Want to be the future of the United States of America? JROTC can help with that. JROTC is an extraordinary program if you’re looking to become a notable leader, make new friends, challenge yourself, and build work experience. A common misconception about JROTC is that it is seen as a way for the military to recruit young adults into the military. JROTC is not a way for the military to recruit young adults. A notable percentage of the cadets that are in JROTC don’t plan on going into the military and instead plan to join the workforce.

What to expect in a week of being a cadet? On Monday it usually consists of LET lessons. LET (Leadership Education Training) lessons are lessons that teach cadets valuable life skills and basic military knowledge and history as a way to help develop their professional development, military knowledge, and knowledge of health. On Tuesday, all cadets participate in physical training that is designed by senior cadets and the workouts usually consist of running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc… Wednesday is uniform day where cadets come to school wearing either their ASU or OCP uniform. Thursday is also a physical training day. Friday usually consists of staff work, drill, and life skills. Occasionally, a guest speaker will come in and speak about their time in the military or a recruiter from any of the five branches will come in and inform the cadets about what their branch provides and what jobs they offer along with the benefits.

The credits provided by JROTC are one credit for career preparation and one credit for physical education. This is great for cadets who want to get the easy credits out of the way first or for cadets who are looking to graduate early in their senior or junior year. JROTC focuses on cadet’s education, making sure that the senior cadets have a well-thought-out plan for what they want to do after they graduate high school, whether that is joining the military, workforce, or going to college. JROTC also makes sure that the cadets are not failing their classes and if a cadet is struggling to get a passing grade in their classes, our AI and SAI work with the cadet to help them create a plan to get the grade up. JROTC helps those who are looking to go to college with a ROTC scholarship. 

The opportunities provided when joining JROTC. JROTC helps students get out of their comfort zone, especially when it comes to public speaking, and communicating with other cadets as a team and as a leader. JROTC also helps those who are looking to enlist in the military. If a cadet spends two years in JROTC, they will enlist as an E-2 and after three years in JROTC they will enlist as an E-3 in the military. JROTC helps a lot with resumes because with JROTC there are countless opportunities to help volunteer both in and outside of school, with the leadership opportunities that cadets can achieve, and awards that cadets can receive in recognition of their time and dedication. These are just a few things that can help make resumes more appealing to businesses.

What teams are available to cadets? There are a lot of different teams in JROTC to suit every cadet's interests. One of the most popular teams is an unarmed drill team, the Color Guard, and a raider team. The unarmed drill team is a phenomenal team for cadets looking to improve on their marching, stationary movements, and learn to command drill. With a very supportive and positive-thinking team, it is one of the best teams to join. The Color Guard is a great way for cadets to show their patriotism and want to be part of something big. With the Color Guard, cadets are able to go outside of school and present the colors from Minor League Baseball games to high school basketball games and cadets will be motivated by their teammates to take on commanding roles within the team and be able to teach new cadets. The Raider team is a perfect way for those cadets who are interested in getting in shape in a judgment-free zone. Cadets will assemble after school and do exercises consisting of rucking, running, push-ups, and many more. More teams include a marksmanship team, an orienteering team, an exhibition team, an armed drill team, and a sabre team. The marksmanship team is a competitive rifle team run by the JROTC organization. It involves the shooting of air rifles at regulation targets in attempts to achieve the highest possible score. The Orienteering team is a good team for those cadets who want to go outdoors and learn potentially life-saving skills. The orienteering team meet after school and learn how to read maps, navigate maps, and operate a compass. The exhibition team is great for cadets who are looking to challenge their drill skills. Exhibitions are essentially armed drill with fancier moves. An armed drill team is exactly like an unarmed drill team except in an armed drill team, cadets learn how to properly hold a rifle, march with a rifle, and perform a proper rifle inspection. The sabre team is a great way for cadets who are interested in ceremonial sabre drill. By participating in sabre, cadets will learn ceremonial sabre drill by learning how to hold a sabre and perform a sabre arch. 

Ways to be informed about JROTC activities is joining the different social media sites. For parents, JROTC has a Facebook account (JROTC Booster Club) where they can get informed about upcoming events. For students, JROTC has an Instagram account (Jet_Battalion) where they can see the latest JROTC activities as well as get information about events happening. For both parent and student parents, JROTC has a Band page (Jet Battalion) where the SAI, AI, and cadet battalion leadership send out messages to inform everyone in the battalion about events that are coming up. JROTC also uses an app called GroupMe as a way cadets can communicate on a central app within the battalion.

Many cadets love JROTC and it has helped them overcome their fears and has evolved them into phenomenal leaders. JROTC opens up a lot of opportunities for cadets by helping them go to college, helping them be successful in the workforce, with teams and volunteering opportunities, resume building, finding cadets' interests, and with transitioning into the military. JROTC accepts everyone with open arms and does not judge, discriminate, or hate and there is truly a place for everyone within JROTC. Overall, JROTC is always looking for new faces to come through the door and would love to provide the many benefits and opportunities it provides within the battalion.