DoDEA HQ Office of Communications

4800 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22350-1400

The DoDEA Communications Office initiates and manages DoDEA's communications and outreach efforts worldwide. The office coordinates press relations, internal information programs and communication with students, parents, teachers, school administrators and the public.

The HQ Communications Office:

Issues news releases and media advisories about DoDEA initiatives, employees and programs Produces video and television promotional and informational products marketed worldwide Maintains the DoDEA web site Designs printed promotional and informational material and graphic artwork to accompany publications, promotions and initiatives

For Immediate Release — May 26, 2009 | HQ
: DoDEA Educational Communications Officer | (703) 588-3260
: DoDEA Educational Communications Officer | (703) 588-3272

WIESBADEN, GERMANY — May 26, 2009 — Deployed servicemembers will be able to view their high school graduating seniors via live webcasts on graduation day.

The Department of Defense Dependents Schools — Europe, U.S. Army Europe, and the U.S. Army 5th Signal Command have combined assets, talents, and technologies to enable the live webcasts via the Internet. The effort will allow 17 graduation ceremonies to be viewed by an estimated 125 deployed parents in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other locations around the world.

The first graduation ceremony will be webcast on June 4. Twelve graduation ceremonies will take place simultaneously on June 5. The last ceremony will be webcast on the evening of June 12. Schools identified as having students with deployed parents are:

  • June 4 — Ansbach and Bamberg High Schools
  • June 5 — Alconbury, Baumholder, Heidelberg, Hohenfels, Kaiserslautern, Lakenheath, Naples, Patch, Ramstein, Sigonella, Vicenza, and Vilseck High Schools
  • June 6 - Mannheim High School
  • June 7 — Wiesbaden High School
  • June 12 — AFNORTH

Using web technology, deployed parents will be able to see their graduating senior cross the stage and view student messages recorded for the occasion. The collective effort is intended to give graduating students and deployed parents the opportunity to share in this life event.

This is the sixth year the effort has been undertaken.

Planning for this year's webcast began in January. Seniors who had, or anticipated having parents deployed at graduation, were identified through the high schools and the coordination process began.