Dozens of Interested Students Signup After Exciting Look at Public Service
MTSD students surround US Coast Guard helicopter for a tour after a surprise field landing.
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, NJ – Fifty-six Middle Township School District eighth graders signed up to learn more about the high school’s Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) after the district’s first ever Recruiting Day on Wednesday, April 25.
The exciting day featured a landing and tour of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and small boat, a demonstration by the Cape May County Sheriff Department’s K-9 Unit, an opportunity to work the firehose by the Goshen Volunteer Fire Company and other public service entities. The day was facilitated by the current Middle Township High School NNDCC cadets, who also lead the prospective cadets in marches and different drills.
“The day was just perfect,” said MTHS NJROTC Instructor Lieutenant Commander Susan Blood. “The most students we’ve ever had sign up to learn more about the program in previous years was just 12, but we’ve never done a Recruiting Day like this before. In addition to learning more about the NNDCC, students got to see firsthand how exciting and rewarding a career in public service can be.”
The Middle Township High School NNDCC is a leadership and character development program where cadets learn the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment, and are instilled with the values of citizenship, service to our community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment. This program is available for students in grades 9 through 12.
Over the course of the fourth and final marking period, the interested eighth graders will spend their “Panther Block,” a period of time used for electives, to spend time with the cadets to get a more in-depth look at the program before committing. Through the NNDCC program, students learn to be accountable for their professional and personal behavior and become mindful of the privilege of serving fellow Americans. Students also learn the moral and mental strength to do what is right, with confidence and resolution, even in the face of temptation or adversity, as well as day-to-day duties to join as a team to improve the quality of their work, their people and themselves.
“This program is so important to not only the students who currently participate, but to those who understand the value of what’s being taught,” said MTHS Principal Sharon Rementer. “Lieutenant Commander Blood has put her heart and soul into instilling character and discipline into those willing to learn.”