Credit: Pennsbury School District
Pennsbury High School will be starting an Air Force Junior ROTC student program.
Last week, the school board voted to hire retired Air Force Maj. James G. MacEachern Jr. to become the high school’s first senior aerospace science instructor (SASI).
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The idea, which was originally suggested by a member of the school board, was put into action by former Pennsbury Assistant Superintendent Dr. Elliott Lewis, who looked into the program and filed the application prior to his retirement from the district. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Donna Dunar was responsible for taking over Lewis’ efforts to bring the program to life.
MacEachern will be working alongside Pennsbury High School principals Reggie Meadows and Lisa Becker to implement the new Air Force Junior ROTC student program in time for next school year.
“The administration is very pleased to be implementing the Air Force JROTC program for the 2017- 2018 school year,” said Pennsbury High School East Principal, Reggie Meadows. “After a long search we feel that Major MacEachern is the perfect candidate to start this program at Pennsbury High School.”
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“We take a big step in anchoring the Air Force JROTC program here in the Pennsbury School District,” said Superintendent Dr. William J. Gretzula at the Board meeting. “Major MacEachern is a lifelong learner with 25 years of service in the Air Force, and we welcome him to our community. He has tremendous experience and models passion for the program and care for the students.”
MacEachern, who was in the Air Force for 25 years, serves at SASI at the Swenson Arts and Technology High School in Philadelphia. He holds a master’s degree in administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Maryland. In addition, MacEachern is currently working toward earning his Master’s in education from West Chester University.
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“It is an honor to be selected as the first SASI at Pennsbury High School,” MacEachern said. “This is a great program that allows students to do things that are very different. Sometimes students attending a school this large don’t always fit in. There’s a lot of camaraderie in a program like this, creating a family within a family. Our curriculum is world class. The students really love it.”
“Just like the military, it’s a meritocracy,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, tall or short or black or white. The best performers get the best jobs and they lead the other students.”
MacEachern explained that students will have to wear a uniform once per week and their cost of $300 to $500 will be paid for by the Air Force.
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The program, Machern said, is less about recruiting for the military and more about building better citizens.
