Despite being a small group, the Blue and Purple Star Lancers have been providing a safe space for children of military families for many years. Being the first high school in New England to foster an environment for the Purple Star program to flourish, this club is one of Londonderry’s most prized organizations.
Club adviser and English teacher Elizabeth Juster is “extremely proud” of her members.
“My job as the advisor is to be a co-collaborator with them,” Juster said.
Juster and the Blue/Purple Star members work together as a team to give back to members in our community that have served or are currently serving the country. Some ways they accomplish this are care packages, maintaining the Military Memorial Garden at LHS, honoring veterans year-round, and
participating in national “Purple-Up!” month.
“We will send singleton Oreos to all the Purple Stars that we know and [let them know] we’re thinking of [them],” Juster said.
The Blue Star Lancers are also a major part of this club. These students are dedicated to supporting and acknowledging the troops of Londonderry. Blue Star Bundles are presented to honor seniors going into the military service or Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs. Blue Star Bundles are gift packages that include sentimental gifts to remind these students that their service matters.
At the spring pep rally, these students are recognized in front of the whole school to congratulate them and wish them luck on their new chapter in life. For members in the Adult Education program, the bundles are presented at their graduation. Each item in these bundles has a purpose.
“There are candles to light your way and band aids to heal you when times get tough,” Juster states. “It’s just a ‘hey, we’re thinking of you’ and it’s the acknowledgement for their accomplishments and the future they have in front of them.”
This club truly could not be complete without The Purple Star Lancers, who share their personal experiences and educate the members’ experiences of having a family member serve our country and its importance. They emphasize on how they aren’t just students, but instead important members of our community.
“If your parents are deployed, the last thing you want to do is be thinking about it every day,” Juster said. “They just needed to know who each other were so they could just give each other the eye and be there to help each other. We’re a group that’s able to keep it on the down low.”
The week of April 8-12 is “Purple-Up!” month. To prepare for this, members hand out purple ribbons and encourage students to wear purple to show support for military families. Members collect spare change to help fund the rest of their activities throughout the year.
The Blue and Purple Star Lancers program allows these students to have a community to be in and be supported even after their graduation.
“It’s so special when I’ve had kids come back who are in the military, serving our country and they’ve come back to give me a hug and talk about how much they enjoyed being in the program,” Juster said.
