West Florida
High School
Military Family Resources
Military Family Resources
Esi Shannon, Principal
eshannon1@ecsdfl.us
Military Family Life Counselor Contact Information
850-417-4757
For enrolllment, contact Joseph Truncale - Admissions Coordinator, 850-876-7360.
Enrollment/withdrawal/transfer process: applications are completed via the ECPS enrollment services office; students qualify to enroll in the school by meeting eligibility requirements. Once students are selected to attend the school, they are enrolled by counselors going to their middle schools to complete the enrollment process. Records requests and withdrawals are completed via the Data Specialist. If a military family is transitioning, copies are provided to the family prior to transitioning to assist with the process. The new school then communicates with our school to finalize transition of paperwork.
New to the area? Have questions about registering your child for school, or what documentation is needed for registration? Click here to visit our ECPS Enrollment Services department for this information, as well as the current Student Progression Plans.
Contact:
Ursula Gaines, ESE Department Chair
ugaines@ecsdfl.us
WFHS holds spring transition meetings for all currently enrolled students that have an IEP and all students transitioning to WFHS that hold an IEP. The following tasks occur during this transition IEP meeting:
- IEP High School Update
- Introduction to WFHS
- Creation of Academic, Social/Emotional, Employment Goals
Summer Tour of the WFHS for students with an IEP of School prior to Freshmen
Orientation
Testing Accommodations
Full Inclusion Services
Click to visit the ECPS Exceptional Student Education department.
Sondra Hill, Program Director
shill@ecsdfl.us • 850-429-2977
The Joint Military Council for Education Excellence was established as a partnership between the Escambia County School District and Naval Air Station Pensacola in the Spring of 2020. Its mission is: Improving educational services and communication between the Escambia County School District and military families.
The Military Council convenes quarterly to address topics of mutual interest and to solicit input from community stakeholders, including military families.
NAS Pensacola Fleet &Family Support Center
Military One Source connects you to programs, services and products developed for military life. Turn to Military OneSource for tax services, spouse employment help, webinars and online training, relocation and deployment tools, and much more.
Military One Source also has a link to a tutoring service designed specifically for military students.
Military Child Education Coalition
The Military Interstate Children's Compact Commission has a specific section for parents with resources detailing the role of the School Liaison as well as helpful articles on helping military children change schools and cope with moving, among others. They also have a section on supporting military families with special medical or educational needs.
The ASVAB CEP offers students a chance to explore all paths to careers - college, certifications, apprenticeships, licensure programs, and the Military - in one place. Contact your school counselor to find out when the ASVAB CEP is coming to your school.
Military Kids Connect is an online community for military children ages 6-17, and provides access to age-appropriate resources to support children dealing with the unique psychological challenges of military life. MKC offers informative activities, helpful videos, and an online community that can build and reinforce understanding, resilience, and coping skills in military children and their peers. Today's military kids grow up in a world where they face unique challenges such as multiple deployments of important family members and frequent moves to new schools and neighborhoods. They need a unique set of skills to draw on to get through long and often difficult separations and situations.
Pear Deck Tutor (formerly TutorMe) is an online service that provides one-on-one, on-demand, live homework and writing support in certain subject areas.
WFHS offers tutoring for students, and offers the following clubs
- Band
- Color Guard
- eSports
- HOSA
- Key Club
- Orchestra
- SGA
- Electrathon Racing
- S2S
- TableTop Gaming
- Fiber Arts Club
- National Technical Honor Society
- National Honor Society
- FFA
Mental Health Resources for Military Students
- Students complete a form to access MFLC
- MFLC has scheduled lunches, meet/greet with students
- Students schedule time to meet with school counselors via the FOCUS SIS program
About the Military & Family Life Counseling (MFLC) Program
West Florida High School is honored to offer non-medical counseling to our military-connected students. MFLCs support military families through the unique challenges of military life, including cycles of deployment and reintegration, by providing non-medical, short-term counseling. Through a partnership between the school district, the installation and the office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, counselors will be assigned to various schools during the school year.
What is the counselor's role in the school?
MFLCs provide consultation, training, and educational presentations/workshops to program faculty, staff, parents, and children. MFLC support augments services already in place at each school. Counselors take part in everyday school activities and events. They are available to support in areas related to deployment and reintegration; family dynamics; positive coping mechanisms; staff support and education; parent education and stress reduction. Counselors are also available to facilitate groups and trainings to build leadership skills; manage anger; build self-esteem and confidence and strengthen communication.
Counselors are selected for their demonstrated expertise and training and are under the management of the office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy. Counselors hold a master's or doctoral degree, are independently licensed and have experience working with children and youth. Counselors go through rigorous background checks before being placed in schools.
Why are the counselors in certain schools and not others?
Schools were selected by the Service Branch to receive MFLCs based on the number of military connected students attending each school. Military families who have students in schools without counselors can typically receive the same support through the installation's Morale, Welfare and Recreation Department, Fleet and Family Services or the A&FRC.
Do counselors keep records about students and families?
No. Services provided by counselors are private and confidential with the exception of mandatory federal and military reporting requirements (i.e., child abuse, domestic violence and other life-threatening situations). No counseling records are maintained.
West Florida now has a Student 2 Student (S2S) Program on our campus. S2S was established in 2004 and is a student program that brings military and civilian students together to welcome new students, creates a positive environment, supports academic excellence, and eases transitions.
Club Sponsor: Ms. Tabitha Dampson, tdampson@ecsdfl.us
Student who are interested can contact WFHS's MFLC at (850) 417-4757 or email milfamcounselor1251@ecsdfl.us.
- Military Appreciation Night - Football Game
- Veteran’s day Appreciation Thank you Notes
- Veteran's day Program on Student Television Show
- Purple-Up Day
- Month of the Military Child
- Students signing for serving in the military
The official flower of the military child is the dandelion. Why?
The plant puts down roots almost anywhere, and it's almost impossible to destroy. It's an unpretentious plant, yet good looking. It's a survivor in a broad range of climates.
Military children bloom everywhere the winds carry them. They are hardy and upright. Their roots are strong, cultivated deeply in the culture of the military, planted swiftly and surely. They're ready to fly in the breezes that take them to new adventures, new lands, and new friends.
Experts say military children are well-rounded, culturally aware, tolerant, and extremely resilient. Military children have learned from an early age that home is where their hearts are, that a good friend can be found in every corner of the world, and that education doesn't only come from school. They live history. They learn that to survive means to adapt, that the door that closes one chapter of their life opens up to a new and exciting adventure full of new friends and new experiences
(Military Child Education Coalition, 2017).