High school can be a very rough time for everyone.  Sometimes people can find themselves falling into the wrong crowd just to fit in.  They feel as though they won’t be accepted by anyone else, and it is only option to belong to a group.  However, much like in life after high school, there will always be an alternative way of finding a sense of belonging and togetherness.  Lindenhurst Senior High has been lucky enough to include a program in the curriculum that has been teaching students not just discipline, but essential social skills that build character and prepare individuals for the successful life ahead of them.
     “The main thing my class does is give students a sense of unity.  It lets them become part of a group where they won’t be judged,” says Major Sureau, who runs the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps) program offered in our school with the help of his assistant, Master Sergeant Smith.  Cadets in the program don’t just earn grades; they build confidence, self esteem, and important organizational skills necessary to become a leader.  A very common misconception is that the JROTC program is designed to be a recruiting platform for the United States Marine Corps.  Whether or not a cadet decides to actually go into the military is entirely his or her choice with absolutely no obligation.  Another common fallacy with JROTC is that it is only for male students.  Forty percent of the cadets enrolled in the class are females.  
     JROTC isn’t your average elective course either.  All students participate in “PT” commonly known as physical training, which is done every Friday.  The activities for PT include football, hockey, stickball, kickball, and visits to the weight room.  On top of that, there are also exciting fieldtrips to the Statue of Liberty, marine bases, and drill competitions available to cadets.  JROTC also sets up many events for both the school and the community such as senior citizen balls, and security for after school events such as plays and safe Halloween.
     This year there is one large problem for this program.  For the school to receive government funding to run the JROTC, at least one hundred cadets need to be enrolled.  “There are only 84 students this year,” says Master Sergeant Smith.  “A lot of people dropped just because of our grooming standards. Your hairstyle doesn’t define who you are.”  Classes in the past have reached numbers of 140.  At the rate the current enrollment is going, JROTC might cease to exist in Lindenhurst Senior High School.
“Dedication is what people seem to lack,” says Cadet 2nd Lieutenant Nicole Connors.  “Not only would the loss of this program due to insufficient funding be a great loss to myself, but also to the people it could have helped.