Senior Megan Frey became the first student to achieve the rank of Cadet Private in the new CGHS JROTC program.
“It does mean a lot,” Frey said. “I don’t come from a military family. It’s really rewarding in the sense that I know I did a lot of extra things to get here, and it definitely took a lot of work. But it’s something that I’m passionate about, so it’s something that I really enjoy. I’m glad that I get to see the reward for what I put into it.”
JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and is meant to help students with leadership skills.
“There is no military requirement for taking JROTC,” Frey said. “The instructors are not recruiters and are in no way trying to get you to join the army or any branch of the military. It’s really just a way for students to learn how to be better leaders, how to be better people and how to be better citizens. In the military there are officer training schools and that’s how you get your military officers, but JROTC is essentially the high school level where you are taught to be effective leaders in the classroom.”
When students first join JROTC, they start out as an unranked cadet. Frey worked in and out of class to achieve the rank of Cadet Private.
“There are academic, physical and drill components to each rank, so I had to basically demonstrate proficiency in drill and ceremony commands,” Frey said. “For the first few ranks, there is not a specific number or time or anything you have to get for exercises, you just have to complete the cadet challenge. I did a bunch of stuff over the summer for JROTC so that was still valid for me.”
Frey plans on attending the Air Force Academy after high school.
“I don’t really know what convinced me to try for the Air Force Academy,” Frey said. “I’ve always been a little interested in the military, but I think I just like the mix of academic and physical challenges that it presents.”
