BENTONVILLE -- The Bentonville School District this year started Northwest Arkansas' only Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.
The Navy program at the Bentonville High School has about 126 cadets from Bentonville and West high schools, said Cmdr. Mike Davis, Bentonville High's first naval science instructor.
Davis retired as a Navy surface warfare officer in 2015 after 28 years of active duty and Reserves service, he said.
A 2019 student interest survey led the district to recommend introducing a JROTC program, said Jennifer Morrow, district secondary education executive director. The board approved pursuing the program in October 2019.
"The district was contacted specifically by a naval advocate to pursue that program," Morrow said of the military branch affiliation.
ROTC is a program offered at hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide, which prepares young adults for careers as officers in the military. The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard all offer high school programs. There are 46 high school Junior ROTC programs in Arkansas.
Bentonville's is the sixth Navy Junior ROTC program in Arkansas and one of 620 in the world, Davis said. About 500,000 high school students participate in Junior ROTC programs internationally.
Springdale High School launched a Marine Corps Junior ROTC program in 2006, but the Marines halted it several years ago mainly because of a staffing issue, according to administrators.
Bentonville's program is off to a great start with 102 boys and 24 girls in grades 9-12, Davis said.
"It's a good program, even if you don't want to go into the military," said Merriella Vazquez, 17, of Rogers.
Vazquez, a senior, is serving as the program's command master chief, the senior enlisted leader in the program who helps implement policies concerning the unit's morale, welfare and training.
Vazquez said she plans to study business management and participate in a University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ROTC program after she graduates from high school.
The university has 135 students in its Army ROTC program and 60 students in its Air Force ROTC program, said John Thomas, University of Arkansas communications manager.
Matthew Freeman, 16, of Centerton serves as chief petty officer for his platoon and service chief for the Junior ROTC unit overall, he said.
"My primary job is to assist my platoon leader, and that is something I deeply enjoy," Freeman said.
Freeman, a junior, said he's interested in a career in the military and is considering attending one of the nation's military academies after high school.
"By serving your country, you can be anything from an accountant to a lawyer," he said, adding that his passion is aircraft engineering.
The students attend JROTC class two to three times a week, depending on the bell schedule, and learn about the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment, Davis said.
The program is about developing citizenship and students' leadership potential, rather than recruiting future service members, he said.
"We're going to study the science and the art of leadership," Davis said. "This is a laboratory of leadership."
Maddie Bashara, 16, of Rogers said she's "been learning a lot about myself and my aptitude as a leader and how I want to lead people. I've always kind of thought I'd be more of a strict leader, but I've actually been a lot more flexible than I maybe had initially imagined."
Bashara, a junior, said she's not interested in pursuing a career in the military and plans to study journalism or history in college.
Continued development of the JROTC program would allow the district to potentially add a second instructor for next school year and offer the next level of naval science instruction, Davis said.
Students can earn five to eight career focus or physical education credits from enrollment in the four levels of the program and affiliated teams, Morrow said.
The JROTC program has already developed a drill team and a color guard, and will be starting teams to compete against other JROTC programs, Davis said.
Establishing those four teams would make for a solid first year for the program, he said.
The Bentonville School Board approved an initial budget of $200,900 for the 2021-22 school year for the JROTC program, Morrow said. It will be less in future years because about half of the budget is startup costs, she said. The funding covers one staff member, class materials, a color guard, a competitive athletic team, marksmanship, developing an obstacle course, uniforms and travel.
The program won't be eligible for funding by the Navy until it has proved successful for about three years, Davis said. The school must demonstrate that the program has been embraced by the community, he said, noting that it has to maintain 100 participating cadets who are actively working toward academic success, community service endeavors, and participating in JROTC competitions and training.
"The most obvious long-term goal is to meet the standards that the Navy has to have," Davis said, adding that the look and feel of the program will continue to change as it develops.