CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Military Signing Week begins Monday and high school students across the state will be pledging their service to the United States.
The West Virginia Department of Education and the Common Ground Partnership are teaming up to host events at 45 different West Virginia high schools throughout the week. Students who are going into the armed forces will get a chance to publicly announce their decisions with members of their communities looking on.
The fifth annual Military Signing Week begins Monday, April 20 and concludes Friday, April 24.
Department of Education coordinator Robert Mellace was a guest on MetroNews “Midday” last week.
“One of the things I love most about Military Signing Week is that, because we have made them local events that are developed by each school, they are unique,” Mellace said. “We give them some planning templates, but some of them do some unique things. Huntington High School, they have a saber team at their school, and so the students will actually walk through the sabers and walk to all of the different tables they have set up with the different branches of service that they go to: everything from the Space Force to the Marines, Air Force, active, reserve, all the branches are typically represented.”
The Common Ground Partnership is comprised of military, government and community-based organizations with missions to help students towards their education, employment, or enlistment upon graduation goals.
Mellace said these are big events for West Virginia communities. He noted that more students are becoming part of Military Signing Week year after year.
“Every year, it’s grown,” Mellace said. “Last year was our current record, which we had 49 events across the state with 288 students recognized. We always try to outdo ourselves.”
The Department of Education distributes a video with messages from armed forces personnel, West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michelle Blatt, and others that schools can play at the events. Mellace said that planning templates are distributed to the schools, but there is freedom for each school to make their event unique.
Mellace served 20 years in the West Virginia Army National Guard as a supply sergeant. He said he can attest firsthand to the life-changing impacts the military can have. He added that the military can help cover college costs and give a path forward to high school students that may not otherwise have somewhere to go.
“Beyond just the financial assistance they receive to pursue post-secondary education, basically all the different careers that you could do in the civilian sector, you can do in the military,” Mellace said. “Just about all of them. Anything from being a doctor, to a lawyer, truck driver, you can work with cutting-edge technology, you can work in logistics. there’s just so [many] jobs in the military you can do.”
Military Service Week fits right in with the Department of Education’s goals, Mellace said.
“The West Virginia Department of Education wants to promote and recognize all students going into careers,” Mellace said. “Whenever they make a selection of what their careers are going to be in their life, we really want to support them in every way that we can as they apply everything that they have learned throughout their educational career to a career as an adult.”
“These public service careers like the military are very special,” Mellace continued. “They are essential services that we rely upon for our safety, so that we can enjoy the many things that Americans want to enjoy. It is really special, the way that these communities are coming together at these events and the schools are recognizing these students for applying everything that they’ve learned to these new career steps.”