'Purple Up!' for military children

The Liberty-Benton Local School District is asking the community to wear purple today in support of military-connected children. April is the Month of the Military Child, and today is designated as the state-wide Purple Up! Day to show support for children with one or more parents in the military. The color purple was chosen because it represents all branches of the military – blue for the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, green for the Army and red for the Marines. Celebrating Purple Up! Day is as simple as wearing purple to show your support of military-connected children. Liberty-Benton also encourages groups to take a photo while wearing purple and post it on their social media pages using the hashtag "#purpleup4militarykids," and also tagging the Liberty-Benton S.O.S page on Facebook. Those wanting to celebrate can also recognize students or children of military members in your business with a thank you card or shout out, or by tying a purple ribbon on a tree outside your home, work or school. Liberty-Benton has been a Purple Star district since 2018. The Purple Star School distinction is awarded to school districts with a high-level of commitment to military-connected youth and their families. The school was the first in Hancock County to be designated by the Ohio Department of Education as a Purple Star school, which recognizes schools that show a major commitment to students and families connected to the nation's military.