Manhattan High has an abundance of military students in attendance throughout the year. A constant shuffle of new students come and go while some military kids have been stationed in Manhattan for years. A group was arranged called the Military Ambassadors, where military kids can help their fellow counterparts integrate into the school as a new military student. The group is sponsored by a brigade on base along with businesses such as Chik-Fil-A.

“The purpose is to help new military students adjust and guide them through the school and getting to know new people and friends,”  junior Cora Astin said.

Volunteers were not hard to encourage and people were on board with the program almost immediately.

“As a military kid we move around a lot so, I know what it’s like to come to a new school and not know anything,” sophomore Rain Raite said.

Regardless of the group, students have always taken it upon themselves to help out the new military students.

“If I find out that they’re a military kid I’m naturally trying to help them out,” junior Jordan Lutz said. “We know what it’s like and always being the new kid and it’s an awful feeling so we want to help them out.”

The commonalities between new military kids with the ones already present at MHS help bring them together.

“One of the good things about military kids is that they understand me when I rattle off military terms or the time,” Lutz said.

For now, Military Ambassadors is an unofficial organization, but based on the massive interest and positive feedback it has received it is expected to be up and running by next semester as a club.

“I think it’s a great idea for military kids coming in to feel welcomed and accepted already,” Raite said.