ROTC Cadet: Classes Are A "Cheat Sheet" For Life.

By: C/CPO Jaclyn Veilleux, Public Affairs Officer

As the year comes to an end, cadets are excited to move up in their Naval Science classes. NS1s are excited about no longer being the ‘newbies’, NS2s are preparing for the higher level of responsibility and to contain their excitement of aviation training that awaits them in the fall.  

Finally the NS3s are patiently waiting to see where they stand in the staff and department head positions for the 2012-2013 school year. As for the NS4s, who will be graduating this upcoming June, their days of NJROTC are coming to an end.

While working on what they believe will be best for the unit in this upcoming year, they are also preparing for their own lives after high school. Both Lt. Commander Mark Dwinells (Ret.) and Master Sergeant Joseph Meehan (Ret.) are determined to set all cadets up for success.

In the NS1 class, they had just finished Basic First Aid, taught by the Master Sergeant, along with the help of Bethel High’s EMT students. The cadets learned how to; preform CPR (along with how to properly use an AED), use the Heimlech Maneuver, how to treat open wounds, and what to say when calling in an emergency to 9-1-1.

During class, Master Sergeant Meehan even took them on a field trip around the school to locate all of the AEDs. “We learned many different, helpful techniques that told us how to handle different emergencies. I loved learning First Aid, it was very interesting and all the high schoolers in EMT were very helpful and eager to help us learn,” Kari Kavall (’15) said.

With the ROTC program teaching these life-saving lessons, it’s nice to know there are students roaming around all areas of the school, prepared to take charge during a medical emergency.

As for the NS2s, they are learning about meteorology. Commander, naturally as a retired Sailor, knows a lot about the sky and what happens in it. “We went over layers of the atmosphere and lower pressure systems vs high. We also looked at dew points and the pressure systems of different areas. We are learning how to predict weather based on patters. It was interesting. Personally, I’m not a big science fan, so it wasn’t my favorite, but it’s definitely useful and helpful information everyone should know,” Caroline Renner (’14) said.

Knowing basic meteorology is a helpful lesson. Instead of depending on a peppy morning weatherman, cadets can decipher what the day will be like by themselves. This lesson could come in handy when preparing for and outdoor event or natural disasters.

The lesson given to the NS3s is mostly for fun, although there is learning involved. This lesson is given by Commander by using one of his favorite teaching techniques; project based learning.  The cadets are doing ship construction and design.

In the classroom, Commander goes over power-points and uses the white board for quick demonstrative drawings. Then they go to the shop room, and build. “We are building a model ferry boat with the top cut out so you can get anaerial view of the inside compartments, and it’s really fun,” Nigel Wasti (’13).

Commander and Master Sergeant work as a team in the NS4 class. Their lesson is Life 101. As an NS4 cadet, I can vouch that these lessons are definitely preparing the cadets and I for a successful life after high school.

Life 101 includes; proper car buying and maintenance 101, apartment renting 101, financing 101, etc. Sure, we may use the material taught in our core classes after graduation, but the material taught in these lessons are essential to living regardless of one’s desired future. “As a teenager, all of this information is often left for me to figure out on my own. But that leads to mistakes that can ruin my record for the rest of my adult life. Commander and Master Sergeant’s class gives me a cheat sheet in life that truly matters,” Ariel Ligowski (’12) said.

These few lessons are just a small percentage of what is learned in the four years enrolled in the program. There isn’t a lesson I personally have been through, that I didn’t like, and I’m excited to see what’s next to learn for the remainder of the year.