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Air Force Junior ROTC program approved for Mascoutah High School

  • Published
MASCOUTAH, Ill --  The halls of Mascoutah High School will become even more "Air Force blue" in August when the first group of Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets begins aerospace education classes.

The JROTC program - applied for in August 2006 - was verbally approved recently by officials at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, with formal notification of the approval soon to come. Mascoutah High School joins several other school districts in the area offering JROTC as an adjunct education program for interested students. It becomes one of nearly 900 schools in the United States offering the program.

District 19 Superintendent Dr. Sam McGowen, himself an Army veteran, is pleased that approval has come. He sees JROTC at Mascoutah High School as a "natural" fit for a school district comprised of over 55 percent military affiliated students.

"We wanted a program for several years and the district is now in a position to move forward," Dr. McGowen said. "The proximity of Scott can only enhance our program as cadets gain exposure to a variety of functions and disciplines at the base.

"I am very appreciative of the steady support shown throughout the application process by the leadership team at Scott AFB," Mr. McGowen said. "Col. Al Hunt, 375th Airlift Wing commander, and his team worked diligently through their channels to move this application toward an affirmative decision.

Mascoutah city officials and community members also wrote letters of support that were reviewed by the evaluation team. And finally, the membership of the Board of Education, Mascoutah High School principal Mike Scholz and the staff have been very proactive in providing all that is necessary to show the district can and will support a JROTC program.

Colonel Hunt was glad to learn the program has been approved.

"We're pleased to have a JROTC unit stand up this coming year at Mascoutah High School to service the base population," Colonel Hunt said. "The dedication and efforts put forth from Scott and Mascoutah leadership are a true testament to the strong relationship between the communities. Furthermore, the young men and women attending Mascoutah High School are the real beneficiaries of this great program because they will get to experience many positive attributes of being in JROTC including learning about leadership, followership, integrity, service and excellence, just to name a few."

Mr. McGowen said District 19 has been quietly laying the groundwork for the JROTC program as it has moved through Air Force channels.

"We've included the coursework requirements in our fall catalog for students and we met AFJROTC instructors from a neighboring school district to review requirements, to seek guidance in initiating the program," he said. "We have also completed preliminary planning as to how the district will provide the class and storage space necessary to house the program.

In the long-term, space requirements are expected to be met by some expansion at the high school to ensure JROTC and other educational programs remain first-class.