Orion Military Scholarship Program Featured on MCEC Podcast

On the July 9th episode of the Military Child Education Coalition’s “For the Sake of the Child” podcast, Orion’s leadership team spoke with host Tina Barber about what The Orion Military Scholarship Fund brings to the table for military families seeking better educational opportunities for their children.

In explaining the genesis of the Orion program, Orion President Eric Peterson explained that the idea for a scholarship for military children to attend boarding school came to him while he was head of a Rhode Island boarding school approaching the tenth anniversary of 9/11. To commemorate the sacrifices of military families and to further his school’s mission of producing graduates who go on to lead lives of service, he created a military scholarship program at that boarding school almost ten years ago.

“What began as an effort to align the mission of boarding schools and the service of military families, then became a very successful pilot program,” Peterson said.

After retiring from his position at that school, Peterson partnered with his wife, Krista, along with Francis and Lisa Molinari — parents whose military children participated in the initial pilot scholarship — to expand the program to the national level. In March of 2019, they cofounded The Orion Military Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for children of active duty military families to attend select boarding schools across the United States. Orion’s mission is to recognize the sacrifices of families who lead lives of service by offering uninterrupted, quality educational opportunities.

Eric’s wife Krista acts as Orion’s Vice President of Education, drawing upon her many years of experience working in private school admissions. She explained the nuts and bolts of the Orion Military Scholarship Program, which plans to enroll its first cohort of scholars in the fall of 2021.

Orion Vice President of Operations, Lisa Molinari, told the story of how the Molinari’s two daughters became military scholars through the pilot military scholarship program at St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island. The Molinari’s daughters, Anna and Lilly, had previously attended only public schools, and had endured multiple military moves and school changes during their father’s 28 years on active duty in the Navy.

“If our kids are markers, the boarding school experience really postured them for success going to college,” said Orion’s Vice President for Military Affairs, Francis Molinari when asked how their daughters were impacted by boarding school experiences.

However, Molinari pointed out, “it’s a two-way street.” He explained that boarding institutions also benefit from enrolling military children because they bring a sense of discipline, duty, service and honor to school communities. “What’s often not considered enough is the positive impact that that military child and his or her family have on that boarding school…The kids that typically attend the boarding schools would not otherwise be exposed to what a life of selfless service looks like until they meet a military family.”

To hear the full podcast which includes the specifics of the Orion Military Scholarship Program, click HERE.