MINOT AIR FORCE BASE – Two elementary schools and one middle school on Minot Air Force Base will be presented Tuesday with the Purple Star Award, which recognizes their efforts to assist military families.

State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler will present the awards to North Plains Elementary School, Dakota Elementary School and Memorial Middle School administrators as well as Col. Daniel Hoadley, 5th Bomb Wing commander, Col. Kenneth McGhee, 91st Missile Wing commander, and Col. Jerry Ottinger, 5th Mission Support Group commander.

The Purple Star program encourages schools to designate a point of contact for military families who are new to the school, train school faculty and staffers about how to support students from military families, set up a network of student mentors to welcome newcomers and help them feel more comfortable, and establish a website to connect families to resources for academic and social support.