Students at Defense Department schools on U.S. military bases overseas started a fresh school year Monday with a new, gender-neutral dress code and a support system for struggling students.

At Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, high school students gathered at 5 a.m. to watch the sunrise from the school parking lot, a new-school-year tradition, according to senior Melia Okamoto.

“This morning was gorgeous,” she said.

Approximately 43,500 students — down 1,500 from last year — were expected to resume classes at 109 Department of Defense Education Activity schools in the Pacific and Europe, DODEA spokesman Will Griffin said by email Thursday. The regions make up about two-thirds of DODEA’s 63,000 students.

The new dress code does away with standards that sometimes differed between schools on the same base and imposes a uniform code across all DODEA schools.

Students now must wear sleeved clothing that covers them fully from armpit to mid-thigh. Sleeveless tops and dresses are permitted for school-sponsored formal events such as prom; open toe shoes with a strap across the heel are allowed.

Clothing with language or images that promote violence or advocate the illegal use or sale of drugs, alcohol or tobacco products are not permitted. Neither are obscenities or discriminatory language or imagery.

This year, DODEA will implement its Multi-tiered System of Support framework, Griffin said. The framework uses data to identify students falling behind academically, socially and emotionally, and to intervene to make sure no student falls behind.

DODEA partnered with Penn State to create a program that fits the unique needs of military children, Griffin said.

The program allows educators to address “social and emotional learning and behavioral practices” along with academics, said support system specialist Daniel Petritz by phone Thursday.

“Because we know that if we want our kids to learn at a high academic level, we need to give them some of the skills they need to learn collaboratively and in a student-centered fashion,” he said.

Hip-hop opening

As doors opened Monday at Yokota High, Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, commander of the 374th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, in his DJ alter ego spun “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers and “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang.

“We just want to hype them up for the first day of school,” principal Rebecca Villagomez said Monday. “I think it is a great way to start a school year.”

Okamoto said the dress code changes are more accommodating than she expected.

“I mean, I do feel that it's really hot in Japan,” she said. “So, it would be nice to wear tank tops, but I will say the dress code is a lot leaner than what I would expect at a military institute, so I do appreciate that.”

Teachers trained last week for the new multi-tiered systems of support, the principal said.

“It's a great opportunity to promote the whole student,” Villagomez said. “Because it's not just focusing on the academic side, but also on the social, emotional, academic and the behavioral support of the students. We want to ensure that students have all the prerequisites in order to be successful, to be prepared for life after high school.”

At Yokosuka Naval Base south of Tokyo, hundreds of returning students wore cheery faces despite warm morning temperatures.

“As you can see, as you look around, it’s shorts and T-shirts for everybody,” said assistant principal Angela Langilotti of The Sullivans Elementary School.

The new dress code will likely have very little impact on children in grades one through five, she said.

For the first day, some crossing guards wore high-visibility vests, but others wore inflatable animal costumes, including a hippo and a koala.

“We’re excited to welcome new families and build on the traditions that we’ve already established here at The Sullivans — traditions like make it bigger and make it better,” said assistant principal Bryan English.

Okinawa openings

At Bob Hope Elementary School on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, students lined up outside the building with their new teachers and classmates before walking inside in single file.

Penelope Gonzalez, 10, said she looked forward to the challenges posed by fifth grade, especially math, her toughest subject.

“To me, it’s the hardest but I just want to study through it so I can get better,” she said.

Capt. Mike Lam, a communications officer with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, dropped off his daughter, Adeline Lam, 9, a new fourth-grader. She was “excited” to see friends and looking forward to math class.

“I’m just ready for them to progress and learn new things,” he said. “She’s pretty excited about the STEM robotics so I’m excited for her.”

Air Force Tech Sgt. Raymond Drummer smiled as his daughter, Raniyah, 10, entered Bob Hope for her first day of fifth grade.

“It’s always a fun process, he said. “First day of school is always a little nervous for the kids but I know they’re going to make new friends and have some fun this school year, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Camp Humphreys record

At Camp Humphreys, South Korea — the largest U.S. military base overseas — civilian data analyst Maria Cunha dropped off her daughter, Milo Aptaker, 6, at Humphreys Central Elementary School.

During the summer, Milo enjoyed “a lot of birthday parties, play dates and a lot of ‘too hot to be outside’ moments” but was “super excited” to be back in school, Cunha said.

The school received 11 new full-time teachers, seven educational aides and nine substitute teachers, said principal Shenae Wiley.

Humphreys High School enrolled its largest class ever this year with over 750 students, principal Amanda Schwerdt-Johnson said by email Thursday.

Army Master Sgt. Mark Galiza, a senior maintenance supervisor for the 2nd Infantry Division’s Sustainment Brigade, dropped off his daughter Yena Shin to start 10th grade.

Galiza said he is “more concerned about getting the education portion done” than DODEA’s new dress code.

Stars and Stripes reporters Kelly Agee, Frank Andrews, Matthew M. Burke, David Choi and Alex Wilson contributed to this report.

previous coverage

• Defense Department schools adopt new gender-neutral dress code