HELENA — Imagine being nine and having your parent be deployed; that's the reality for Brooklyn Walsh. “It's kinda really hard because you miss them for a while, especially my dad has been deployed a lot of times for a year, and it's kinda hard being away from him for a while,” Walsh said.
Central Elementary School is working to support students just like Brooklyn by pursuing a Purple Star designation.
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A Purple Star school offers mentorship and resources for students of military families.
“I’m a veteran myself, and when my son started school, we just did not have the resources that we needed for him,” said teacher Libby Kenney. "My husband at the time was deployed; he didn't meet our son until he was 18 months old, and I really wanted to do something more for these kids.”
Kenney saw an email from the Montana Office of Public Instruction about becoming a Purple Star school and decided to pursue it.
As of 2024, there are only five purple star schools in Montana: one in Missoula, one in Glendive, and three in Great Falls, which is home to Malmstrom Air Force Base.
Having one in Helena would make a difference for military families.
“Having that community and administrators and teachers involved in it and understanding it is a huge relief for when we are gone,” said parent and CWO Michael Walsh.
The first step to becoming a Purple Star school is holding an event to connect military families with each other and show them the resources available.
16 families attended the event, and Kenney hopes to find other kids going through the same experience to support them.
“I feel it's very important for us to honor and celebrate those children,” Kenney said. "We see them every day. We're the ones that touch base with them in the morning and send them off in the evenings, so it's important to check in with each of them and make them feel special and heard and included.”
If Central School’s application is accepted, it will be designated as a purple star school for two years. Central hopes to start the movement for more schools to follow the path to becoming Purple Star schools.
