HARRISON COUNTY CAREER AND TECHNICAL CENTER

Click on the MDE logo to read
the Military Star School press release
from Dr. Robert Taylor, former Mississippi
Superintendent of Education.

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School Military Points of Contact for Harrison County Career Tech Center

I am Mrs. Maddox, Career Tech Counselor at Harrison County Career Tech Center.

 My experience with military families spans four decades and began when I married a United States Air Force Airman.  As a military family we learned to regularly deal with relocation and separation.  We had two children who once attended three different schools in one school year.  Our son is now active duty Air Force, and his wife and daughters experience similar challenges.

My professional experience with military families includes teaching for the Department of Defense Dependent Schools at Lajes High School, Azores, Portugal, while we were stationed there. I also worked as a Certifying Official for the Office of Veterans Affairs at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.  As a National Certified School Counselor in a community that serves Keesler AFB, the CB Base, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserves from every branch of service, I work with military kids daily. 

I have a heart for military children and military families, and I welcome the opportunity to serve military children at the Career Tech Center.  You can reach me by phone at 228-832-6652 or by email at [email protected].

I am Ms. Wease, Student Services Coordinator for Harrison County Career Tech Center.

As a teacher for the Harrison County School District for over twenty years, and as the Harrison County Career Tech Student Services Coordinator for the past two, I have had the opportunity to teach and work with a number of students who are from a military family.  Some have managed to stay in one location for their education, often having to adjust to one parent being deployed, while others have moved from one location to another, changing schools each time. 

Each student's circumstances are different, as are their needs.  The importance of forming good relationships within the classroom with these students is critical so that needs can be met.   Also, it is imperative that any educational gaps are determined early on so assistance in closing them can begin sooner rather than later. 

You can reach me by phone at 228-832-6652 or by email at [email protected].

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Academic Planning for Military Students



Harrison County School District Secondary School Handbook 2022-23.  Please click HERE to view.
The Handbook contains the annual academic calendar, policies, procedures, and graduation requirements (p. 17-20).



SchoolQuest is a free, interactive tool that is designed to support highly mobile military-connected parents and students with making the best choices before, during, and after a transition to improve academic success and social well-being. SchoolQuest includes an Academic Tracker, Student Profile, Reminders and Notifications, Personalized Checklists, School Search Capabilities, and Interactive Resources.  Click on the logo to visit SchoolQuest.


Free tutoring is available to military families at tutor.com.  Click the logo to visit the website.



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Student-Led Military Transition Team

Harrison County Career Tech Center has a student-led military transition program to assist military-connected students transferring into the school.  The Military Transition Team provides a peer support system that links military-connected students in a network to help familiarize students with the school, resources, and opportunities.

Please contact Mrs. Maddox at 228-832-6652 or [email protected] for more information about the Military Transition Team or for a referral for assistance with your transition into Harrison County Career Tech Center.

Meet Omari Garner, Military Transition Team Leader
Hello, my name is Omari Garner! I am a student-athlete of Harrison Central & more importantly, a military child. Being the child of not one, but two military parents has altered my life significantly. Not only did it involve relocation, but also times where I would go months without seeing one of my parents. This instilled in me independence from an early age that I would go on to make one of my strong suits.

Another way I benefited from this was exposure to different environments and people. Starting in San Diego California, I’ve been through Arizona, Virginia, Washington D.C. and now Mississippi. When it comes to my upbringing, there would times where I stayed with my grandparents for months, or even years, at a time. This of course was challenging as there were things in and out of school I may not have been able to experience or be a part of. With that said, I am proud to say I have made a great name for myself and can happily call Gulfport, MS home!

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Transition Planning for Military Students

Students may find the following information helpful when transitioning after graduation.  

College Financial Aid and Scholarships  Click HERE

Military Service and ASVAB preparation Click HERE

Employment Skills (including resume writing, employment search, interview skills) Click HERE

Military One Source is a good resource for military families and students to access assistance with financing college.  Click HERE

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Resources for Military Families

Military Child Education Coalition, whose mission is to support all military-connected children by educating, advocating, and collaborating to resolve education challenges associated with the military lifestyle.

MCEC’s strategic goals:

• Military-connected children’s academic, social and emotional needs are recognized, supported and appropriate responses provided.
• Parents, and other supporting adults, are empowered with the knowledge to ensure military-connected children are college, workforce and life-ready.
• A strong community of partners is committed to support an environment where military-connected children thrive.

MCEC's Military Child Well-Being Toolkit is an excellent resource for supporting good mental health with military kids.  Click HERE!

Educational support for Career Tech students is available through Mrs. Maddox, Career Tech Counselor, and Ms. Wease, Student Services Coordinator. Exceptional Student support for Career Tech students with IEP or 504 accommodations is available through Mrs. Wease.  They can be reached at 228-832-6652 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected].

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School Liaisons are located at each military installation and are the main contact for military families, local school systems and installation leadership for school-related matters pre-K through grade 12. School Liaisons are experienced professionals who support, advise and build partnerships with the civilian and military community to help address common education challenges of military families. School Liaison support is available at no cost and open to all Defense Department identification card holders, educators who serve military students and community partners involved with pre-K-12 education.

School Liaison Officers for Harrison County

Mona Odom, NCBC Gulfport
[email protected]
Office: 228-871-2117
Cell: 228-323-6105

Gerald Cross, Keesler AFB
[email protected]
Office 228-376-8505