After months of collaboration and planning, Fenwick officially has been accepted by the U.S. Department of Defense to establish the program for the next school year, he said.
Following the comprehensive approval process and site visit, school leadership gained approval from Archbishop Robert Casey to bring this foremost youth leadership program to the Warren County Archdiocesan school, according to Strathmann.
Fenwick Principal Steven Herbert said the program will “support and enrich our Catholic tradition of service while preparing students to cultivate lives of purpose and meaning.”
By incorporating this leadership course into the core curriculum for incoming freshmen, Fenwick advances its mission of educating the whole student, Herbert said.
Strathmann said while Fenwick offers “stellar academics,” he said students today need more than that.
“What is that?” he asked.
After watching the local, national and cable news one night, Strathmann determined Fenwick students needed more leadership opportunities.
The JROTC program will explore principles of leadership, teamwork and citizenship through engaging classroom instruction, hands-on activities and community service, he said.
The Fenwick leadership team first talked to the chief of the JROTC program at Fort Knox in Kentucky, then with officials at an all-boys Catholic high school in Texas.
They were told that of the 585 boys in grades nine through 12, 280 of them participated in the JROTC program.
Strathmann was surprised to learn that only six to eight graduates entered the military.
But of the top 25 students in the school the last decade, all were ROTC members.
“It’s not about military recruitment,” he said. “It’s about leadership and putting our kids on the right path for what’s lacking in today’s society.”
He believes the JROTC program also can serve as a recruiting tool for Fenwick as it competes with other Catholic schools for students.
Fenwick joins thousands of public schools across the country that have leveraged JROTC to provide students with valuable life lessons and skills exploration, he said.
Strathmann called the high school years “a formative time for youth” and said JROTC “delivers an unparalleled opportunity to enhance their high school experience and gain broad exposure to varied career pathways while building their resumes and gaining a competitive edge, whether for college admissions, scholarships or life.”
To learn more, visit fenwickfalcons.org/jrotc/.
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