Some people may think that ROTC, which stands for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, is a strict class, but there’s more to it than just rigor and marching. Besides all the discipline and physical training, cadets watch the news and work on leadership skills. Before class begins, the flight commander calls “room,” and students stand at attention to say the Pledge of Allegiance afterwards. After that, MSGT Janet Santa or Lt. Col. Ed Bruce checks student IDs.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, MSGT Santa teaches class. Every Monday, cadets drill with their sergeant. Drill is a marching routine that involves complex marching sequences. Tuesdays normally feature class discussions based on real-life problems and ways to solve or prevent them. Some of topics discussed in the past include bullying and addiction.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Lt. Col. Bruce teaches class. When he teaches class, cadets usually talk about the history of spaceflight and aircraft. Currently the classes are learning about Project Gemini, which is NASA’s second human spaceflight program. In this unit, they are getting an in-depth look into how the engineers worked on spacecraft for this project.

On Fridays, the class participates in physical training, or PT. MSGT Santa or Lt. Col. Bruce teaches PT, depending on the week. Before PT, cadets dress out in the physical training uniform. During PT, they stretch and count in unison, run, and sometimes play games. Activities include Sharks & Minnows, Dodgeball, and mile runs.

Throughout the year, ROTC cadets participate in fundraisers and community service. Every cadet has to do at least 10 hours of community service before the end of the school year. On September 21, the cadets were involved in Coastal Cleanup Day and spent four hours removing garbage from Laurel Creek. With the holidays around the corner, ROTC is hosting a Wreath Sale to raise money for field trips and other fun activities.