Already Boasting 90 Cadets, New Program Is Officially Activated

Patapsco High School was more than ready for the Army JROTC.

It was there in the crisp salutes of the cadets, 90 strong in just the program’s first year. It was there in the way parents and community members filled the school’s auditorium on the day of the unit’s official activation, flashing snapshots and aiming camcorders. It was there in the words of the officers and administrators who worked so long to bring an Army JROTC to the school.

Pride.

Dedication.

Service.

Seven years after the school first applied for it, Patapsco High School had its Army JROTC program at last.

“This is a real celebration today,” Patapsco Principal Fred Prumo told those who attended the activation ceremony recently. “The concept of having the JROTC at Patapsco High School has been a long journey, but we made it.”

In a sometimes emotional ceremony, Mr. Prumo joined military officials and BCPS Superintendent Dr. Joe A. Hairston in welcoming the new program to the school. They watched as an honor guard unfurled for the first time the newly designed flag of the school’s JROTC unit. They greeted parents and lauded former school administrators who had helped initiate and then guide the school’s application for a unit. And they beamed as they watched the cadets march into the school’s auditorium and raise a “Hoo-aah!” in appreciation of the unit’s activation.

After former Principal Lyle Patzkowsky initiated the application in 1996, Col. Bruce Kahl led the effort to shepherd the school’s bid through the channels of the U.S. Department of Defense and the JROTC program. Patapsco’s became the 11th JROTC unit in Baltimore County’s 25 high schools and only the second affiliated with the U.S. Army.

“Our first step was to make them look good on the outside,” said Col. Kahl, noting the cadets’ sharp new uniforms. “Our next step is to build them on the inside.”

The program also serves as a good example of the classroom-based benefits funded through the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, also known as “Thornton.” The JROTC program at Patapsco became a reality in part thanks to $206,000 in Thornton monies in the fiscal year 2004 BCPS operating budget.

The program not only prepares students for leadership positions in the military, but it supports a variety of skills and benefits to participants and the school.

“It’s a true leadership program in that it is focused on citizenship and the responsibilities that come with that,” said Charlene Bonham, Manager of Career and Technology Education for BCPS.

To the cadets, Bonham added, “I was 43 years old before I knew what ‘hoo-ahh’ meant. It’s a word, but it’s a special word. It signifies a spirit that I hope you will carry with you for the rest of your lives.”

For Dr. Hairston, growing up on military installations provided an array of leadership skills he now uses as Superintendent. He, too, noted the enthusiasm for JROTC at Patapsco.

“This program didn’t exist on July 1st, and look at it now,” he said. “This was an opportunity to thank the people that made this happen.”

See event photos

Story and Photos by Charles Herndon Communications Officer