b'schools, andscholarship recipients, itconsortium of member the tuitionsends the students applica- schools for many reasons. was shocking.tions to its member schoolsWith our current member But I sent anfor their consideration.boarding schools in Eastern email to aThis partnership betweenUS and northern California, local boardingOrion and its memberwe were very interested in school, St.schools brings the schoolspartnering with a school Georgesquality military childin the Southwest. Also, School, hopingapplicants with partialArizona presents interesting for a miracle. scholarship funding. Orionsopportunities for funding The nextmember schools, in turn,for military families in the morningoffer supplemental financialstate. But mostly, we were the miracleaid to the Orion Scholarsexcited about Ormes came. Thethey accept, makingunique culture, setting Admissionsboarding school affordableand curriculum, and felt Directorfor Orions military families.that the school would be a military teens at higher riskreached outThe program is a win-winwonderful home for military for poor mental well-being. and informed us of a newin that Orions military teensstudents. The only way to allowscholarship program atbenefit from the opportuni- In August, Orme School active duty military teens toSt. Georges School forty for stable, uninterruptedjoined Orions consortium have the stable, four-year,military children. Thankshigh school experiences;of member schools. In uninterrupted high schoolto a generous donor inter- and Orions memberthe coming school years, experiences they need isested in supporting militaryschools benefit from enroll- Orion will work with Ormes to send them to boardingchildren, our children wereing diverse military childrenleadership to enroll Orion schools, where they canable to have stable, qualitywhose families are markedMilitary Scholars that will stop moving, and starteducational experiences atby lives of service.enrich the school com-thriving.boarding schools.munity and build strong Only one problem:ORME SCHOOL JOINS THEpersonal foundations and Military families cant affordORION MILITARYEFFORT bright futures. it. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM Over the summer, IAre military children After they graduated andjumped on a Zoom call withresilient? If Orme and Orion THE BOARDING SCHOOLbegan their lives as adults,Orme Schools Directorhave anything to do with it, SOLUTION the Head of St. Georgesof Admissions, Jara Ruiz- they certainly will be. Youre wasting yourSchool approached myAnchia, to answer some time! my Navy husbandhusband, Francis, and Iquestions she had aboutLisa Smith Molinaritold me when I suggestedabout forming a nonprofitour scholarship program.Military spouse & that we inquire aboutto scale their boardingOur team was excitedCo-Founder of Orion boarding school for ourschool military scholarshipabout the prospect ofMilitary Scholarshipstwo eldest children backprogram to a national level.Orme School joining our in 2013. Do you see howWe accepted the challenge. much the tuition is? TheresIn February of 2020, Orion no way we could afford it!Military Scholarship Fund, But I was desperate. WeInc. received its IRS 501(c)had received orders from(3) tax-exempt national Naval Station Mayport,public charity status and Florida to the Naval Warbegan accepting scholar-College in Newport, Rhodeship applications. Island, and my attempt toSince its founding, Orion find good public school op- has formed a consortium of tions for our three childrena dozen boarding schools wasnt going well. I hadacross the country inter-always found special publicested in supporting military school programs for ourfamilies, and has sent three kids that kept them at theirannual cohorts of Orion learning levels, but our sonMilitary Scholars to its was looking at entering hismember boarding schools. third high school. The pubicOrion Military Scholars schools in Rhode Islandare vetted first by Orions would require him to repeatscholarship application pro-many of his math and sci- cess which happens each ence classes. It was the firstfall. Once Orions Selection time I considered privateCommittee identifies its 38'