Despite some critics, Eisenhower High's JROTC program is training students in marksmanship
From today's paper
By Janice Neumann
Special to the Tribune
Posted November 6 2003
They may not hit all their targets, but the Eisenhower High School students in marksmanship class appear to be masters of discipline as they dutifully follow the commands of their military instructors.
And that's the aim of this shooting exercise--to promote self-control and safe handling of weapons.
Eisenhower in Blue Island began offering marksmanship this fall as part of its Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, which has about 200 students. The shooting component is taken by 17 juniors and seniors.
The District 218 school board approved the marksmanship program a year ago as an adjunct to its 2-year-old JROTC program.
Several board members were initially skeptical about adding shooting, citing safety concerns.
"At first they were thinking of a regular army rifle, but once the board saw a presentation by [the instructor], they overwhelmingly approved it," said Ron Kyler, District 218 curriculum director. The program uses pellet guns and emphasizes safety precautions, discipline and respect for weaponry.
School Board President Michael Stillman said, "There's always the worry of guns in school, but this is a structured program that truly is run well and has professionals running it."
The program also needed the approval of the Marine Corps and the Navy. Parental permission is required for students to participate.
A handful of area schools with JROTC programs offer marksmanship. Chicago offered it in 33 schools until 1999 when then-schools chief Paul Vallas abolished the programs. He said at the time: "We don't want to send a contradictory message in the school by, on the one hand, discouraging the use of firearms and being tough on violence and then, on the other, having a marksmanship curriculum."
Many Chicago JROTC students complained that Vallas overreacted to school shootings elsewhere, but critics of school-based programs share his view.
"I think there's a general consensus among educators and parents that guns don't belong in schools. We have seen the price that has been paid by students bringing guns to schools," said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Larry Resendez, a retired chief warrant officer with the U.S. Marine Corps who started Eisenhower's JROTC program and helps teach it, noted that the students involved in those high-profile school shootings weren't in JROTC programs.
"It develops life skills, such as self-control, self-discipline, emotional control, concentration and focus, which a lot of kids don't have today because they've never been taught how to concentrate on a subject," Resendez said.
Students in marksmanship spend three weeks learning safety procedures and have to pass a safety test before they can start shooting. They have been practicing shooting about four days a week since the end of September, using air rifles with lead pellets, lying behind a firing line about 33 feet from their targets.
Five students shoot at a time, aiming for 12 black bull's-eyes on a sheet of paper in front of a metal pellet trap.
Students do not touch their pellets or guns until they are given the order to do so. After class, instructors lock the guns in a safe.
Instructors follow guidelines from the Civilian Marksmanship Program of Port Clinton, Ohio, which provides a safety curriculum, coordinates competitions and gives out $1,000 college scholarships to students who excel.
Gary Anderson, director of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, said there are about 230 JROTC programs overseen by the Marine Corps, about 550 by the Navy and about 1,800 by the Army, with about 75 percent of them having marksmanship. (Air Force JROTC programs do not include marksmanship.)
Anderson said accidents are rare. "It [marksmanship] requires a very high level of self-control or emotional control. In most sports you can let your emotions go," he said.
Students enjoy the rigid structure of the course and the challenge of hitting their targets, even when orders are being bellowed at them.
"You're always being watched [in marksmanship and JROTC classes], so it teaches you to be respectful to everyone," said Katelyn Contreras, 17, of Blue Island . Imagine that--ed.
Contreras, who hopes to go into law enforcement, said students who fail to wear their uniforms or forget to bring safety goggles and ear protectors have to stay outside the classroom during shooting.
Michael Paulmeyer, 20, of Merrionette Park, a 2002 graduate who took the JROTC course his senior year, said it was invaluable in preparing him for a career in the service. Paulmeyer, a lance corporal in the Marines who recently returned from Iraq and was visiting Resendez, said marksmanship would have been an important asset had it been available when he took the course.
"It's kind of like a confidence thing," Paulmeyer said. "It's an obstacle for you to overcome, and it gives you a goal. The class teaches you how to ... not wander aimlessly," he said.
