition, the board learned about the S2S group at Discovery Middle School from student Leila Murph, who discussed orientation for new students. S2S Sponsor and teacher Sara Baragona assisted with the presentation.

For more information, visit militarychild.org.