Aviation Soldiers Set the Example for Mililani Middle School

MILILANI, Hawaii - Mililani Middle School and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade formalized their partnership on April 20th\, which is aimed at supporting military-connected students through mentorship\, school engagement and future science\, technology\, engineering and math opportunities.

Principal Shannon Tamashiro said his experience working at other military-impacted schools gave him a deeper understanding of the resilience required of military children and families.

“Through those experiences, I really valued the military life and what our students and families go through and the resiliency of our students,” Tamashiro said. “When I came here, I expressed to our administrative team that we really need to have a focus on our military-impacted students and families.”

School and Army leaders signed the agreement during a campus visit that included a school overview, student-led tour, meeting with military-connected students and discussion of future collaboration. Leaders elaborated that the partnership is intended to strengthen ties between the school and military community while expanding support for students whose families face the challenges of military life.

Mililani Middle School, the largest middle school in Hawaii, serves nearly 1,550 students, including more than 150 military-connected students, according to school administrators. Tamashiro and Assistant Principal Jeff Horstman shared that middle school is a critical time for students, especially those navigating deployments, relocations and the social challenges that come with frequent moves.

Horstman, who grew up in a military family, said the school works to ensure military-connected students understand the administration is behind them 100%.

“It’s really important for our students who are impacted by military service to know that the school is supportive of them,” Horstman said, “and just to see people in uniform — male and female, people of all colors, I think it’s really important for our entire student body to have that connection.”

The school has established partners with military organizations through campus events and performances by service bands. School leaders remarked they hope the formal agreement will broaden those efforts through volunteer support, guest speakers and military participation in school programs and activities.

Col. Joseph McCarthy, commander of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, said military children often gain resilience and perspective through the challenges of military life.

“It’s really difficult to start over every few years in a new school, a new community,” said McCarthy, “but what I see from my and our Soldiers’ children is, as they grow older, they have a much more diverse collection of experiences. They have friends all over the world, from different communities and different cultures.”

Army and school leaders also discussed future collaboration tied to aviation and technology, including possible visits to Wheeler Army Airfield, exposure to unmanned aerial systems and connections to military innovation programs.

Those opportunities align with Mililani Middle School’s emphasis on high-interest learning. The campus offers an emerging technology elective that includes flight simulators and drone piloting, as well as more than 30 after-school clubs and activities, school leaders said.

Tamashiro concluded that the goal is to create meaningful connections between students and service members while reinforcing support for military families in the community.

“We would love to have that type of partnership where we can invite guest speakers or even just Soldiers on campus to play at recess, do games and activities with our students,” he said. “They would really love it.”