50 High Schools Are Now PNGAS Guard-Friendly High Schools

The Pennsylvania National Guard Associations (PNGAS) is pleased to announce 50 High Schools have earned the designation, PNGAS Guard Friendly High School. The designation and standards were developed by the PNGAS Education Advisory Council to amplify high school best practices for recruiting, information-sharing, and group-formation in high schools for their support of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

“More than ever, the past year has demonstrated our Guard members have unique responsibilities and challenges.  These challenges create unique opportunities for our recruiters and retention strategies to maintain appropriate end strength numbers,” stated Joseph E. Dagney, M. Ed., MSgt, Retired, USAF/ANG, School Counselor, Central MontCo Technical High School, and Chairman of the PNGAS Education Action Council. “These Guard Friendly High Schools have made a deliberate effort to address these challenges by being flexible, accommodating, and supportive of Guard members, specifically our recruiters who are directly responsible for keeping all of our unit’s mission-ready. It’s very appreciated. The PNGAS Guard Friendly High School designation is a win-win-win!”  

For many years, the Education Assistance Program (“EAP”) has been the number #1 recruiting tool for the Pennsylvania National Guard.  Since its inception, Pennsylvania has distributed more than $310 million through the EAP so Guard members can get college, university, and trade school degrees. The EAP provides a tuition benefit equivalent to the yearly tuition rate set by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) so that members of the Pennsylvania National Guard can attend one of 488 Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) approved schools. Presently, the EAP is an almost $32,000 tuition benefit for each Guard member.

With the July 2019 enactment of the Military Family Education Program (MFEP), there is a now a non-lapsing fund providing EAP-like tuition benefits to spouses and children of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Like the EAP, the MFEP is an almost $32,000 tuition benefit for spouses and/or children of a Guard member who reenlists for an additional 6-year term.

As state and national emergencies and global warfare become increasingly sophisticated, technology-driven, and complex; having a well-trained, and educated Guard force is more strategic and valuable than ever. 

“We are very confident the designation, PNGAS Guard-Friendly High School, will produce immediate and long-term benefits and synergies for students, faculty, alumni, Guard-members, veterans, their spouses, families, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and its economy,” added Kathleen Fabrizi, Executive Director, of the Pennsylvania National Guard Associations (PNGAS) and the Pennsylvania National Guard Foundation.  “We’re grateful so many high schools are responding to the best practices we are amplifying.”

The newly designated PNGAS Guard Friendly High Schools are:

• Annville-Cleona High School
• Avonworth High School
• Brandywine Heights High School
• Central York High School
• Chester County Technical College High School
• Conneaut Area Senior High
• East Pennsboro Area High School
• Eastern Lebanon County High School
• Ephrata High School
• Interboro High School
• Jim Thorpe Area High School
• Liberty High School
• Lower Dauphin High School
• New Oxford High School
• North East High School
• Oxford Area High School
• Palmyra Area High School
• Salisbury Township High School
• Upper Dauphin Area High School

Combined, here is a list of all of the PNGAS Guard Friendly High Schools: 

• Annville-Cleona High School
• Avonworth High School
• Big Spring High School
• Bishop Carroll Catholic High School
• Brandywine Heights High School
• Bucktail High School
• Carbondale Area Jr-Sr HS
• Central MontCo Technical High School
• Central Mountain High School
• Central York High School
• Chester County Technical College High School
• Commonwealth Charter Academy
• Conestoga Valley High School
• Conneaut Area Senior High
• Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School
• East Pennsboro Area High School
• Eastern Lebanon County High School
• Ephrata High School
• First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School
• Frankford High School
• Governor Mifflin High School
• Greater Johnstown Career & Technology Center
• Halifax Area High School
• Harry S Truman High School
• Holy Cross High School
• Indiana County Technology Center
• Interboro High School
• Jim Thorpe Area High School
• Keystone Jr. & Sr. High School
• Lake-Lehman High School
• Lebanon High School
• Liberty High School
• Lower Dauphin High School
• Martin Luther King High School
• Morrisville High School
• New Oxford High School
• Norristown Area High School
• North East High School
• Northeastern High School
• Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School
• Owen J. Roberts High School
• Oxford Area High School
• Palmyra Area High School
• Parkland High School
• Phoenixville Area High School
• Radnor High School
• Red Lion Area Senior High School
• Riverside High School
• Salisbury Township High School
• Spring Grove Area High School
• Steelton Highspire School District
• Stroudsburg Area School District
• The Philadelphia Military Academy
• Upper Dauphin Area High School
• Valley Forge Military Academy
• West Mifflin Area High School
• West Scranton High School