Army JROTC at Toms River schools reports rapid growth, new competitions and leadership events

Colonel (ret.) Javier Cortez and Sergeant 1st Class (ret.) Long presented an overview of the district’s Army Junior ROTC (GRTC) program, describing its mission to develop leadership, citizenship and academic excellence and highlighting co-curricular offerings including drill team, Raiders, JLab and the Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC).

“It's about building better citizens…we talk about academic excellence, which is number one,” Cortez said as he reviewed program activities and photos. He said the program emphasizes community service (a minimum 20 hours required in the syllabus) and peer leadership, and that cadets participate in Veterans Day events, a Run for the Fallen and other community service opportunities.

Cortez said the program began with 33 cadets in its first year, cited figures of 55 and 77 for subsequent years as he described recent growth, and projected the program could reach about 100–120 cadets next year. He also said that if enrollment exceeded about 160 cadets for three consecutive years, the board would need to consider hiring a third instructor to meet cadet-command standards.

Presenters described competitive and enrichment opportunities: the JLab academic bowl reached level 2 this year (with level 3 yielding an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C.), Raiders competition placed second in initial events, and the JCLC (a 5–7 day summer program at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst) runs with a district fee of $25 for New Jersey cadets.

Board members asked about instructional time and scheduling; Cortez said cadets attend a 43-minute class plus daily physical training and after-school co-curriculars are offered Monday through Thursday. The board thanked the instructors for their service to students.