ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Dougherty County Schools sent a message to military families — saying, “We support you.”

100 students within the Dougherty County School System are from military families, and they were honored with a sea of purple on Friday, April 11.

34 military kids attend International Studies Elementary Charter School, and each one felt special today.

“We wanted to just celebrate our military families, our military students, those that sacrifice everything so we can live in this country and be free,” said Principal John I. Davis.

“I’m wearing purple because I am really proud of my dad,” said Amina Patrick, a first-grader at International Studies Elementary Charter.

Throughout the entire year, the International Studies Charter School says they work hard to maintain a good relationship with the military community. They even designated a direct bus to and from Albany’s marine base.

“We are a magnet school, and our school has a waiting list. It’s difficult to get into our school. But, if your mom or your dad is in active-duty military, there is no waiting list. So, that’s just one small gesture we do” continued Principal Davis.

It’s not always easy being a military kid. The constant moving, adapting to new schools, and making friends is sometimes the hardest part.

“Well, usually, the thing that’s hard, people say even if you move, you get new friends. But the thing is, I’ve usually only made a couple of friends. The highest is probably five,” said third-grader Killian Mckinney.

The school’s 34 military children received a special goodie bag to let them know their teachers are thinking of them and are thankful to all the hard work their parents do.

Fifth-grader Steven Allen said, “One of my favorite parts is getting to meet all of these nice teachers because the teachers at my old school were like, mean, kinda.”

To keep showing support for their military families, the International Studies Elementary Charter School plans to start a Marine Family Parent Board next year. This is due to the school’s close proximity to the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany.

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