The program will be offered as an elective class for all high school students
Kingsley High School is proud to announce the launch of Northern Michigan’s first Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corp (NJROTC) - Enrollment for the Class is Now Open!
The brand new unit is the first program north of Flint, Michigan, and will be offered to all high school students as a daily elective class.
The NJROTC program offers a comprehensive four-year curriculum centered on naval science and leadership development. Students will explore topics like naval history, strategy, navigation, astronomy, meteorology, oceanography, marksmanship, and engineering.
These in-class experiences will be enriched by extracurricular activities that may include shooting practice, military site visits, ceremonies, and field trips.
The curriculum also incorporates essential life skills such as personal fitness, financial literacy, college prep, and mental health. The class will impart lessons applicable to every student, whether on a military trajectory or not.
“NJROTC has a lot of the things the community has asked for; SAT prep, financial planning, how to stand up to bullying, how to prepare a college application, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and managing anxiety and stress,” said KHS teacher Kristen Bauer. “When it comes to anxiety and stress, I mean you can’t talk about that to these kids enough.”
The class is not a recruiting program, but rather a class rooted in the core values of the Navy.
“The Navy is looking to start these programs across the country to help students gain better leadership, citizenship, and pride in their country,” said Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Mathew Barr.
Meet The Instructor: Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Barr
Enlisted in the Marine Corps because of 9/11, spent 15 years in the military
Worked in many positions including Helicopter Rope Suspension Instructor, Black Belt Martial Arts Instructor, Mortar Unit Leader, Infantry Unit Leader, Scout Sniper Unit Leader, Ground Combat Element Officer, and Infantry Instructor training thousands in war fighting and tactics.
Deployed to 40+ countries to work with and train American allies, conduct combat missions, lead training cycles, and execute deployments
“This class is for students who want to have the experience of the military and gain all the intangible stuff like leadership, integrity, commitment, and discipline. I guarantee students will never want to leave this class. It becomes a family, like a close-knit unit like we are in the military.”
Launching this program has been a dream years in the making for longtime KHS teacher Kristen Bauer. She was inspired initially by her uncle who was a student in the NJROTC. After visiting a unit at Belleville High School downstate, she met Gy. Sgt. Mathew Barr and knew it would be a great fit for Kingsley High School.
“This program helps every kind of student become active, acquire leadership skills, and give them that next level training they’ll need for college, trade school, or the workplace,” said Mrs. Bauer. “This isn’t just for one type of student. It takes a student from wherever they are now and helps them grow.
“It's about figuring out that you are stronger than you think, that you can do more than you think, and being able to stand up on your own and figure out that you're a powerful person.”
35+ students are already signed up, and enrollment will remain open through the first few weeks of the school year.
“I joined this class because it's stuff I love to do, and I just hate sitting in the classroom. I think it'd be really cool to be able to do all this stuff that I've done before and love to do,” said Junior Isaiah Cosgrove.
Interested students who would like to join the class can email Kristen Bauer at kbauer@kingsleyschools.org; or can request a schedule change by coming into KHS on August 29th from 8:00AM-3:30PM. Students are also invited to learn more at the all-schools Open House on August 26th from 6:30-8:00PM.
To learn more about the NJROTC, visit https://www.netc.navy.mil/nstc/njrotc/.
To learn more about NJROTC at KHS, email Kristen Bauer at kbauer@kingsleyschools.org or GySgt Mathew Bar at mbarr@kingsleyschools.org
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