Local News - June 2003

ROTC to start at WLHS

Navy to establish first program in Lincoln

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

NJROTC is coming to WLHS ASAP.

West Lincoln High School was informed Wednesday it will have a Naval Junior ROTC program, Lincoln County Schools’ first, beginning in August.

“I was thrilled to death … ,” Principal Debra Morris said. “Now it is just a matter of getting students into the classes, and I think they’re going to be excited about it.”

Bringing ROTC into Lincoln County Schools was one of Jim Watson’s priorities when he became the school district’s superintendent two years ago. Lincoln was one of the few districts in the immediate area without one, and Watson, from his days as a high school principal, knew that ROTC could “instill character and pride in young people.”

An extracurricular survey taken by high school students last year showed a demand for ROTC. The highest percentage of interested students was at West, making it a good fit for the county’s first program.

Morris, like Watson, was very familiar with ROTC’s impact. Her recently completed doctoral dissertation dealt with the subject, and as principal at South Iredell High School, she saw it give students a niche.

“You have a lot of students who aren’t necessarily going to be on the football team or in the Beta Club, but they could be … ,” she said. “It’s for anybody.”

West received site visits during the school year from the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. But school officials weren’t sure how soon they could get a program since a limited number — just 40 in the Navy — are authorized each year.

“These programs are very competitive and hard to get and for us to be awarded one after 18 months exceeded my expectations,” Watson said.

Morris is convinced West was able to get a program relatively quickly because it already had an available facility, an old cafeteria left unoccupied after an addition to the school was completed. The area provides plenty of classroom, storage and office space but will require some renovations to make it ready for ROTC.

Students who expressed a desire to be in ROTC will be contacted in the coming weeks and will have to juggle their schedules to fit the naval science classes if they still want to participate in the first semester. Morris also plans to send a letter to incoming freshmen to gauge their level of interest.

The Navy will give Morris a list of candidates to choose from for the two instructors positions, a retired commissioned officer and a retired non-commissioned officer. As soon as they are hired, they will be brought to West to give their input on facility renovations.

The Navy covers most of the costs associated with ROTC, but the school is responsible for paying half the instructors’ salaries. A $61,000 line item for that purpose was dropped from the proposed 2003-04 school budget since the district had yet to secure a program. The county commissioners, however, indicated the money would be appropriated if and when West received ROTC.

With a program about to begin at West, the next step for the district, Watson said, is to “roll up our sleeves and identify the next high school that we’ll target for a program.”

“I won’t be happy or satisfied until all four high schools have Junior ROTC programs,” he said.

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Staff Writer Jeremy Ashton can be reached at 704-735-3031 or jashton@ltnews.com.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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