*MEDIA ADVISORY* Bourne Public Schools to Host Purple Up Day Event on Friday to Celebrate Children of Military Families

April Celebrated Nationally as the Month of the Military Child

BOURNE — Bourne Public Schools and the Massachusetts Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) will host a Purple Up Day event on Friday to support children of military families.

Bourne is home to Joint Base Cape Cod and there are over one hundred Bourne Public Schools students who are part of military families.

Media members are invited to attend the event and listen to military student testimonials, a speech from MIC3 Commissioner J. Clarke Orzalli and a performance by Bourne Intermediate School music students, as well as attend a reception in honor of Purple Up Day.

WHEN:
Friday, April 12, from 9:30 a.m. to about 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:
Bourne Intermediate School, 70 Trowbridge Road

WHAT:
Bourne Public Schools, in collaboration with MIC3, will host a Purple Up Day celebration on Friday, April 12.

The programming will include a welcome address, testimonials from three students in grades three, four and five who have family members in the military, the Governor’s Proclamation presented by MIC3 Massachusetts Commissioner J. Clarke Orzalli, a presentation of certificates to Bourne Intermediate School military students, a performance of U.S. military service songs by Bourne Intermediate School music students, and closing remarks by Bourne Intermediate School Principal Jane Norton.

All Bourne Intermediate School students and family members who are in the military are invited to attend.

Following the event, a reception will be held in the Bourne Intermediate School Media Center that will include light refreshments for military families and honored guests, including state representatives, Town Administrator Marlene McCollem, MIC3 Commission Members and Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC) representatives.

The Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) is the governing body of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The collaborative’s mission is to ease the educational transitions of school-aged, military-connected students attending public schools and Department of Defense schools worldwide.

“According to MIC3, most military students will attend six to nine different schools from kindergarten to twelfth grade, which is three times more than the average student,” Superintendent Kerri Anne Quinlan-Zhou said. “Bourne Public Schools aims to create a welcoming environment where military children can feel a sense of belonging, and we recognize the importance of honoring the sacrifice and unique experiences that military families endure when one or both parents are serving our country.”

About “Purple Up!” Day
A survey released by the Military Child Education Coalition reported an estimated 1.2 million military-connected students are enrolled in schools abroad and in the United States.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger first designated April as the “Month of the Military Child,” acknowledging the significant role military-connected students play in our communities. In 2011, the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Military Youth and Family Program started the “Purple Up! for Military Kids” as a way for communities to support military children for their strength and sacrifice.

On a designated day during the Month of the Military Child, communities throughout each state join and wear purple to honor military children. Purple is a combination of Army green, Marine Corps red, Coast Guard, Air Force, Space Force and Navy blue, and represents military children from all branches.

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