RAIDERS IN SERVICE
Supporting Those Who Serve and the Families Who Serve Alongside Them
At St. Thomas Aquinas High School, service is part of who we are.
Through Raiders in Service, STA is committed to welcoming, supporting, connecting, praying for, and celebrating our military-connected families. We value the students, families, alumni, Veterans, and future service members who are part of our Raider community.
We recognize military life can bring unique opportunities as well as challenges for students and families- including relocation, school transitions, family separation, deployment, and reintegration." Each student is assigned to a school counselor. School counselors are available to help navigate student mental health and to provide resources for mental health services. Our goal is to ensure that military-connected students know that when they become Raiders, they have a community ready to welcome and support them.
Are you a military-connected STA Family?
If you or an immediate member of your family is currently serving or has served in the United States Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserves, we invite you to connect with Raiders in Service.
Our voluntary Military Family Survey helps STA better understand our military-connected community and provides families with opportunities for support, connection, recognition, service, and involvement. No individual or family will be publicly identified or recognized without permission.
Complete the raiders in service military family survey
OUR COMMITMENT IN ACTION
STA's support for military-connected students, Veterans, and service members builds upon work already taking place throughout our school community.
Supporting Military Families
St. Thomas Aquinas recognizes that military service can create unique circumstances for students and their families.
STA works with military-connect families individually to help make an STA education accessible including determining and assisting with financial aid and tuition assistance.
Through Raiders in Service, we are strengthening that commitment by identifying our military-connected families, developing connections among them, and ensuring that students entering our community have access to the resources and support they need.
Financial Assistance Contact
Kimberly Ruoff
Tuition Office
kimberly.ruoff@aquinas-sta.org
(954) 581-0700 Ext. 8427
LEARN MORE ABOUT TUITION ASSISTANCE
Preparing the Next Generation to Serve
For some Raiders, graduation marks the beginning of their own journey of service.
STA supports students interested in pursuing:
- United States Service Academies
- College ROTC programs and scholarships
- Military enlistment
- Military-related educational and career opportunities
Our School Counseling and College Advising team works with students as they explore these pathways and helps them understand the academic preparation, application processes, nominations, scholarships, and other requirements associated with their goals.
Military, Service Academy & ROTC Advising Contact
Lara Gulla
College Advising PE-SL
lara.gulla@aquinas-sta.org
(954) 583-8916 Ext. 8423
ENROLLING AT STA
Welcome to the Raider Family
Changing schools can be challenging for any student. Military-connected students may experience those transitions more frequently as their families relocate because of military service. For this reason, 5% of our open enrollment seats are reserved for military-connected students.
STA is committed to helping military-connected students transition successfully into our school community.
Families preparing to enter STA are encouraged to contact our Military Point of Contact or our Director of Admissions for assistance with questions regarding:
- Enrollment and admissions
- Transfer of school records
- Academic placement and course selection
- Graduation requirements
- Student support services
- Services for students with disabilities
- Athletics, clubs and extracurricular activities
- School traditions and campus life
- Connections to school and community resources
Military Point of Contact
Lara Gulla
College Advising PE-SL
lara.gulla@aquinas-sta.org
(954) 583-8916 Ext. 8423
Our Military Point of Contact serves as STA's central liaison for military-connected students and families.
STA Director of Admissions
Adam Matthews
adam.matthews@aquinas-sta.org
(954) 583-8916
Students who qualify for exceptional student services (ESS) through a documented disability should contact Natali Acevedo, our ESS Coordinator, at natali.acevedo@aquinas-sta.org for more information regarding accommodation plans.
A Raider Ready to Welcome You
Sometimes the best person to help a new student understand a school is another student.
Through our Raider-to-Raider Transition Program, incoming military-connected students can be connected with a current STA student who can help them become familiar with the Raider community.
Our student transition team helps new military-connected students:
- Become familiar with the STA campus
- Learn about school traditions and student life
- Discover clubs, athletics and activities
- Meet other students
- Learn about upcoming school events
- Navigate the first weeks at a new school
- Feel connected to the Raider community
Whenever possible, military-connected students will be connected with another military-connected Raider.
LIMA CHARLIE CLUB
Students Answering the Call to Serve
STA's Lima Charlie Club not only serves as partner in our Raiders in Service efforts, it provides a community for students interested in military service and gives Raiders opportunities to learn more about military careers, leadership, service, and the different pathways available after high school.
The club also turns its commitment to service into action.
Among its efforts, Lima Charlie has supported Toys for Tots, helping provide toys to children in need through the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. Club participants also help lay wreathes at Veterans Cemeteries in South Florida with the Wreaths Across America program for the holidays.
Through activities like these, students learn that military service is ultimately rooted in something larger than oneself — leadership, responsibility, community, and service to others.
Lima Charlie Club Moderator
Drew Long
drew.long@aquinas-sta.org
HONORING SERVICE AND SACRIFICE
Raiders in Service provides opportunities throughout the school year to recognize, support, and connect our military community.
Upcoming Events
Veterans Day
November 11
STA’s Digital Veteran Wall honors self-identified members of the STA family who have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Featuring STA alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and other members of our Raider family, the display recognizes their service and sacrifice while giving our students a personal connection to the men and women behind the uniform. Families and alumni are invited to submit a name, photograph, branch of service, years of service, and STA connection for inclusion.
Month of the Military Child
April
Purple Star Lunch for our military connected students with school leadership
Memorial Day Recognition
May
STA honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice with a Memorial Dining Table in our cafeteria and a Campus Ministry memorial in our front hall, offering our school community visible opportunities for remembrance, reflection, and prayer.
Lima Charlie Service Projects
Honor Flight Homecoming, Toys for Tots Collection, Wreaths Across America
Additional Raiders in Service opportunities will be shared with our school community throughout the year.
RAIDERS IN SERVICE
At St. Thomas Aquinas, we are grateful for the men and women who serve our country and for the families who serve alongside them.
• We honor those who have served before us.
• We support the families who serve today.
• We prepare Raiders who feel called to serve tomorrow.
And we make sure military-connected students entering STA know one thing from the beginning: You are part of the Raider family.
FAITH. FAMILY. SERVICE. RAIDERS TOGETHER