NJROTC does it again

By Dennisconnoly • May 5, 2011 8:17 am
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It’s hard to beat this record.

The Oak Harbor High School Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps unarmed drill team is shown here in January at Glacier Peak High School. The team recenlty placed fourth out of 12 in a regional competition. Photo Courtesy of Bill Thiel

For six years in a row, and 10 out of the last 11 years, Oak Harbor High School’s Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, Wildcat Company, has been named a Distinguished Unit with Academic Honors.

Being named 10 out of 11 years is a distinct honor and means, among other things, that principal Dwight Lundstrom will be able to make three student nominations from next year’s senior NJROTC students to each military academy — the Naval Academy, West Point and the Air Force Academy.

Between them, the academies reserve 20 spots for JROTC students. Being part

The armed drill team of Oak Harbor High School’s NJROTC. Photo courtesy of Bill Thiel

of a Distinguished Unit with Academic Honors can give students an advantage, although they still have to do well academically.

A nomination from their school’s principal can work to a student’s advantage, and hopefully help them get one of the coveted slots.

The OHHS group is part of Area 13, which includes Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Nevada, Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Hawaii, Alaska, Guam and Japan.

Only 17 schools in those areas were named Distinguished Units and only nine of those earned academic honors.

It illustrates plenty of hard work for Oak Harbor instructors Mike Black and Bill Thiel, who head up the NJROTC.

But Black  thinks it’s the students, their teachers and their parents who should get most of the credit.

“We get a lot of support from parents and the school, but it’s mainly because of the kids,” Black said.

He said Area 13 has a manager that puts the kids through inspection.

How the NJROTC unit performs in inspection, along with factors such as how many students are taking honors classes, how many are in student government, how many are team captains, how many work on service programs and others things all figure into the results.

“We have a good and healthy program and the students take advantage,” Black said.

Oak Harbor has the largest JROTC in the state, at 176, and next year 205 are expected, according to the number pre-registered.

For some, being part of a Distinguished Unit with Academic Honors plays a big role in their future.

“Some of our students have an appointment to a military academy because of it,” said Black.

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