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LOMPOC, CA – Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) celebrates Crestview Elementary School’s recent designation as a California Purple Star School Designation. Crestview is among 12 total schools in Santa Barbara County to receive this designation.
LUSD currently serves 622 military-connected families across the District’s 16 schools. Crestview Elementary School serves the highest number of military-connected families in the District with current enrollment at 308 students.
Recognizing the important role of public schools in supporting military-connected students and their families, the California Department of Education promotes the California Purple Star School Designation Program. The Program is focused on reducing the burden on military-connected students and their families who must move whenever an active duty parent or guardian receives a relocation order. This creates unique academic and social-emotional challenges for military-connected students.
To ensure that school supports are in place for students and families at Crestview Elementary School, Principal Cristina Settje and her team collaborate closely with Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB). Each month, they team up to provide professional learning focused on supporting military-connected students and families and offer presentations from the VSFB Family Readiness Center to help school staff understand the unique aspects of military life. Crestview also partners with the VSFB Military Family Life Counselor, Child and Youth Services, Family Advocacy Program, and Security Forces and Conservation. Crestview has also created unique programs to extend additional support to military-connected students and families. For example, the Students Helping Students Program supports new military-connected students by pairing them up with student ambassadors who help to create a smooth transition into school, taking new students on school tours and collaborating on a community service project. The Pa-PatrolProgram connects military-connected fathers to Crestview as volunteers in classrooms, on the playground, and at school events. Finally, Crestview and VSFB regularly team up to honor the military-connected community through special school-wide events, including: Veteran’s Day, the Month of the Military Child, Black History Month, Career Day, and STEM Night.
Principal Cristina Settje shares,”I am proud that Crestview was recognized as a Purple Star School. Our staff is committed to building a welcoming and supportive environment for all of our military connected students and their families. During the application process, I was able to work with Crystal Adams, Military School Liaison, to facilitate training and resources that support the military students. This recognition reinforces our continued commitment to meeting the needs of our Crestview Students and to building a partnership with the VSFB community.”
VSFB School Liaison Mrs. Crystal Adams says, “Military families often face unique challenges, including frequent moves and deployments. Students may change schools six to nine times from Pre-K to high school. At Vandenberg Space Force Base, we deeply value our partnership with Lompoc Unified School District, particularly Crestview Elementary. Their dedication to supporting our military-connected students, under the leadership of Principal Ana Marie Settje, has earned them the well-deserved recognition of a California Department of Education Purple Star School. This is a testament to their exceptional commitment.”“We are deeply grateful for our partnership with VSFB. Our military-connected students and their families enrich our community. It is with tremendous pride that we celebrate Crestview Elementary School for receiving a Purple Star School designation. This recognition underscores Crestview’s outstanding commitment to VSFB students and their families. We are honored to continue growing our partnership with VSFB, ensuring that every student thrives in the Lompoc Unified School District. I also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Principal Cristina Settje and her team for achieving this milestone in her first year as principal,” shares Superintendent Dr. Clara Finneran
About Purple Star Schools Designation Program
Recognizing the important role of public schools in supporting military-connected students and their families.
The California Purple Star School Designation Program (Purple Star Program) seeks to reduce the burden on military-connected students and their families by articulating the most critical transition supports and publicly designating schools that meet certain requirements. The program signals which schools are the most committed and best equipped to meet their unique needs.
The Purple Star Program was designed to help mitigate the challenges of high mobility by setting standards for and publicly designating military-friendly schools. The Purple Star Program’s true value derives from its potential to:
- Centralize and make knowledge accessible,
- Develop stakeholder networks, and
- Support schools in cultivating and communicating cultural competency in supporting military-connected families.
Read more here: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/mc/capurplestar.asp
Lompoc Unified School District offers an outstanding educational experience for its more than 9,000 students. Its award-winning schools and programs, strong leaders, teachers, and staff serve Pre-Kindergarten through high school students living in the City of Lompoc, Vandenberg Village, Mesa Oaks, Mission Hills, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and rural areas adjacent to these. The District offers a wide range of programs, including Career Technical Education, Advanced Placement, Dual Language Immersion, and support for multilingual students and students with special needs, as well as exceptional extracurricular opportunities, such as athletics and clubs.
