LEESVILLE, LA - Terri Whiddon, a long-time resident of Vernon Parish, is one of only two military student consultants in the world offering individual professional services to educators, parents and students through the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC).
Whiddon is herself a military child, and so can closely identify with the struggles military-connected students face, she said. Having attended nine different schools in four different states and two countries abroad in 12 years, she is passionate about helping military students navigate the various transitions they must make, she said.
“My goal is to educate professionals and parents to best serve the needs of the military child,” she added.
Before becoming a consultant, Whiddon served as an MCEC Military Student Transition Consultant in Vernon Parish public schools, working closely with students, parents and school personnel to negotiate the various issues unique to military children and their families.
Her role as a consultant allows her to help a much broader range of families at military installations across the U.S. and around the world, she said.
Whiddon, a former educator for 35 years, served 29 of those years in Vernon Parish schools, working with students in every grade. She taught Family and Consumer Sciences, English, and Computer Applications and later coordinated the Title I program for her school. She holds a master of education in administration and supervision.
Of particular interest to Whiddon is the Purple Star Schools Program. MCEC is a national advocate for Purple Star Schools, a program that supports military-connected children as they relocate to new schools due to a parent’s change in duty station.
The Purple Star School program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready.
In June 2021, the Louisiana Legislature approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 15 (SCR 15), which requested the Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education create a Purple Star School Award Program, administered through the state Department of Education using designated criteria in the SCR to recognize schools that evidence a major commitment to serving students and families connected to the United States Armed Forces.
To schedule an interview with Terri, please call or text Tammy Sharp with the Louisiana Armed Forces Alliance at 337-378-9329.
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