District approves JROTC, Army NDCC program
Sam Johnson PTO military scholarship opens
Photo by Travis Erickson of Rock Hill High School, digitally constructed image by Caleb Audia
A graphic shows the front of Rock Hill High School, where an Army JROTC program was approved for both Prosper and Rock Hill students. The program was approved at a school board meeting Tuesday, March 1. “We recently heard back from the Army and are working through some additional information they require,” Chief Academic Officer Tod Shirley said.
March 2, 2022
The school board approved funding for an Army JROTC program on Monday, Feb. 28. The program received enough approval to debut for the next school year. The program will be held at Rock Hill High School.
“In September, we applied for an Army NDCC (JROTC) unit at Rock Hill High School,” Chief Academic Officer Todd Shirley said. “We recently heard back from the Army and are working through some additional information they require.”
The program will be open for both Prosper and Rock Hill students to join.
“In order to provide an opportunity for both campuses we are working to combine the high schools into one Army JROTC unit that will be housed at Rock Hill,” Shirley said.
A Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. (JROTC), and a National Defense Cadet Corps. (NDCC), allows students to gain leadership training, develop team-building skills and dip their toes into the organization of the US Military branches.
A JROTC program could give benefit to students aspiring competitive training within the military, giving access to regular routines that students in ROTC programs go through, such as physical training and specific educational-value classes.
— Senior Abby Griffith
While the Army JROTC program has been approved, the district has not heard back from the Air Force regarding a potential Air Force JROTC unit.
“I would love to see the Air Force in Prosper,” Superintendent Holly Ferguson said.
Shirley said that the administrators don’t feel as optimistic about being approved for this unit by the Air Force at this moment.
JROTC and NDCC programs do not entail military service or obligations. The majority of students enrolled in these programs do not serve in the U.S. Military. Students interested in the upcoming Army ROTC program can find more information here.
“If there was a JROTC program offered here, it would be a great experience to know what’s ahead, especially for those who haven’t decided their career path yet,” senior Abby Griffith said. “There are many opportunities within military branches by enlisting as an officer out of a ROTC program, and the foundation of a JROTC program within Prosper would be a great jump-starter for students eyeing any sort of military path.”
The Sam Johnson PTO scholarship opened Wednesday, March 2 for seniors who are interested in a military-affiliated career. The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to one senior, and the deadline closes on April 10.
Students interested in the scholarship must have an “aspiring goal of a military, political science or government associated career path,” Sam Johnson’s PTO staff wrote in an email sent to students.
To apply for the scholarship, seniors must send an essay to the Sam Johnson PTO email, SJEscholarship@gmail.com. If seniors who are applying have any questions about the process, students should contact PTOSamJohnson@gmail.com.
To learn more about the agenda at the last school board meeting, and what was approved Monday, Feb. 28, download the PDF referenced here: Board Briefs 2-28-22
To learn more about JROTC programs, and read about the administration’s optimism last school year, be sure to read the story referenced below.
