VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Going to school can certainly be challenging for any child or family, but perhaps more so for military families because of the unique challenges they can face.
Meet the Hanshew family.
“We’re trying to stay here (in Virginia Beach,)" Tyler Hanshew said.
Tyler and Olivia Hanshew have three kids at Shelton Park Elementary School in Virginia Beach.
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Tyler is in the Navy and as a result, the family has lived in Virginia, then Florida, then Spain, and as of August 2024, back in Virginia for about two years.
“This has kind of been the longest they’ve all been in one single school," said Tyler.
Olivia said the unknowns that come along with military families having to move a lot is the biggest challenge for the kids.
“Not knowing which friends are coming back next year. Starting in a new school is pretty scary, too, I guess, right?” Olivia said.
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Another challenge is understanding how to help kids as they progress through school.
“The teachers change the dynamic of them stepping into it. Here, we’ve been here a little bit longer so the teachers are able to say, for example, ‘Oliver excels in this," Tyler explained. "Just that knowledge ahead of time helps each child out so that they can get past some of the struggles that they might have.”
Because of Shelton Park’s proximity to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, nearly 80 percent of the students at the school have some connection to the military.
“It brings a uniqueness to Shelton Park," Shelton Park Principal Tara Brewer said.
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Brewer said teachers are always mindful of the large number of military students there.
“They know their stories, they know where they’re coming from, and that fills their heart and they make sure that they take all of that into consideration every day," Brewer explained.
The school also has a dedicated counselor for military families and has numerous opportunities for service members from JEB to get involved with the school.
“They’ve come in to the school over the summer and have volunteered several times over the summer to help with our butterfly garden and helped with readying the building for the kids to come back," said Brewer.
For military families, Olivia has this advice.
“Take your expectations away and just be flexible," Olivia said.
Despite the challenges, Tyler and Olivia said their kids are resilient.
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“We always tell the kids to be kind to everybody because you never know who’s going to be your friend," said Olivia.
“Seeing other kids as well going through the same thing, I think they work together and they find that community each time they go to a different grade," said Tyler.
To further help military families at Shelton Park, a new program was expected to begin in the 2024-2025 school year in which services members from JEB will come and talk to students during lunch.
