Clover Park School District announcement.
This year’s theme for the Clover Park School District calendar is “Imagine.” Students approach everything they do without limitations, knowing they can achieve any goal they have for their future.
April is Month of the Military Child, which is an important time to celebrate CPSD’s military-connected students. For this month’s feature, we are showcasing the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program and its importance to CPSD high school students with a passion for service.
JROTC is a career and technical education (CTE) course offered at Lakes and Clover Park high schools. The program qualifies as a personalized pathway for participating students to meet graduation requirements while earning dual credit.
Lakes has an Army JROTC program, while CPHS is associated with the U.S. Air Force. Though each program is affiliated with the military and led by retired military officers, the courses allow students to experience the military without making a long-term commitment. They teach skills applicable to all students, including physical fitness, leadership, basic military knowledge and the power of citizenship and service to their community.
“Unlike many classes in school, you learn things that require a great sense of responsibility to others,” said CPHS senior, executive officer of WA-931 and third in command, Cadet Captain Marcus Dangerfield. “I’m responsible for leading others to success and fulfilling our mission of creating citizens of character dedicated to serving their community and nation.”
After graduating this spring, Marcus plans on enlisting in the Air Force as a loadmaster before attending college and becoming a pilot. He participated in JROTC for all four years of high school and credits his preparedness for enlistment to the time he spent in class with his fellow cadets and JROTC Instructor Rick Collison.
“In the process of taking JROTC, I was able to fail and learn from those failures in a safe learning environment so I can handle those situations in the future,” Marcus said.
