McKinley Elementary School in Appleton was recognized by the Department of Defense with the Seven Seals Award, April 24, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An elementary school in Appleton was recognized Wednesday with a prestigious honor from the Department of Defense.
McKinley Elementary School held an awards assembly to celebrate receiving the Seven Seals Award — the broadest and most inclusive honor bestowed by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).
ESGR was established in 1972 to encourage understanding between reserve service members and their civilian employers, assisting in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.
Master Sergeant Mark Bazaldua, a first grade teacher at McKinley who served three tours, explained what that cooperation means to service members such as himself.
“It’s a big change when you come back from deployment,” he said. “The whole school in general has been so supportive. So, it’s nice to come back to not just home, at your regular home, but where you work. It makes a difference being home here, as well.”
It’s the second time in less than six months that McKinley has been recognized for its patriotism. Last November, the Secretary of Defense presented the Patriotic Employer Award to McKinley Principal Andrea Vinje for her support of service members in the workplace. Bazaldua nominated her for the award.
“The team was so impressed at how excited the students were to embrace that, that is how this nomination came forward for the whole school award,” Vinje said. “You can see the excitement. In fact, they’ve said a few other assemblies and awards they’ve been at recently didn’t have the excitement that we had in here today.”
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