After only a year on the waiting list, Warsaw Community High School is announcing that the school will be offering students admittance into a JROTC program in the fall of 2013.

As StaceyPageOnline.com first reported (See story), the school began investigating the possibility of adding the JROTC program between 2011 and 2012. During that time, WCHS was visited by both members of the Marines and Air Force and was informed that the fully funded programs typically took a total of three to four years on a waiting list before a school could be considered.

Two weeks ago, however, WCHS Principal Troy Akers was approached by Fort Knox which informed the school that the Army had moved the school to the top of their wait list and was prepared to offer a fully funded program. The honor of the move to the top of the 450 school-long wait list was accredited to several factors including school size, demographics and the Warsaw community.

Though the Army was reportedly impressed with WCHS, Akers was informed a decision would need to be made quickly or the option would go to another school on the list.

The program, which will be almost completely funded by the United States Army, aims to create better citizens for tomorrows community. According to Akers, the Army will be providing the school with free uniforms, technology costs, computers, air rifles and targets, LCD projectors, TVs and interactive white boards.

In addition, the Army will provide the school with half of the base pay for an officer and enlisted instructor to lead the JROTC program. These instructors must be certified by the United States Army and must be someone with utmost moral and ethical character and military background. The candidate must have retired from the Army between E/6 and O/6 ranking.

Though the Army does offer assistance in the interview process, those hired to lead the program will be entirely staffed and managed by the school giving the school the ability to mold the program to community and student needs.

The JROTC program offers students instruction in physical education, history, personal finance, service, character development, career planning, marksmanship, S.A.T. and A.C.T. preparation as well as S.T.E.M. education.

An ideal program for WCHS would incorporate between 100 to 150 students though the program anticipates roughly 80 students in its first year. The school also hopes to offer marksmanship and drill teams as co-curricular options to students.

The program boasts improved attendance, GPA and graduation rates, as well as lowered disciplinary incidents. Though the program can offer advance placement for those who do enter into the military, there is no obligation for students in the program to continue on to the military and the program promises virtually no cost to parents for attendance.

The next steps for WCHS will be to ascertain the physical location of the program within the school, position supplies and an instructor and be ready during the summer. The school plans to begin advertising the program to 2013 freshmen immediately as much of the registration work for the coming school year has begun to be filed.

The school plans to begin interviewing and hopefully hire a JROTC instructor sometime in May or June.