The Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Warren Central High School equips members for life after competition and graduation.
Major Jim Holder, senior naval science instructor said, the program is available to students in grades 9-12 and  “if a student signs up they have a chance, but as they come into the program they have to be good students. They have to be passing their courses and have a good history of discipline,” Holder said.
The U.S. Navy sets the requirements of students. Holder said they expect the program to be a program of quality and not a program of rehabilitation. The program is offered to every student, however certain requirements must be met for them to be able to stay.
One requirement is that students must wear their uniform on uniform day, which is generally once a week.
“One of the big things is that students have to wear their uniform every week. That’s a huge thing. I don’t continue to carry someone who won’t wear their uniform” Holder said.
Holder said overall, he believes the results are good.
“I believe it makes them more responsible and gives them a foundation to start planning and organizing their lives,” he said.
Holder said in the past, there have been instances where the principal came to him and said that if it were not for the program those students would not have graduated.
“In the past I’ve had students that were very marginal and the program gave them the drive to stay involved,” he said.
Holder said nationwide JROTC students are more likely to attend class and more likely to have a lower discipline record overall.
“It’s a little bit better than the school population as a whole,” he said.
Holder said the program is very involved with the students.
He said his students have to work harder than the average student because he makes them work harder and wear a uniform and he scrutinizes what they’re doing in their other classes.
“We check their report cards every nine weeks. We follow up with them. If they have discipline problems we call parents,” he said.
Holder added that sometimes he would go visit with parents.
“We’re just very involved,” he said.
Holder said he loves the program.
“I just believe in it. I am an absolute ardent believer in the value of this program and what it does for the students,” he said.
The JROTC program has grown immensely since if first began in 1993. Holder said that in 2009, there were only 90 students. This year there are over 180 students.