Schools to help military children
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Education Writer
At Solomon Elementary School on Schofield Barracks, educators are used to the currents of military life, so they were ready when word came down that nearly 8,000 soldiers would soon be sent on yearlong assignments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
No matter how much you prepare, though, a deployment of this size and potential risk can be a strain on parents and students.
"We have seen some nervous tension," said Linda Yoshikami, the school's principal. "There is a lot of anxiety. But our families are great."
At the school's fall harvest festival yesterday, Army counselors passed out packets to parents with information on services available to cope with the deployment. Other schools nearby that have a high proportion of students from military families will soon be briefed on what to expect in the months ahead.
Some parents may choose to take their children out of school and return to the Mainland if a spouse is away for a year, which could influence class sizes. At Solomon, for instance, enrollment is down by nearly 100 students from the previous year, since it was well known that soldiers at Schofield were likely to be deployed.
"We've already seen some of our families leave," Yoshi-
kami said. "We do anticipate a drop in enrollment."
Child and adolescent psychiatric experts at Tripler Army Medical Center are working with school counselors and teachers to help them identify any red flags in student behavior when a parent leaves for duty. Some students may start to skip school or act out in class, or normally talkative and outgoing students may withdraw.
"My teachers are very good at noticing the little differences," Yoshikami said. "Some of our younger ones may start to cry really easily. But I think our kids are very resilient."
Andrea Katz, the wife of a Black Hawk helicopter pilot with the 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, said she is pretty sure her husband will go to Iraq or Afghanistan. They have three children, ages 4, 7 and 8, and the prospect of her husband's being away from the children for a year is her biggest concern. But she said he's eager to go.
"He's been in the Army for
12 years now and never been deployed (on a combat mission)," she said. "And there are other people that have been over there for so long. It's somebody else's turn."
Katz said the family lives on base and "our neighborhood kind of takes care of each other — we kind of have that plan in place."
Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday that she is talking with the military about any help the state might provide during the deployment, the largest for the 25th Infantry Division (Light) and U.S. Army, Ha-
wai'i, since the Vietnam War. "We're very concerned about the economic impact on the state, but also the impact on the families who will be left behind," Lingle said.
At Wahiawa Elementary, where about a busload of military children go to school, counselors and teachers will likely be trained on how to deal with any student behavioral changes. "It's something we're looking at," said Denise Arai, the school's principal.
Educators said they want to do what they can to preserve as much normalcy as possible for students, who may be saying goodbye to their father or mother right around the holidays.
Diane Matsukawa, the principal at Wheeler Intermediate School, said the Army is scheduled to give administrators an idea of what to expect at a briefing on Friday.
"We want to be prepared for our kids," she said. "But we're not sure yet what we're going to do."
Often, the best things educators can offer military parents are compassion and understanding.
"Our prayers are with our families," Yoshikami said. "We know they are under a lot of stress."
Advertiser staff writer William Cole contributed to this report. Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
