JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas - After more than two years of daily bus trips to another school for junior ROTC instruction, cadets at Randolph High School will soon have their own program.
Starting in August, when they report back to school for the start of the 2017-18 academic year, the students will belong to Air Force JROTC TX-20172.
“Randolph High School’s mission is to provide a quality education to the children of our brave members of the military,” said Principal Mark Malone. “Having our own Air Force JROTC unit links our students to the important sacrifice their parents have made and gives them an opportunity to both honor a tradition of service and to learn important leadership skills regardless of the career path they choose.”
Up until the 2014-15 school year, Randolph High School had not offered a JROTC program to its students in its 50 years of existence – primarily because of its size.
However, in October 2014, a cross-town agreement between the Randolph Field Independent School District and the Judson ISD allowed a dozen Randolph students to take a bus each day to Judson High School in Converse, Texas, to become part of that school’s program.
During the previous school year, current senior Carlos Perez, who was new to Randolph High School, and his family approached Malone, then in his first year at Randolph, and championed the idea of starting a JROTC detachment at the school. That meeting set off a chain of events that led to the cross-town agreement.
Carlos, who now serves as wing commander for the Judson program, said he and his family worked with Malone and Superintendent Lance Johnson as well as Judson officials to get the ball rolling. He also singled out his mother for her determination in the effort.
Carlos had previously been part of a Navy JROTC detachment in Spain and greatly benefited from his participation in the program.
“It was a really awesome experience, so when I came here, I really wanted other kids to have that same experience,” he said.
Since the cross-town agreement was signed, the number of Randolph students who have joined the Judson program has nearly quadrupled to more than 40 this year, but it became clear students would be better served if they had their own program on their own campus.
Because students were leaving sixth period about 10 minutes early to board the bus – missing the end of their sixth-period class – and spending their seventh and final period of the day at Judson, some opportunities were lost, said retired Air Force Col. James Costey, who will guide the Randolph program.
“One of the challenges you have with it only being offered at seventh period is that you have varsity athletes who can’t participate fully because they travel on certain days of the week to go to away games,” he said. “If there’s a course that’s only offered during seventh period and it’s core curriculum, then someone who wants to be a cadet can’t participate because they have to take their core curriculum classes.”
Recognition of these and other challenges led to an effort to seek authorization from the Air Force JROTC headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., for a Randolph High School program.
Carlos said his face “lit up” when he heard from his principal in November that JROTC would be coming to Randolph High School in the 2017-18 school year.
Although he was happy, Carlos said he was also somewhat disappointed, since he would be graduating this year.
“At the same time it was pretty awesome that I was able to put in so much work and time and help bring a program that is pretty significant,” said Carlos, who will be attending Texas A&M University this fall on an ROTC scholarship.
Costey is already on campus getting ready for the next school year and the launch of Randolph’s own JROTC program. He and retired Air Force Master Sgt. Paul Scott will serve as the school’s first JROTC cadre, and they are planning an informational meeting for students and parents at 6:30 p.m. April 5 in the new cafetorium.
One of Costey’s messages is that the program is not a pipeline into the military, but a citizenship development course, a way to help students “find their greatness and move forward.”
“The key difference between junior ROTC and the college-level ROTC is that junior ROTC is not a pathway into the military,” Costey said. “We’re not here to recruit kids into the military, we’re not here to get them signed up for contracts. We’re here to help them become better citizens.”
Brittany Martin, a sophomore who started JROTC as a freshman, said she has benefited from the Judson program and is looking forward to being part of the Randolph program this fall.
“I really enjoy ROTC,” she said. “It has taught me so much – how to be a leader and how to step up when I need to step up. It has definitely taught me a lot and has had a huge impact on my life.”