From today's paper
By Janice Neumann
Special to the Tribune
Posted November 6 2003
They may not hit all their targets, but the Eisenhower High School students in marksmanship class appear to be masters of discipline as they dutifully follow the commands of their military instructors.
And that's the aim of this shooting exercise--to promote self-control and safe handling of weapons.
Eisenhower in Blue Island began offering marksmanship this fall as part of its Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program, which has about 200 students. The shooting component is taken by 17 juniors and seniors.
The District 218 school board approved the marksmanship program a year ago as an adjunct to its 2-year-old JROTC program.
Several board members were initially skeptical about adding shooting, citing safety concerns.
"At first they were thinking of a regular army rifle, but once the board saw a presentation by [the instructor], they overwhelmingly approved it," said Ron Kyler, District 218 curriculum director. The program uses pellet guns and emphasizes safety precautions, discipline and respect for weaponry.
School Board President Michael Stillman said, "There's always the worry of guns in school, but this is a structured program that truly is run well and has professionals running it."
The program also needed the approval of the Marine Corps and the Navy. Parental permission is required for students to participate.
A handful of area schools with JROTC programs offer marksmanship. Chicago offered it in 33 schools until 1999 when then-schools chief Paul Vallas abolished the programs. He said at the time: "We don't want to send a contradictory message in the school by, on the one hand, discouraging the use of firearms and being tough on violence and then, on the other, having a marksmanship curriculum."
Many Chicago JROTC students complained that Vallas overreacted to school shootings elsewhere, but critics of school-based programs share his view.
"I think there's a general consensus among educators and parents that guns don't belong in schools. We have seen the price that has been paid by students bringing guns to schools," said Josh Sugarmann, executive director of the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Larry Resendez, a retired chief warrant officer with the U.S. Marine Corps who started Eisenhower's JROTC program and helps teach it, noted that the students involved in those high-profile school shootings weren't in JROTC programs.
"It develops life skills, such as self-control, self-discipline, emotional control, concentration and focus, which a lot of kids don't have today because they've never been taught how to concentrate on a subject," Resendez said.
Students in marksmanship spend three weeks learning safety procedures and have to pass a safety test before they can start shooting. They have been practicing shooting about four days a week since the end of September, using air rifles with lead pellets, lying behind a firing line about 33 feet from their targets.
Five students shoot at a time, aiming for 12 black bull's-eyes on a sheet of paper in front of a metal pellet trap.
Students do not touch their pellets or guns until they are given the order to do so. After class, instructors lock the guns in a safe.
Instructors follow guidelines from the Civilian Marksmanship Program of Port Clinton, Ohio, which provides a safety curriculum, coordinates competitions and gives out $1,000 college scholarships to students who excel.
Gary Anderson, director of the Civilian Marksmanship Program, said there are about 230 JROTC programs overseen by the Marine Corps, about 550 by the Navy and about 1,800 by the Army, with about 75 percent of them having marksmanship. (Air Force JROTC programs do not include marksmanship.)
Anderson said accidents are rare. "It [marksmanship] requires a very high level of self-control or emotional control. In most sports you can let your emotions go," he said.
Students enjoy the rigid structure of the course and the challenge of hitting their targets, even when orders are being bellowed at them.
"You're always being watched [in marksmanship and JROTC classes], so it teaches you to be respectful to everyone," said Katelyn Contreras, 17, of Blue Island . Imagine that--ed.
Contreras, who hopes to go into law enforcement, said students who fail to wear their uniforms or forget to bring safety goggles and ear protectors have to stay outside the classroom during shooting.
Michael Paulmeyer, 20, of Merrionette Park, a 2002 graduate who took the JROTC course his senior year, said it was invaluable in preparing him for a career in the service. Paulmeyer, a lance corporal in the Marines who recently returned from Iraq and was visiting Resendez, said marksmanship would have been an important asset had it been available when he took the course.
"It's kind of like a confidence thing," Paulmeyer said. "It's an obstacle for you to overcome, and it gives you a goal. The class teaches you how to ... not wander aimlessly," he said.
