District 49 advances Falcon High JROTC electives in archery and flight simulation

Sean O’Connor, principal of Falcon High School, told the District 49 board the JROTC proposals are aimed at increasing participation in the program. “The purposes of these courses are to grow, our JROTC program,” he said. Major Tony Wise, the senior aerospace science instructor, said the archery course will convert an after-school leadership-development activity into classroom instruction and then offer supervised archery practice to cadets. Board members raised safety and credit questions; Director Hile asked whether the archery course could receive PE credit, and Wise said some JROTC drill activities already count for PE and the district will review credit alignment.

For the flight simulator proposal, Ben Lopez said the course uses a computer-based flight-simulator program purchased through internal fundraising and is intended to teach basic flight procedures and flight-patterns. Lopez noted a tangible outcome of the program: one junior who completed the pathway received a $26,000 scholarship and attended flight school, “they were sent to flight school,” he said, and the student went on to earn a pilot license alongside a diploma.

Board members asked that the final course descriptions be edited to reflect a Space Force requirement that instructors be JROTC members; O’Connor said staff will make that change if the board approves moving the items forward. Students on the call and in the room expressed enthusiasm for both offerings. With no objections, the board agreed by consensus to move the course proposals forward for the next steps in the approval process.

The next steps are administrative: staff will update course language (to specify JROTC-only enrollment per the MOU), confirm any PE-credit alignment with counseling and athletics, and return the final course documents for formal board action.