Former JROTC Senior Army Instructor Lieutenant Colonel William “David” McMickle (left) presents JROTC S-1 Desiree Mendelez, a senior, (right) with the American Veterans Award at the 2022-23 JROTC award ceremony on April 24. First Sergeant Antione Clark has been the CCHS JROTC First Sergeant for many years and has great confidence in this year’s set of cadets. “The cadets we have this year are very bright and it’s refreshing to see that we have a good group of students,” Clark said. “(The new cadets) came in (and) are picking up pretty quick, they’re grasping the material easily so there’s a bright future ahead of this program.” Photo courtesy of Sam Kiefer
JROTC offers formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles within the program. JROTC hopes to continue to grow student leaders using mentorship from peers.
JROTC is a student-led military elective at Clarke Central High School, which sets it apart from other classroom-based electives because of its student leadership training.
In JROTC, cadets are taught a broad range of subjects all geared toward student leadership. As students move through the program, opportunities to lead emerge through Promotion Board events that occur sporadically throughout the year.
“Promotion Board is our final exam. It’s four summative grades consisting of a marching portion, how we can march platoon or squad, questions about stuff we’ve learned during the program, a uniform inspection and how well you can recite (Cadet creed),” Raiders male varsity team captain Sam Kiefer, a junior, said.
JROTC consists of three companies: Alpha Company, Bravo Company and Charlie Company. Within these companies, there are a variety of student leadership positions that provide mentorship opportunities.
“Each class period is a company. Each company has a chain commander, a company commander, (an) executive officer, a first sergeant and squad leaders, which is usually your senior cadets,” First Sergeant Antione Clark said. “Then, you have your platoon sergeants and platoon leaders, who are your junior-level leaders.”
As the year progresses, Clark’s vision for the younger cadets is to challenge themselves by taking initiative within the program. To do this, Clark hopes not only for newer cadets to step forward, but also for the current leaders in the program to push the younger cadets to lead.
“Involuntarily, (newer cadets) have to step up when their squad leaders are absent. Voluntarily, the squad leaders should say, ‘Hey, today, you’re in charge of the squad,’ that way they can coach, teach and mentor (the) young cadets,” Clark said.
“Involuntarily, (newer cadets) have to step up when their squad leaders are absent. Voluntarily, the squad leaders should say, ‘Hey, today, you’re in charge of the squad,’ that way they can coach, teach and mentor (the) young cadets.”
— Antione Clark,
First Sergeant
For Raiders mixed-gender team captain and JROTC S-1 Desiree Mendelez, a senior, whose duties include organizational skills, staff management and the preparation of reports, her pathway to leadership was inspired by previous leaders within the program, including Class of 2023 alumna and former mixed-gender Raiders team captain Karla Pastor.
“I always looked up to (Pastor). She was quiet like me, but she knew how to take charge when she needed to and gave me opportunities (to be in charge.) That was my main inspiration when I had to be (Raiders team) captain,” Mendelez said.
With students like Mendelez and alumna like Pastor making strides as leaders within the program, Clark hopes to continue to grow student leaders.
“My hope for the future of this program is to continue to attract quality cadets, get more visibility within the community, give back to the community, participate in more community service-driven projects and also get cadets a sense of purpose in life,” Clark said.
