Teachers and students from Misawa, Japan, to Seoul rang in the new school year on Monday, although the bells were silent at some of the region’s largest schools.

The start of the 2012-13 school year for Defense Department school students in Europe is bittersweet for pupils in Heidelberg, where three military schools are slated to close next year.

Lois Rapp, who has served as a district superintendent for Defense Department schools in the United States, has been named the new Japan District superintendent, according to a Department of Defense Education Activity statement.

University of Maryland University College Europe is offering $700 scholarships for new students enrolling in at least two fall semester courses.

The Department of Defense Education Activity said Thursday that it plans to massively ramp up construction efforts in order to meet its goal of replacing 134 severely aging schools — 78 percent of its facilities around the world — before the end of the decade.

A memorial service for Wanda McCollar, a longtime teacher at schools in Europe and the Pacific, will take place Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Mark Twain Village Chapel in Heidelberg, according to the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Eighth-graders in Department of Defense Education Activity schools scored higher on average than their peers in stateside public schools on a national standardized science test administered in spring 2011, DODEA officials announced this week.

CollegeWeekLive.com, a provider of online college admissions events, will be host Military Student Day Thursday December 1 from 12:00 PM to Midnight EST.

Bryant & Stratton College Online is making their Salute to Spouses Scholarship program available to spouses of National Guard and Reserve service members.

In honor of Veterans Day, the George Washington University’s Office of Veteran Services will host its first annual Veterans Awareness Week, sponsoring a variety of events to raise community awareness of veterans and veterans’ issues.