[ WAR IN IRAQ ]
Schools with Pearl Harbor Elementary School is ready in case of an emergency.
military kids work
to ease their worries
Many of the students are
Dos and don'ts
anxious because they have
parents in the war against IraqBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com
Since the weeks just before the war, the school's faculty has been busy preparing to take care of the students.
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A school bulletin was sent to parents earlier this month to update their children's emergency contact cards in case classes are canceled or if the school needs to be evacuated.
Two counselors are available on campus to handle any student who may be experiencing fear, and the school's cafeteria canned goods stockpiled for a three-day period if for any reason the students are forced to remain on campus.
"Everybody is ready, just in case," said Vice Principal Dan Tanioka.
Faculty and staff at the Pearl Harbor school have been experiencing some level of anxiety and uncertainty as they deal with the war against Iraq.
About half of the 610 students who attend the school are from military families, Tanioka said.
Though the mood has been normal on campus, there's a heightened awareness among teachers and students, he added.
Tanioka said he spoke to a student Thursday whose father recently deployed to the Persian Gulf region. She was scared, but said her mother had told her to keep her father in her prayers and to be proud of him.
"The military parents are doing a really good job with their kids," he said.
Other schools that have a high percentage of students from military families also said operations have been normal since the war against Iraq started.
Lester Oshiro, a social studies teacher at Radford High School, said some of his students have asked him questions about the alert status of Hawaii's military bases and whether it was in fact Saddam Hussein on the news who had addressed his country during the initial stages of the war.
"They see what the reality is. They know what's going on," said Oshiro.
About 80 percent of the 1,304 students at Radford High School are from military families.
Principal George Okino of Hickam Elementary School said, "We're carrying on ... We're not going to dwell on it."
About 90 percent of the 804 students who attend Hickam Elementary School are from families whose parents are in the Air Force.
"Military students are more sensitive because their parents are involved," Okino said. "We need to have normalcy for the kids."
Tanioka said the school principal referred the teachers to two Web sites on how to help a child cope with the war against Iraq.
Parents can visit the National Association of Elementary School Principals' Web site at www.naesp.org/safetyResources.htm for tips on how to help their children deal with the war. Parents can also click on the "Coping with Disaster" page on the National Mental Health Association's Web site at www.nmha.org/reassurance/terrorism.cfm.
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A few dos and don'ts for military parents regarding their children: Dos and don'ts
>> Don't count down how many days it will be before daddy or mommy comes home. Instead count up the days how long they've been gone.
>> Don't change routines.
>> Don't tell boys, "Now you're the man of the house." That could put undue pressure on a boy, and when things don't go right it may make them feel responsible. There are other ways to get them to pitch in and do more.
>> Explain that service parents didn't want to leave but that their jobs took them there, and they are doing the job they are well-trained for, and that they're with other people who are also well-trained.
>> Keep in touch by e-mailing, writing letters, making and sending crafts or other items or sending tape-recorded messages.
>> The service member can videotape himself or herself reading a book, telling a favorite story or just talking to the kids. If it is a book reading, the parent left behind can sit with the children with the open book as the tape is played.
>> For families who religious, add prayers for peace and that God looks over mom or dad and that she or he comes home safely.
>> Find Iraq on a map and see where dad or mom's unit is.
>> Be cautious about the amount of news coverage they watch, and monitor whether it is too graphic for the child. If a child shows signs of anxiety, provide reassurance.
Star-Bulletin staff
Hawaii military links and information
Hawaii military links and information
