JROTC students to compete in drill, rifle competition at Snohomish High

SNOHOMISH — Teams from seven area high schools are facing off in a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps drill and rifle competition here Saturday.

Students will be vying in air-rifle marksmanship and physical fitness contests, such as a one-mile run and timed pushups and situps. They’ll be marching in armed and unarmed drills and presenting the color guard.

The Snohomish High School Marine Corps JROTC unit is hosting the contest from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Ashley Wilkins, a sophomore at Snohomish High, is a squad leader for her JROTC class. She competes in co-ed rifle contests, shooting 20 pellets at targets that are 10 meters away to earn points.

“I’m a fairly good shot,” she said.

Wilkins, 14, said she’s a better shot than the boys, at least most of the time. She competed at a national JROTC rifle contest last week in Phoenix.

Despite the competitive aspects of the program, Wilkins said, the JROTC students are a tight-knit group.

“There’s a sense of involvement you have to have,” she said. “You have to have a connection with the people you work with.”

Captain William Lennon, a retired U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer, has taught the JROTC program at Snohomish High since 2008. Teenagers from Glacier Peak and Monroe high schools also take the class.

This year, 125 students are enrolled in Snohomish’s JROTC program. They are not obligated to join the military after high school.

“It’s a leadership class in the high school,” Lennon said. “We provide opportunities for students to lead and serve the school and their community.”

JROTC students focus on physical education as well as academic subjects, such as history and navigation with map and compass. They follow certain military-like procedures, such as standing at attention while attendance is taken at the start of class.

Students don their uniforms Fridays and are graded on their presentation. They follow the same standards as those who are enlisted for their appearance while in uniform.

Students also work on community service projects. Lennon said they work a combined 2,500 hours a year, doing blood drives, helping with school events or working alongside community groups.

Each JROTC student has to do at least 10 hours of community service every semester but many work beyond the requirement.

Lennon became a teacher after serving 20 years in the military. He hopes to pass lessons he learned on to the teenagers in the program.

“It’s to teach leadership and responsibility,” he said. “And to serve something bigger than themselves whether it be their school, their community or their country.”

Most students stay in the program all four years of high school. Lennon said watching them mature both physically and mentally during their time in JROTC is rewarding.

This weekend’s contest is an extracurricular activity for the students. Teams from Everett, Marysville, Snohomish, Arlington, Burlington, Oak Harbor and Tacoma will be competing.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.