Pennsbury Air Force JROTC Program Aims To Promote Student Achievement

Earlier this month, nearly 60 students were inducted as cadets in the first class of Pennsbury High School’s Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program.

The 2017-2018 school year is the first year that Pennsbury has had any type of JROTC program. The program began in August and the students have since appeared at a Pennsbury School Board meeting, a Villanova basketball game, the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and the PPL Center in Allentown. The program is young, but it is led by two retired servicemen with lots of JROTC experience.

The recent ceremony was attended by the 59 new cadets and their proud families, school board members and Pennsbury administration members.

“You’ve already won awards, but more importantly, you’ve all won the respect and admiration of everyone that you come into contact with,” Superintendent Dr. William Gretzula said, speaking to the Air Force blues-dressed cadets.

The new program at Pennsbury offers students another path towards developing strong character traits and becoming responsible citizens, Gretzula explained.

The idea for a JROTC program at the school district arose at a school board meeting about three years ago and grew over the years, said Jacqui Redner, the president of the school board.

The school board voted to add the program earlier this year and curriculum was put together in the time leading up to the start of the school year.

Retired Air Force Major James J MacEachern, Jr. had been teaching a Air Force JROTC program in Philadelphia since 2014 and was hired by Pennsbury in spring. His co-teacher, retired Technical Sgt. Chauncey Ivey, is in his 18th year teaching JROTC programs. MacEachern spent 25 years on active duty in the Air Force before retiring.

“I truly believe that we have found the perfect match for Pennsbury,” said Reginald Meadows, the principal of Pennsbury’s east campus, where JROTC classes take place.

Nationwide, there are more than 3,000 JROTC programs that are supported by the armed forces. The Air Force runs 878 JROTC programs.

“Just like the military, it’s a meritocracy,” MacEachern said explained when he was hired. “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.”

According to MacEachern, the Air Force JROTC curriculum is 40 percent aerospace science, 40 percent leadership education and 20 percent physical training. These broad umbrellas contain more specific topics like the history of aviation, cyber security, communications and the history of JROTC programs. The program is an elective, where students, separated into “flights” have one class on days alternating with physical training. To get involved, the students select the elective like any other class.

MacEachern explained that most of the students involved with the program had a few reasons for doing so.

“Some don’t fit in neatly with other aspects of high school and feel at home with us. We are a family within a family,’” MacEachern said.

“I think it’s because it represents what’s best about the military and also promoting service to your community and to others.  Parents love the ideals we promote as well and they love to see it manifest itself in their children,” MacEachern said.

“[Students] can test their boundaries in a safe environment where failure is just a minor incident leading to success. It also gives schools another interesting activity to help them differentiate themselves from their peer schools. Schools as large at Pennsbury need great activities for kids. Not every student wants to be in sports or in the band; so it’s a viable alternative to those things.”

The program introduces kids to concepts that can help a student be successful in life.

Students who take part in the program are not required to join the armed forces, however, a number do end up joining the military.

“It blows my mind to see you all here dressed like this,” a proud Redner said recently to a group of new cadets.