MAPLE HEIGHTS, Ohio — Military families matter because families matter. Today, I continue my series, Your Service, with the Ohio Department of Education’s plans to make sure schools that support military families know they matter, too. And they have reason to be proud.
Maple Heights High School stands out for a number of reasons, including this: More than 50% of the students there have family members serving in the military. The state has now designated the school a Purple Star Award for supporting and committing to its students and families committed to the nation’s defense.
I spoke with the high school principal, Markiel Perkins, about earning the designation.
“You have to go through steps and training in order to do it,” Perkins told me. “In April we got the message that we were awarded the Purple Star.”
Perkins is a Coast Guard veteran himself, now serving the Maple Heights community. He made this Purple Star designation from the state a priority so students like Devin Jones know they’re supported. Jones told me he’s enlisted in the U.S. Army. Since our conversation, he’s reported for duty.
“I know it’s a good decision,” he told me. “I know what I want out of it, so, just looking forward to it.”
The designation also means something to sophomore Jovannah Nichols. She’s proud of her father serving right now in the U.S. Navy. I asked her how it felt to walk down the hallways and see the Purple Star banner hanging high.
“It’s meaningful, a lot, when you have a connection to it,” she said.
It’s not just students with that connection. Special Ed Paraprofessional David Murray served in the U.S. Air Force for more than 20 years. Now, he’s there for these kids.
“I feel needed, and I can make a difference in these students’ lives,” he said.
Senior Cheyenne Mickler told me she plans to be part of the ROTC program at the University of Kentucky.
“The school, by putting that up there, they’re respecting us and showing us what they care,” she said.
In total, 171 schools in the state have the Purple Star designation, including others in Northeast Ohio. They all know support doesn’t come with a shelf life. The work’s not finished.
“It’s not, not even close,” Perkins said. “This is the foundation.”
