Norfolk Public Schools, which serves families from the largest naval complex in the world, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) K12 Partnership Program with support from the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). The grant, called “Operation Thrive: Moving Beyond Resilience,” will assist 10 Norfolk schools that educate significant populations of military-dependent students.

 

The grant was announced on Tuesday, September 1, 2015, during an event featuring Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, who supported Norfolk Public Schools’ application for the grant, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Adm. John Harvey, Jr., Acting Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Thornton, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, Navy officials, U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, Norfolk School Board Chairman Rodney Jordan and other School Board members.

 

The grant was announced at Camp Allen Elementary School, which borders Naval Station Norfolk, and where 40 percent of the student population was military dependent in 2014-2015. Other grant recipient schools are: Academy for Discovery at Lakewood (opening September 8 with an estimated 14 percent military dependent students); Bay View Elementary (19 percent military dependent students in 2014-2015); Mary Calcott Elementary (23 percent); Larchmont Elementary (31 percent); Ocean View Elementary (18 percent); Sewells Point Elementary (70 percent); Tarrallton Elementary (54 percent); Willard Model Elementary (17 percent); Willoughby Elementary (53 percent).  

        

The dedicated, caring staff and leadership at NPS want all children to move beyond resilience when faced with challenges so that students thrive from an academic and a social-emotional standpoint. The grant will be used to increase the capacity of teachers and administrators to create school cultures that respond to the unique experiences and challenges of students connected to the military.

The Operation Thrive grant will include:

·        A part-time coordinator and data specialist;

·        A full-time Military Student Transition Consultant(r) to support the social-emotional and transitional needs of students;

 

·        A family literacy initiative called “Tell Me a Story” that teaches educators and families how to use children’s literature to discuss difficult topics;

·        The Student-to-Student Program to foster 100 percent acceptance for all students;

·        Teacher professional development focused on supporting the transitional needs of students; and

·        Unique campus plans developed by each school team to address the needs of military-connected students at each school.

 

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) supports programs that aim to increase student achievement in military-connected local education agencies (LEAs) and ease the challenges and transitions that students face due to their parents' military service. Since 2009, DoDEA has awarded 186 grants, totaling more than $220 million. These grants serve more than 750,000 students, including 260,000 military-connected students in more than 1,150 schools. Operation Thrive is the first grant Norfolk has received from the DoDEA.