APPROVED: Navy Accepts Coventry Application to Transition JROTC to NNDCC Program

COVENTRY, RI—After months of nail biting, lobbying and rallying, the fight to save a tradition at Coventry High School has ended with a victory.

The U.S. Navy has approved the school's application to transition the JROTC program to the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps program.

“I am beyond thrilled that the students at Coventry High School will have the opportunity to participate in the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps program,” said Coventry and West Greenwich Rep. Sherry Roberts, who announced the approval on Tuesday. “When the Air Force decided to pull its program from Coventry, I knew we needed to find another program which would provide these students with continued opportunities to put their leadership skills to work.”

Roberts lobbied for the JROTC program to be spared after the Air Force announced that it was pulling out of the school due to a decline in enrollment over the years.

The highly-regarded program, despite declining enrollment, was still an important thread in the fabric of Coventry's school community and supporters, students and their families were unwilling to imagine school and community events without their flags and colors. The Drill Team and its many championships. The cadets who went on to participate in ROTC in college and joined the military.

Students were devastated to learn that their program was ending because it was unable to attract the 100-plus students needed. The NNDCC program has a lower requirement of 50 students, and should be easy to meet. Despite the JROTC program showing a positive enrollment trend, when there was clearly no way to reverse the decision, the movement to transition began.

The application was held up with 23 other applications from high schools around the country due to federal budget issues.

Roberts and others applied as much pressure as they could on lawmakers and Navy officials to push the approval through, placing bi-weekly phone calls,recruiting former high-ranking Navy officials to write letters of support, and "dogged perseverance," she said.

“I am certain our cadets will continue to make their parents and their community proud in this new program,” Roberts said.

This story may be updated.