BAMBERG, Germany - Bamberg Elementary and Middle/High School faculties have initiated a number of programs to support students dealing with the multiple stages of a parent's deployment.
Elementary School Principal Beverly Erdmann, who is new to Bamberg this year, said she wants to have programs available for students through all phases of the deployment process, including re-integration.
"We haven't gotten anything formal in place but we're exploring different options," she said.
One of the goals, according to Erdmann, is to extend relationships throughout the community, and increase communication between school and community organizations.
"One of the first steps we're going to take is to form a task force with community members and parents who can give ideas on how to support the kids and offer activities," she said.
Though the task force is a new idea, volunteers have been stepping forward to contribute time and ideas.
The elementary school already has mental health care professionals, two counselors and a psychologist, in place to deal with deployment issues.
Small groups focusing on specific issues, including those related to deployments, have been developed and implemented in past years.
Counselor Evelyn Chisari works with 3rd through 6th graders at the elementary school.
Chisari, who has been in Bamberg for about two years, moved from a naval air station in Sicily, Italy, and said the mobility of Army units was eye-opening.
Although her own integration at the school did not involve any focused training on family members experiencing a deployment, Chisari said that two months of the 2008-2009 school year concentrated on those issues for students.
"Last year we had November and December dedicated to deployment and re-integration or reunion issues," she said. "We went through what to do, how to deal with it, how to be in touch with your parents."
These guided counseling sessions occurred once a week with small groups.
All students benefit from the discussions whether they have deployed parents or not, because they're all aware of the issues, Chisari said.
"They were anxious to just share their stories, to talk," she said.
Chisari has sent out a form for teachers of 3rd through 6th grade, available to parents, inviting students to choose a topic for small group counseling sessions starting in January 2010.
Peer pressure, belonging, deployment and re-integration issues are all possible subjects.
"The largest group size would be five to seven students so the message doesn't get lost," she said.
Second grade counselor Paul Houk said younger children are not able to conceptualize a deployment like older students, and parents may be more protective in their explanations.
"We don't emphasize too much about deployments," he said of working with the kindergarten-2nd graders. "We certainly try to incorporate it into all our lessons but not to dwell on it."
Psychologist for Bamberg Elementary and Middle/High School Sherry Adair said that although a child may not understand that a parent is deployed, they do understand the lack of a parent's presence.
"All the kids benefit from some kind of discussion of deployment," she said.
Houk said that good communication with a deployed parent is important for a child to cope with the situation.
Beverly Brinn is a counselor at Bamberg Middle School. Brinn, who is also a speech and language pathologist and teaches a study skills class, runs a support group for students going through deployment situations.
"I think the adolescent group, because of all the changes in their lives, needs lots of support right now," she said. "Some have been through as many as five to eight deployments, and others are new to Europe."
The group meets every two weeks during the lunch hour. The students bring their lunch and are provided a treat.
"This is an opportunity for them to talk about what's going on, and it's confidential," she said. "They have a lot of mixed feelings with deployments."
Aside from discussion, the group also works on a topic or craft with the assistance of a school liaison officer.
One of their recent projects was making personalized pillowcases for deployed parents, Brinn said.
Approximately 12 students are now in the group, but the attendance fluctuates depending on the needs of students.
"We've been doing it about three years now," Brinn said. "We have them learn healthy tools for coping. We ask them what they're concerned about. Right now we're dealing with strategies to deal with the holidays, and also, how their families change, how the dynamics change and how, with the reintegration, they have to adjust again."
The middle/high school has also implemented a forum where counselors and teachers meet regularly to discuss issues and identify student needs.
"We have faculty meetings and in addition we have team meetings where counselors discuss specific students," Brinn said.
An Army military family life consultant is now installed at the middle/high school and assists in coordinating group plans and counseling.
Bamberg High School 10th - 12th grade counselor Myra Taylor said that has made a real difference.
"The older kids don't like group counseling as much," she said, "so we do individual counseling as needed."
Taylor said that journaling and other artistic outlets work well for older students.
A graffiti wall will soon go into effect, where students will have the option of creating images and notes on an 8-foot sheet of plywood anchored in the school hall.
A senior mentoring program is also under development. The project will pair faculty members with seniors, assisting them in their last few months of school. Taylor believes this will especially benefit those seniors with deployed parents, who may need extra guidance leading up to graduation.
Ninth grade counselor Betty Rowlands said she and Taylor are aligned in the way they address deployment issues, and utilize the military family life consultant.
"We tell kids there is an open door policy," Rowlands said. "Any time they need to talk there is someone available for them."
Proactive communication is important to the counselors as well.
"We try to have parents let us know when they are deploying and we keep our eyes peeled for behavioral changes," Taylor said.
Teacher training can enhance these skills and increase civilian awareness of the challenges of being a military student.
As a civilian, Chisari said it is sometimes difficult to relate to military students without the appropriate training.
"I think the training for teachers, for faculty and school-wide is critical, it's essential," she said. "Many of us are civilians who don't live a military life, however, our purpose here is a military mission. Teachers should definitely have access to programs and training. They're the first line of defense. They build trust with the kids very quickly."
Erdmann agreed that teacher training is important.
"We're working right now on a counselor's plan and part of that is deployment and how to deal with it, and information on what the teachers can look for whether it's signs of stress or if a student starts having difficulty with their studies," she said. "We encourage regular communication with the home and let them know if they need support, to come to us."
Web sites Chisari finds especially useful for parents during a deployment are ArmyOneSource, www.momsovermiles.com, and www.tutor.com.
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