YORK COUNTY, Va. — At Bethel Manor Elementary in York County, 97% of their students have a connection to the military, and the district as a whole has the highest concentration of military kids in the state, according to school officials.
The staff at Bethel Manor, which is nestled right outside of Langley off-base housing, have a special task: be support for kids who may be going through a tough time outside of the classroom.
“Their emotions are always kind of on high alert, because they’re going through a lot more at home than you realize, they might have just moved here, they may be living in a hotel, they might be living out of boxes,” said fourth grade teacher Lyndsay Underwood.
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Underwood is a military spouse; her husband is currently deployed.
“We only have each other sometimes, there’s no family here to lean on, so they become your little family,” said Underwood.
It's a family that Air Force TSgt Justin Tisdale appreciates.
"It’s very supportive communities everywhere we go," said Tisdale. "My kids, even though they lose friends every couple years, they gain new ones.”
Like so many kids at Bethel Manor, Tisdale's kids are resilient. He told News3 he's reminded of that often, and he's thankful for their support.
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"They’ve been making it an easy journey for me,” said Tisdale.
Teachers, parents, administrators and students at this York County school are intertwined in a way that most won't understand.
“There are connections being made here that I don’t think you would see at other schools,” said Underwood.
Wednesday is Purple Up Day, where people can wear purple to show support for military kids. The school is also putting on a special parade to honor their military kids on the morning of Wednesday, April 24.
April is Month of the Military Child.
