LEXINGTON – Jillian Noblet knows how tough it can be when a loved one gets deployed.
Noblet is a military wife and a third grade teacher at Central Elementary School, where she goes out of her way to support students whose parents are in service.
Noblet has seen firsthand the toll that a parent’s deployment can take on a student.
“Random things remind them of their parent and it really weighs on them. It’s hard for them to focus on school rather than just missing their parent,” she said.
Lexington Local Schools honored its military families Friday night by inviting students with a military parent to stand on the basketball court at halftime.
According to Noblet, Lexington Schools has more than 100 military kids district-wide.
The gesture is just one way Lexington recognizes those students. Lexington High School and all three elementary buildings have received the Purple Star Award over the last five years for their support of students from military families.
The Purple Star Award recognizes schools that take extra steps to support military families, such as designating a staff point-of-contact for military students and adding a dedicated page on its website listing resources for military families.
Schools must also complete one extra step to qualify for a Purple Star. Schools can choose from options like providing relevant professional development to staff, celebrating the Month of the Military Child or implementing social and emotional development programs for military children.
At Central Elementary School, Noblet leads a monthly gathering for students from military families.
The Military Kids Club is a place where students can participate in fun activities and spend time with peers who understand the unique challenges military families face.
Noblet helped found Central’s program with a school counselor five years ago.
“My husband is in the Air Force, so it’s near and dear to me,” she said. “I’ve experienced the deployments and I see the toll that it takes on kids ever since I started teaching.”
When Noblet’s husband was deployed for the first time, another airman in his unit had a son in her class.
“These guys are the ones who get me through when he leaves,” she said. “The group helps me just as much as they help each other.”
Over the course of the school year, students make Christmas cards for deployed parents and Valentines for veterans at a local nursing home.
The club also helped host a Veteran’s Day breakfast for their families in November. One military dad wrapped up his deployment just in time to attend.
Third grader Delaney Schafer knew her father was coming home soon, but she didn’t know when he was due to arrive.
“My dad surprised me and came in and he said that he’s going to be home,” she recalled.
The club’s activities aren’t always military-themed. Sometimes it’s simply about getting together and supporting each other.
“I do think it helps, seeing their other military kids kind of lift them up,” Noblet said. “They’ve all been there, which is why it’s so important. They know they’re not alone when they’re here.”
Park Davis, a second grader at Central, is anxiously awaiting the return of his father from a year-long deployment to Germany. He and his dad keep in touch by playing video games and collecting Legos.
“I try not to think of him, but it’s hard,” he said.
His advice for other families facing a deployment is to keep a stiff upper lip – but he knows it isn’t easy.
“Don’t cry! But I did,” he admitted. “Me and my mom both cried the whole way back home.”
During the their December meeting, the Central club made cards to send to Park’s father.
Eastern Elementary has a similar program with two liaisons. The school has approximately 50 students from military families enrolled.
Like Noblet, both Eastern liaisons have a personal connection to the military. Jessica Duffey’s husband previously served in the Army. Lindsey Brokaw served for 20 years as a member of the Ohio Air National Guard before retiring in 2019.
Eastern’s military students meet a few times each school year for events like holiday photo shoots, cookie decorating and breakfast for them and their families.
“We want our students to know we are here for them and understand the difficulties and triumphs involved with being a part of a military family,” Brokaw said. “It can be a complicated life that most people don’t understand, especially when family members deploy for extended amounts of time.”
Brokaw said it’s important to create an atmosphere of trust and understanding so student can feel comfortable sharing their experiences.
“A lot of students enjoy this club because it gives them an opportunity to meet other kids like them, kids that are also part of a military family,” she said. “It helps them feel like they are not alone and have students they can relate to.”
