In August, Adams was named as one of the schools to receive the Purple Star Award and was congratulated by the Indiana Department of Education. The Purple Star Award honors schools that show commitment to military families.  

On average, a child with a parent serving in the military will attend 6-9 different schools during their elementary and high school education. With constant moving, military students often face challenges that other students do not, like different curriculum, graduation requirements, and teaching continuity issues between their schools as they move. In addition to academic difficulties, these students often have a hard time forming connections socially and becoming a part of extracurriculars. All in all, military children have their own set of unique obstacles that other students will never face.

For this reason, it is important for schools to have programs in place that aid military kids in their transitions between different cities and schools. Military families will often look for schools that will be accommodating to their children, and one way to do this is to look for Purple Star schools. 

The Purple Star award shows military families that a school is especially dedicated to providing resources for military children, and making their transitions from school to school much easier. These accommodations come in the form of “assigning a point of contact for military families, passing a resolution supporting military students and families, guaranteeing interviews for service members and their immediate family who meet the minimum job qualifications, and more.” 

Adams was among 60 other Indiana schools in receiving the award, but was the only school in the South Bend Community School Corporation to be designated as a Purple Star school. Earning the award means a lot for Adams, as it shows a recognized school commitment to supporting members of the military and their families.