School officials are investigating the possibility
By Sid Riley
This week Schools Supt. Lee Miller and his Assistant Supt. Of Schools, Larry Moore met with Randy Smith, Area Coordinator for Junior ROTC, and Ken Dunaway and Larry Claire with the local VFW chapter to discuss the possibility of introducing the program into the Jackson County School system. Over 400 Florida schools offer the program, including nearby Washington, Holmes, Gadsden and Liberty Counties.
“We want to emphasize that this is in no way a recruiting program for the military”, Moore stated. “The emphasis in the studies is on character building, discipline, and leadership development. If we proceed, the first step would be to conduct a student survey to ascertain the level of interest in a ROTC program in our high schools. If that survey demonstrated there was enough interest, we would then submit application.”
At present there is a three year waiting period between submission of applications and beginning a program, due to the backlog of schools waiting to participate. The government provides a significant portion of the instructor’s pay, as well as all uniforms, instructional materials, and supplies for the classes.
“We attended a program presented by a ROTC unit in another county,” stated Larry Claire. “You could just feel the pride, discipline, and spirit of teamwork between the students. It was really enlightening and encouraging to me to see young students being that way”.
The final decision regarding the conduct of a survey in Jackson County Schools concerning this addition has not yet been made. If you have an opinion in this matter, you should let a Principal or school administrator know.
By Sid Riley
This week Schools Supt. Lee Miller and his Assistant Supt. Of Schools, Larry Moore met with Randy Smith, Area Coordinator for Junior ROTC, and Ken Dunaway and Larry Claire with the local VFW chapter to discuss the possibility of introducing the program into the Jackson County School system. Over 400 Florida schools offer the program, including nearby Washington, Holmes, Gadsden and Liberty Counties.
“We want to emphasize that this is in no way a recruiting program for the military”, Moore stated. “The emphasis in the studies is on character building, discipline, and leadership development. If we proceed, the first step would be to conduct a student survey to ascertain the level of interest in a ROTC program in our high schools. If that survey demonstrated there was enough interest, we would then submit application.”
At present there is a three year waiting period between submission of applications and beginning a program, due to the backlog of schools waiting to participate. The government provides a significant portion of the instructor’s pay, as well as all uniforms, instructional materials, and supplies for the classes.
“We attended a program presented by a ROTC unit in another county,” stated Larry Claire. “You could just feel the pride, discipline, and spirit of teamwork between the students. It was really enlightening and encouraging to me to see young students being that way”.
The final decision regarding the conduct of a survey in Jackson County Schools concerning this addition has not yet been made. If you have an opinion in this matter, you should let a Principal or school administrator know.
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