Purple Star School of Distinction

Two Cape Coral schools have received the Purple Star School of Distinction for the support they provide to military families this week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that 176 Florida schools earned the distinction, and five school districts were awarded the Florida Purple Star School District distinction — Bay, Brevard, Citrus, Okaloosa, and Santa Rosa.

School District of Lee County recipients are Caloosa Middle School and Mariner High School.

“We encourage every school in the state to strive to better serve military families and earn the designation,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “I am proud to recognize these schools and school districts for their efforts to support our military families and earn the Purple Star designation.”

There are six criteria to maintain to earn the distinction:

• A military point of contact to serve as a liaison for military families.

• A school webpage for military students and families that includes specifically focused resources.

• A student-led transition program to assist military students coming into the school.

• Five percent open-enrollment seats for military students and families.

• Three elective opportunities to further support military families.

Caloosa Middle School Principal Ann Cole said they are so excited about the opportunity.

“We are the first middle school in the School District of Lee County to receive this distinction, so this is very special to us,” she said. “We have multiple teachers and staff members who are either veterans or are still active in the military, so they truly understand and empathize with students and families as they move around because their loved one is brave enough to serve our country. When we meet students who are part of a military family, our staff goes out of their way to support them and ensure that they have what they need to make them feel comfortable at our school.”

Caloosa Middle honors the military by recognizing them with a Veterans Day presentation, as well as a bulletin board in the media center showcasing all staff veterans.

“We have staff members who are currently serving as military reservists and we do everything we can to support their important role while serving our country,” Cole said.

The school also has a schoolwide day — “Purple Up!” — for military children on April 17, which has participation from everyone.

“We are an AVID school and students, and staff are encouraged to wear college and/or military support attire on Fridays. In addition, we have a middle school cadet program and a drill team that presents the American flag at numerous events throughout the year,” Cole said. “Caloosa Middle School has an active Junior Leadership class that is offered to all students throughout the school year.”

Cole said they are proud of their staff members, and families, who have served our country in order to protect our freedom.

Mariner High School Principal Dr. Thomas Michel said that Mariner has a long tradition of supporting military veterans in the community, and the special distinction validates their efforts.

“We have one of the largest JROTC programs in the United States, which goes to great length to instill patriotism, character, and values into our students,” he said. “Being selected as a Purple Star School of Distinction brings additional credibility to an already well-established program of excellence. We are very honored.”

With a long-standing rich culture of honoring military, one of Mariner’s most important events is the veteran’s appreciation ceremony held in the bell tower courtyard every year on, or around Veterans Day.

“The entire staff, and student body is invited to attend the event, which pays tribute to military service members and veterans from our community,” Michel said. “This past year we had over 60 veterans from all over Southwest Florida attend the event, to include several World War II, Korea, and Vietnam War veterans.”

The JROTC program also provides support in numerous veteran organizations in the community by providing services such as color guards, flag-folding ceremonies, supporting Wreaths Across America, donating items for care packages to the Lee Health Military support program.

“I’ve often said that the cornerstone of Mariner High School is our JROTC Leadership Academy,” Michel said. “No other program in America provides such structure and focus on building a young person’s character and life skills, which are all critical for life after high school. These life skill and character-building lessons translate into a student academics, behavior, and goal planning for their lives. JROTC is the lead agent for Mariner in our support of military families in our community and the driving force behind our school earning the Purple Star School of Distinction award.”

Among the ways Mariner qualified for distinction includes an intentional sponsorship program for military families and students. When military families arrive at Mariner, they have the option of being assigned a peer sponsor to help them with the transition from military life. In addition, Michel said Mariner staff members have volunteered to be dedicated sponsors for military families who need guidance and advice about military resources in the community.

“Mariner has a group of retired military veterans serving as educators on our staff, who provide a tremendous amount of advice to our military families and their students,” he said. “Lastly, our school has established a professional Purple Star website, which provides military families guidance and resources targeted to military veteran families.”

In 2021, the Florida legislature established the Purple Star School of Distinction program. Since its inception, nearly 200 schools have completed the requirements for the designation. Both public and private schools participating in state scholarship programs are eligible in Florida.