Woodrow Wilson High School has a long history with JROTC. The school has had a program since its founding in 1928, leading the nation with the largest program until the 1950s, which had 16 companies and a band.
Though the program is smaller today, this year’s cadets experienced a 158% increase in enrollment — something Woodrow Wilson JROTC educator Sergeant Major Arturo Martínez attributes to support from the school’s administration and community.
“We think it’s the concerted effort of the teamwork going on at the school with the administrators, the district, the JROTC initiatives and the summer camp we introduced to the students,” Martínez says. “The teamwork benefits the students, and I think that all combined is making the attendance enrollment a positive trend.”
More than 180 students in Woodrow’s program participate in activities, such as drill competitions, Leadership and Academic Bowl, STEM Camp and Cadet Leadership Challenge. Much of this curriculum aligns with Common Core State Standards and Career and Technical Education clusters, granting core credits. Students who chose it as an elective receive a physical education credit and can be in the program as long as they’d like, from one semester to all four years.
“Sometimes people get the idea that [JROTC] is like a recruiting tool for the military, but Congress established this program to make better citizens,” Martínez says. “That’s the mission that we have.”
The curriculum is focused on self-discipline, self-confidence and leadership through uniform requirements, drills and leadership training. Dallas ISD’s JROTC program hosts a four-day summer camp that exposes students to robotics, cyber security, archery and obstacle courses.
“It’s pretty noticeable how these young students come into the program and through the different activities such as robotics, the drones, the cybersecurity, the color guard … all of those things develop different aspects in the students,” Martínez says.
For some Woodrow students, enrolling in the program is a pathway to higher ranks in the military.
“The main reason I joined is because I wanted to go into the Air Force,” says Mia Alvarado, a senior at Woodrow. “I fell in love with the program … We learned so much about ourselves that we never knew. Like me, for example, I didn’t know that I was good with the rifle until I started shooting with it. Or I was good at helping other people out until I joined this program.”
Others join for the competition and elective opportunities, or the opportunity to learn to get out of their shell.
“This program is beneficial for everyone,” Arturo Rodriguez says, a junior at Woodrow. “I think everybody should join for one year or semester just to get the experience … this can change your trajectory and give you a new perspective.”
