Welcome to Challenger Middle, where we love our military-connected families! Please check out the useful resources below to help get you acquainted with our programs serving military families here at CMS!
Teachers and staff at Challenger Middle School are committed to supporting our military-connected students. They receive professional development to help increase their awareness of a transitioning student’s critical needs and address these needs helping them as they transition in or out of our school.
Teachers are aware that students need help finding their way around their new campus, meeting new people, making friends, learning new educational requirements, and feeling accepted in their new school.
CMS is committed to the Purple Star Program and committed to quality education and discovering additional ways to provide students with the support they deserve.
Military Family Liaison
S2S (Student-to-Student) Program
The Student to Student Program (S2S) is still in its infancy but CMS students are excited about it! The mission is to take care of new students, whether military kids are otherwise. An S2S Program helps familiarize new students with their new campus and community. The S2S team plans fun ways for new students to get to know other students, to build new peer groups and to perform better academically. Ultimately, S2S will make a difference as they work together to serve their campus, community, and the world.
The S2S program here at CMS helps to bring military and civilian students together in ways that make new students feel welcome, create a positive school environment, support academic excellence, and ease transitions. Lorie Hall is also the S2S sponsor.
Debbie Maddry is Huntsville's Community Coordinator and helps greatly here at CMS. She helps with meetings, events, and holiday parties for the program.
S2S meets one Friday a month. See Ms. Hall for more details.
Challenger Middle School is in the process of applying for the the Purple Star Program. This program was initiated by the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) (https://www.militarychild.org/) to help schools nationwide respond to the educational and social-emotional needs that military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college and workforce ready.
The Alabama Purple Star School Program, established by Legislature, recognizes the efforts of the K-12 schools in the state that are committed and supportive of military students and families as they transition to their new homes, schools, and communities. The Purple Star program’s mission is to help mitigate the challenges of high mobility by setting standards for and publicly designating military-friendly schools. This award recognizes schools that show a major commitment to military-connected students and families.
A school will be designated a Purple Star School if it completes all the required activities, plus one optional activity listed in the ALDDE Purple Star Application. See link for more information about the program.
See Ms. Hall for any further questions about the Purple Star Program
District Resources
Learn more about the resources offered across Huntsville City Schools on the district Military Families page.
