What is JROTC?
What students study in Junior ROTC won’t be found in any textbook. It
won’t be studied by any other students or in any other schools. It
hasn’t been taught before. It won’t be taught again, because the subject
of JROTC is YOU. JROTC is all about you. You are its whole. It’s
devoted to your growth, both as a student and as a person. JROTC
prepares you for life – NOT for the military. Junior ROTC is a high
school elective course given during regular school hours, but includes
many out-of-classroom activities. We cover the basics in history,
government, technology awareness, and current events. But we also teach
leadership skills (like how to motivate others) and personal skills (how
to study, take tests, and interview for jobs). And we offer
extracurricular activities like Drill Team, Color Guard, Raiders
(Adventure training) Pentathlon (Sports), and the Saber Guard (cannon
and Push-up team for football games). You might even have a chance to go
to our JROTC summer camp where you’ll train on the confidence course,
play team sports, and learn land navigation and water safety techniques.
No JROTC cadet is under any obligation to join the military. Our
interest is simply to give you an opportunity to develop and improve
yourself in ways you never thought possible. We aren’t promoting the
military lifestyle. But we do use military skills to teach
self-discipline, confidence and pride in a job well done.
JROTC helps our students develop a combination of skills, knowledge,
and inner strengths. So we don’t teach the way other courses do. In
fact, much of our teaching isn’t teaching at all. It’s training. We
train you for leadership by having you lead. We train you to be
physically confident by running you through a difficult obstacle course.
We train you in teamwork by having you solve problems as a member of a
group. We train you to take pride in your physical appearance by showing
you how to wear a uniform properly. We train you to teach by asking you
to put together a lesson plan and assist in teaching a class. You get
the idea. But behind this idea there’s another idea. All the ways we
train you add up to this: we train you to succeed. We train you to be
good at the things you need to be good at- in school and in life.
Good idea, isn’t it?
JROTC training isn’t easy; nothing-worthwhile is- but the effort you
put into mastering leadership techniques and developing personal skills
pays off in a big way. It pays off by giving you the quiet confidence
that comes from knowing what you’re capable of. And the character to do
what it takes to accomplish your goals. Cookeville High School JROTC
offers our cadets guidelines for proper behavior. But we don’t watch
over you 24-hours a day to make sure you follow them. You follow them
because you want to, even when no one is watching. That’s character.
JROTC teaches a subject you usually don’t study in school. Reality.
Being able to take what you learn in class and use it in the real world.
So when we teach effective speaking, we don’t stop with theory. You
write a speech, then stand up and deliver it. (Sounds scary, but your
classmates are there for support). We don’t give you lectures about
doing your homework. We show you exactly how to study, how to take
useful lecture notes, and how to take tests. You know it’s working when
your grades go up. We offer you Adventure Training at the JROTC summer
camp so you can put what you’ve learned about map reading and land
navigation to use. We talk a lot about leadership. But eventually we
shut up and give you a chance to show us- and yourself- how it’s done.
Doing it, not reading about it – that’s earning what you learn.
Team spirit. That’s the feeling in JROTC – all the members working
together toward the same goals. Willing to give you a friendly push when
you need it or a pat on the back when you deserve it. Expecting the
same from you. Because when one team member does it right, the whole
team wins and vice-versa.
Besides, everybody can use a little support. It’s a different kind of peer pressure.
See your guidance counselor to sign up for next year. JROTC is
offered five periods all four years of your high school career. Students
can take these courses each semester contingent upon their curriculum
track and total number of electives allowed. Two JROTC courses will give
you credit for Lifetime Wellness. Additionally, three JROTC courses
will make you eligible to enter military service at a higher grade and
position if you choose to do so.
So what are you waiting for – opportunity only knocks once. Take the
smartest high school course– Army JROTC. Drop by and check out the
excitement– JROTC is on the 1st Floor in Room 93