By Tim Moran
Villager Editor
The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Morgan Park High School isn’t the typical high school class.
Yes, students enrolled in the program get class credit, are responsible for completing assignments and it takes up a full period during the day. But what makes this group – one that’s been around since 1919 – so unique is in the values it promotes.
“Sense of belonging, citizenship, leadership development, character building and service to others,” said Lt. Col. Jamel Carr, a U.S. Army veteran who has led the JROTC program at MPHS for five years now and has seen its enrollment grow from approximately 60 cadets to the more than 200 who are involved now. “We call ourselves a family, and my two instructors and I are like the parents.”
Students are “given opportunities to practice their lessons in leadership development that they are learning in the classroom,” Carr added. “We place a special emphasis on their post-secondary goals by encouraging college or trade attendance, military service or job placement. And 3 years of JROTC earns an Early College and Career Credential (ECCC) as well as the ability to enter the military one rank higher as an E3/Private First Class.”
Additionally, the program offers “education on health, leadership opportunities, and success, emphasizing character-building, academic achievement, wellness, leadership, and diversity,” according to the Morgan Park High School website.
In many ways, the JROTC is the pride of the school. They’re often representing the school in the greater community, participating in at least two parades a year as regular participants in both the Memorial Day Wreath Laying Ceremony & Parade in downtown Chicago held on the Saturday before Memorial Day and the Beverly Area Planning Association’s Beverly/Morgan Park Memorial Day Parade on the holiday itself.
“Our cadets give up their holiday weekend by giving up their Saturday, they do get that Sunday off but they come right back on Monday,” Carr said. “I like the fact that our cadets are willing to sacrifice their holiday off to participate. It makes me proud and shows me they have that sacrifice we talk about so often. It demonstrates that they embody the values that we teach and instill in them.”
The JROTC program also has its own wing of Morgan Park High School, complete with lockers and other aspects that make it like a second home for student cadets like Cadet Captain D’Maya Brown. Brown, an MPHS junior, serves as a leader in the program in handling special projects and social media work for the group.
“I like that we have creative liberty,” Brown said. “When we have a unified vision, we work as a team to make sure the program runs smoothly.”
JROTC’s offerings at MPHS go far beyond the parades. Carr said the group organizes several yearly service learning projects, a sports challenge, academic bowl and leadership challenge, among other events.
Brown said she’s currently looking forward to their Military Ball, an upcoming event in which cadets will “dress up and be graded on social etiquette and manners.”
The Beverly/Morgan Park Memorial Day Parade, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is another favorite among the cadets.
“I love the environment with so many people cheering us on,” Brown said. “We’re going to be coming louder than ever this year and looking forward to showcasing the work of our JROTC program and how much we have come together.”
