- R J Reynolds High School
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R. J. REYNOLDS HIGH SCHOOL
JROTC
(DEMON BATALLION)
A Character Development and Citizenship ProgramJunior Reserve OfficerTraining CourseJROTC in the NewsArmy leaders weigh expanding JROTC in high schools
By: Kyle Rempfer Army Times
One of the Army’s biggest strategic challenges over the next few decades will be continuing to staff its all-volunteer force amid a shrinking population of capable and interested youth — but high school JROTC units could be part of the solution.
The Army has been “tearing apart” its recruitment data to figure out how to boost its accessions in an increasingly competitive job market. One of the solutions potentially on the horizon involves more focus on the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at high schools.
The service, which is trying to grow to 500,000 active-duty soldiers by 2028, has found that Americans at high schools with JROTC programs are more than twice as likely to enlist after graduation, according to Maj. Gen. John R. Evans, Jr., who helms Army Cadet Command.
“And you don’t have to even participate in the program," Evans told a crowd at an Association of the U.S. Army forum Wednesday. “The mere presence of the program at your high school has at least a corollary effect on your desire or your willingness or your propensity to serve your nation. So, pretty powerful data point there for us.”
“Army senior leaders are currently looking very hard at what we’re doing with Junior ROTC and trying to decide if we’ve got it right or if perhaps we need some more of this," Evans added.
However, there are always problems with expansion.
“Junior ROTC, and the senior programs to a little bit less of a degree, can be political footballs," Evans said. "Once you plant a Junior ROTC program somewhere, if it does not attrit of its own volition, you’re very unlikely to be able to shut it down, so it’s a sunk cost. So senior leaders want to be very deliberate about expanding.”
Army Cadet Command has oversight of the Army’s JROTC and college ROTC programs. Some cadets in even the regular ROTC program end up enlisting, as well, due to academic trouble or a change in career plans that would best be solved through a more immediate military career.
But Evans noted that his command is also interested in nurturing “world-class citizens,” especially at the high school level.
“It is, first and foremost, a citizenship program,” he said. “Junior ROTC kids are typically going to have higher GPAs, they’re going to have higher graduation rates, they’re going to have lower teen pregnancy, they’re going to have lower gang violence [and] lower dropout rates.”
“Everybody where we’ve got programs loves them, from teachers to guidance counselors to superintendents to governors to members of Congress," he added.
The Army owns about half of the 3,400 Junior ROTC programs managed by the U.S. Defense Department. That means that roughly 305,000 kids are members of Army-specific JROTC programs.
JROTC may be an increasing focus for the service as it attempts to meet tough recruiting needs year-after-year. The Army failed to meet its 2018 goal of enlisting 76,500 soldiers, but was able to make the numbers this year after dropping the goal to 68,000 soldiers.
Army Cadet Command and Army Recruiting Command took a look at various data sets to identify strengths and weaknesses for the accessions enterprise at the behest of Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy.
“We found that somewhere between 20-25 percent of kids in Junior ROTC will go on to serve in the military somewhere,” Evans said. "They’ll either go to a service academy, they’ll matriculate into the senior ROTC program or they will enlist into one of the services.”
Even for those that don’t join the Army, or any other service, JROTC is a boon for the military, though.
“One of our biggest strategic challenges moving forward is being able to man the all-volunteer force,” Evans said. “So what we do by introducing young men and women to the Army culture in Junior ROTC ... is we demonstrate to them that this is a culture of purpose and meaning.”
For the 75-80 percent of high school students in JROTC who don’t enlist, the program still introduces them to the military and increases the chances that they will recommend or “influence” others to join in the future, according to Evans.
What we are.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a class at the high school where you can learn a lot, have fun doing it, gain some unique and valuable experiences, meet your Career and Technical Education (CTE), PE, Art*, World Language*, and/or Elective credit requirement, and all at no cost to you? There is such a program at RJ Reynolds High School – The Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC).
The RJ Reynolds Demon Battalion
JROTC is a structured class that helps develop high school students into leaders while teaching them skills that will help them in all their classes. You will learn about your community, your school and yourself. You will be challenged mentally and physically. You will make new friends and learn skills that will help you both in and out of the classroom. You will be part of a team of motivated young men and women seeking to make a positive difference. In this class you will LEARN ABOUT DISCIPLINE AND BEING CONSISTENT.
Let us give you the facts on this great leadership and character development program.
- There is no requirement to join any military service. We encourage the young men and women in our program to seek college or trade education following graduation from high school. The JROTC program is not a recruiting tool for the military!
- There is absolutely no cost to you or your family. We provide all uniforms and equipment you will need. Students wear a uniform one day a week.
In addition to classroom academics, the JROTC program offers a variety of co-curricular (before and after school) activities:
- A Color Guard team that presents our national flag during school, community and state events and ceremonies and competes several times a year.
- Air Rifle, Physical Fitness and Drill teams that train for and compete in several competitions a year.
- Community service projects that give students practical experience helping others in need and that fulfill graduation requirements.
- Formal events that expose students to proper social behavior.
What We Expect
What we expect from students in our program is discipline, respect, honor, hard work, commitment and teamwork. Students willing to embrace these qualities will do well in JROTC and anything else they attempt. If you are looking for a unique class that will help you have fun, meet positive people and become involved in our community, as well as a program that will develop your academic, social, and leadership skills, then JROTC is for you. Please contact us should you have any questions