Canyons School District is launching its first Naval Cadet Corps, marking one of the few high school military and leadership education programs available to students living at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley.
The National Naval Defense Cadet Corps will be housed at Jordan High School and aims to instill leadership, citizenship and character development in students through a military-style curriculum and extracurricular activities.
The Navel Cadet Corps curriculum emphasizes STEM learning and hands-on technical training, Jordan High School Principal Bruce Eschler said at a September board meeting.
“We really, on this end of the valley, have an opportunity to add a program that is unique,” Eschler said.
The nearest military education program, more commonly referred to as Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), is offered at Herriman High School in the Jordan School District, though it is Army-affiliated, Jordan District officials said.
Other neighboring districts, Alpine and Murray, do not offer JROTC programs, district officials said. Murray students are permitted to participate in Taylorsville High’s Army JROTC, according to Murray District officials, which is part of the Granite School District.
Students who complete at least three years of the National Naval Defense Cadet Corps will be able to enlist in the Navy, Air Force, Army or Marine Corps at a higher pay grade.
The program will begin in the fall on 2024 and is open to all Canyons District high school students grades 9-12. If interested, those outside the district can seek permission to join the program.
Aiming for a Navy JROTC
Canyons aims to eventually transition the Naval Cadet Corps into a fully-fledged Navy JROTC program, said district spokesperson Kirsten Stewart.
Military branches cover the bulk of expenses for their affiliated JROTC programs, which includes reimbursing schools for half the minimum instructor pay as well as funding uniforms and equipment, according to district documents.
For the Naval cadet program, however, Canyons District will be responsible for the majority of costs. The Navy will provide books and curriculum materials. Navy JROTC and Navy Cadet Corps are similar programs, Eschler said.
“They are functionally the same,” he said. “Your instructors, your curriculum, your coursework, is exactly the same...The main difference is just cost.”
District officials estimate the startup costs will be around $42,500 which includes a licensed instructor, 100 uniforms, equipment and instructor training costs.
The first cohort of students will be capped at 110, with the goal of maintaining at least 100 students over a three-year period, which will qualify the program to transition to NJROTC. Once that happens, the Navy will absorb most of the costs.
Applications will open to students in mid-November, but an exact date has not yet been determined. To enroll, students must be at least 14 years old, be physically qualified to participate in the school’s normal physical education program and be in good academic standing.
