When they join the military, service members commit to unwaveringly serve and protect our country, and schools showing profound dedication to support those military members and their families are recognized as Purple Star Schools. This honor highlights the exceptional efforts of educational institutions who create inclusive and supportive environments for military-connected children by addressing academic and personal needs unique to the challenges of location transitions and parental deployments, including interrupted participation in sports and club activities. At least nine schools have this designation in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

St. Peter School in Huber Heights most recently earned the Purple Star designation, and its principal, Kelly Kadel, explained why this was significant for the school and community:

“St. Peter School has a long tradition of honoring our military. We have been blessed with hundreds of military families over the years [and] do many things to celebrate our country and to show appreciation for our military.”

The educational specialist/school liaison from Wright- Patterson Air Force Base (Wright-Patt) —about 20 minutes from the school—encouraged St. Peter School officials to apply for the designation.

St. Luke School in Beavercreek—about 30 minutes from Wright-Patt—recently renewed their Purple Star designation after initially earning it in 2021.

“Achieving this designation was important to us because of our long history of service to military families,” said Brett Poling, incoming principal and St. Luke’s former assistant principal. “Since its inception in the 1960s, St. Luke Catholic School has educated hundreds of children in Armed Forces families. Our proximity to [Wright-Patt] has long made us attractive to families making a Permanent Change of Station to the area. The achievement of the Purple Star status validated and reinforced our commitment to those students and families.”

“It is important for St. Peter to be a Purple Star School because it gives us the opportunity to give back to our military families and thank them for serving our country and protecting our freedom,” said Kadel. “These families make huge sacrifices, especially military children! [It] is our way of letting [them] know that we understand the sacrifices and demands placed on military families, and we are ready to support them.”

“We are happy to have been renewed as [a] Purple Star School because new military families who move into our area will recognize our commitment to serving them,” said Poling. “In addition, there are resources available from the … program to help us, including a Purple Star Liaison Office on base.”

The school leaders also noted that, with this designation, they hope all families understand the schools’ commitment to being Christ-like to everyone, especially military families.

“We stand ready to help [military families] adjust to life in the Miami Valley, provide them [with] a first-class education and form them in a strong Catholic environment,” said Poling.

“A few of our staff are either spouses in a military family or served in the Armed Forces themselves. Also, we have several families who would love to connect with them to answer any questions.”

“St. Peter School has a long history of honoring our military, both active duty and veterans,” said Kadel. “Every year we hold a 9/11 Memorial [and] a Veterans Day rally, and we participate in the Huber Heights Star Spangled Parade. Teaching our students about patriotism and citizenship is important to us. Being designated a Purple Star School makes us proud and gives us an opportunity to thank our military families in the best way we know how, teaching their children.”

This article appeared in the August 2024 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.