State Partnership Program

Video by Michael ODay

Rockin’ Back to School: DoDEA Americas E.A. White Elementary Kicks Off 2025-26 with Music, Bubbles, and Big Dreams

Department of Defense Education Activity Americas

Aug. 4, 2025 | 1:46

E.A. White Elementary School on Fort Benning, Georgia, kicked off the 2025-26 school year with a festive bang on August 4, 2025, as part of DoDEA Americas' Southeast District's back-to-school celebrations. Amid rock anthems from the Fort Benning Army Band, swirling bubbles, and greetings from costumed characters and special guest Col. M. Jordan Inman, students danced into classrooms with wide grins and high hopes. Principal Jessica Thorne highlighted the day's motivation and creativity, while parents and kids shared stories of eager preparations and dreams for the year ahead in this tight-knit military community. DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. DoDEA operates 161 accredited schools in 9 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, serving over 67,000 military-connected students. DoDEA Americas operates 50 accredited schools across two districts on 16 military installations, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard bases in seven states, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Committed to excellence in education, DoDEA fosters well-rounded, lifelong learners, equipping them to succeed in a dynamic world.