Speaker Series
The Common Ground Speaker Series provides an opportunity for members of the military to engage students and encourage success.
Guest speakers provide information about a variety of topics, including literacy, substance abuse prevention, anti-bullying, drop-out prevention, the American flag, and patriotic holidays or events. If you're an educator or administrator, you can request to have a speaker come to your school.
Guest speakers, along with mentors and recruiters, must stay under the supervision of school staff at all times. West Virginia schools will also be encouraged to display partner resources and information about career opportunities, including military enlistment, in schools as approved by the local school district.
Request a Common Ground Speaker
If you are a WV public-school educator, you can submit a request for having a military service member visit your school or classroom as a guest speaker.
Resources for Guest Speakers
Speaker Series participants may review information about the following initiatives, which are being implemented in West Virginia schools to support students through universal prevention, targeted intervention, and intensive supports:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
All 55 counties in West Virginia are fully active in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides books to children, ages birth to five.
WV Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
WV Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports helps schools provide equitable learning environments for all students. It works to decrease aggressive conduct and bullying, build relationships with students and staff, change academic outcomes and increase prosocial behaviors.
Expanded School Mental Health
Expanded School Mental Health is a multi-tiered system of support where schools, families, and strategic community partners work together to enhance student mental health in schools.
Communities in Schools
Communities In Schools works inside school systems with superintendents, principals, educators, and other personnel, to forge community partnerships that bring resources into schools and help remove barriers to student learning
WV Guideposts to Graduation
WV Guideposts to Graduation is a West Virginia initiative to ensure all students graduate from high school with a world-class education, who are college and career-ready, with an emphasis on students with disabilities.