If you're the new kid at Churchill High School, odds are you'll run into John Balderrama. The sophomore is a Student Ambassador in the Student 2 Student (S2S) program on campus. This award-winning initiative connects civilian students with new military students the day they arrive on campus.
"Our purpose is to help students and make them feel welcome," said Balderrama. "I think it does help them in a sense that they get a bearing of where everything is instead of figuring it out on their own."
Student ambassadors are friendly faces who can show the new kid the ropes at their new school. While it's geared toward military children, it's used to welcome any new student on campus. As of this school year, the program is active on every elementary, middle and high school campus in the District.
Balderrama is also a JROTC cadet in the Charger Battalion. He hopes to serve in the military after high school. His desire to further strengthen his leadership skills led him to apply for the Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program (FHSLP) at the United States Air Force Academy. This opportunity was made available to sophomores and juniors thanks to the District's partnership with the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC).
There are virtual and in-person components to the Leadership Program. All revolve around enhancing leadership skills to grow and sustain their campus S2S program.
"We had the lectures in phase one. In phase two, there's a workbook and written component. In phase three, we will go out to Colorado to the Air Force Academy, and we'll actually put those things into practice for about four days."
NEISD has many resources in place to support its military families. Click here to learn more.
Mark your calendars - purple will be the color of the day on Wednesday, April 20, as North East ISD celebrates the Month of the Military Child with “Purple Up! For Military Kids” Day. It’s a day for community members to wear purple to show support and thank military children for their strength and sacrifices.
