Share your helpful thoughts, experiences and advice with other military students and parents. We want to set a positive tone with this blog, so please refrain from maligning any person, school, military installation or other. The SchoolQuest staff reserves the right to remove negative or hurtful entries. What did Mom always say? “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!”
MCEC Partners with the National PTA
You may have already heard of the Military Child Education Coalition’s Student 2 Student program for high school students, or their “younger sibling” program at the middle school/junior high level called the Junior Student 2 Student program. These programs exist in several schools where a significant number of military-connected students attend, and they provide a way for new students to quickly get connected at their new school. (Visit the MCEC website for more information on S2S and JS2S.)
What about those students who live beyond the reach of these fantastic programs? . . . Students who live on Main Street America but are still affected by the deployment of Mom or Dad? (Such as military-connected students whose service member isn't stationed at a large military installation or who are more remotely located due to service in the Guard or Reserves.) How can programs created with this special student population in mind reach them? Through a partnership with an organization whose reach is broad and deep in our education system . . . the National PTA!
Space Camp Scholarship!
Consider this . . . the President has pledged that the United States will send astronauts to an asteroid by the year 2025, and to Mars by the year 2030. Who will these adventurous explorers be? The young people training today at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Space Camp!
What Is It?
The Bernard Curtis Brown II Memorial Space Camp Scholarship which was established in 2001 by the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC). Recipients are provided an opportunity to have a week-long experience that brings together the worlds of science, service and learning. While only one scholarship was awarded in its first year, the program has grown and 10 scholarships were given in 2011. Thanks to generous donations over the years, a total of 117 scholarships have been awarded thus far!
Visit the SchoolQuest Library for Information on S.T.E.M. Education!
Have you heard of the acronym “S.T.E.M.” yet? No, I’m not referring to stem cells . . . this is a “STEM” of a different sort. In this case it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and it’s becoming a buzz word for a new priority in education in the United States. Just Google the term and you’ll see what I mean . . . S.T.E.M. Academies located all over the county pop up!
The Military Child Education Coalition’s “Call for the Arts” Competition
Have you ever taken a few moments to examine the artwork featured on our web site’s home page? Every picture that scrolls through was created by a military-connected child! I encourage you to spend a minute or two really absorbing all of the experiences that they represent. Pay a visit to our parent organization, the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), website www.MilitaryChild.org and you'll see many more artwork examples featured. There are some very talented artists out there and who better to communicate the particular challenges faced by military families then those students who live through them every day of every year? For this reason, the MCEC has established their “Call for the Arts: The Art of Being a Military Child” contest.
Save the Date - MCEC’s 2012 Annual Conference is June 27-29 in Grapevine, Texas!
Interested in learning more about our parent organization, the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)? Join us at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center from June 27th through the 29th for the14th Annual Military Child Education Coalition Conference and find out what they are doing "for the sake of the child!" . . .