CAPE MAY — Cape May City Elementary School (CMCES) has been recognized as one of the 21 Purple Star Schools in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Purple Star Schools program is organized by the state Department of Education to annually bring attention to schools that provide for, or have made significant progress to respond to military-connected students as they transition to a new school.
The Purple Star designation is awarded for three years to schools that show a major commitment. CMCES is a founding member of the designation in the state and has the award through 2027.
Zach Palombo, superintendent of the Cape May and West Cape May school districts, said there was a major push in 2013 to secure the Purple Star distinction for New Jersey schools, since many are near military bases.
Cape May is home to the United States Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN), and many children of military families attend area schools, making up a large student demographic in the Cape May district.
“We were the first of five districts to be classified as a Purple Star School,” Palombo said. “We’re the southernmost because of our proximity to the [Coast Guard] base in Cape May.”
The DOE selected New Jersey’s “first class” of Purple Star Schools in 2024, including CMCES and Garfield Middle School in Bergen County. In Burlington County, three school districts and 14 schools comprise the group.
Palombo attended a recognition ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst at the beginning of April.
“There were formal presentations and students who spoke from various districts on what it’s like to be a military student, and the fact that there’s always the movement or transition,” he said. “There was also a thank you from the top officers on the base, recognizing the sacrifices those students have to make.”
Military students establish friendships and often move on to another place, sacrificing their childhood for the country.
“They also have to sacrifice their parent’s time, if they are called for deployment,” Palombo said. “At some point, it will be a thing they may not necessarily want to deal with as a young child.”
At CMCES, Palombo said the environment is welcoming and understanding. Teachers are trained in empathy and understanding that there is often ongoing transitions and growing pains that go along with it.
CMCES students were encouraged to wear purple April 15 to honor the strength and resilience of military children.
Sometimes orders come in early, and families must move during the school year. Palombo said he recently had a spouse who was deployed in his district, received notice that her husband had gotten transfer orders, and that their sons, who are his students, will be abruptly transferred.
“I give credit to Lee Anne Tarr, she’s in charge of our referral services for students who are struggling in school,” he said. “We develop a portfolio of all the things that we’ve tried, especially knowing we are a school in constant transition, so that if a kid has to move out abruptly for orders, there’s a file that follows along with that student.”
The files are intended to help the students in the next phase of their lives. Palombo said the small school has made an impact because recently, a former student and now company commander visited to see the changes.
“John Midgett was a student here in third, fourth and fifth grades and had Ms. Tarr,” Palombo said. “His father was in the Coast Guard. I gave him a tour of the school, and he was astonished how much stuff has changed since 1995, but the school still felt like home to him.”
Palombo emphasized that Midgett’s visit is a testament to what kind of school CMCES continues to be, with former students returning.
CMCES has a USCG Partners in Education Program, a collaborative effort between the school community and the USCG that provides activities to promote student achievement, team-building skills and strong relationships.
“They have events like Santa coming in, Coasties visit in their military blues to read to our kindergartners,” Palombo said. “We have a field day where we ask the parents from the USCG base to help. We want to embrace the Coast Guard community as much as we can, so the kids see we respect their parents and bring them into the community.”
Palombo said he tries to lead by example, and he sits on the Cape May County United States Coast Guard Foundation board of trustees.
“I try to make sure that if we’re doing charity events, that things go back to students on base,” he said. “Everyone has a backpack full of supplies, and we do as much as we possibly can and offer opportunities after school for homework help.”
Schools with a military connections and communication are eligible to apply to become a Purple Star School.
“If they establish writing letters to military overseas, they can also get that certification, too,” Palombo said. “Some of us do go over the top, because the majority of our students come from the military, but it’s the small things that could make a difference for someone else.”
Palombo also serves as a committeeman in Upper Township. On April 13, he recognized April as the month of the military child, to honor younger residents for their potential sacrifice that they may have to make to keep us safe and protected.
“To speak of this month of the military child, I have the privilege of serving as the superintendent of Cape May Elementary, where the majority of our students are coming from the Coast Guard base housing,” he said. “We often talk about the sacrifice that our service members give up for our freedom, but we should also recognize the sacrifices that their children must also make so that we can have those same freedoms.”
By RACHEL SHUBIN/Special to the Star and Wave
