CSM Mike Collis
CSM Mike Collis
email:
michael_collis@sarasota.k12.fl.us
Dear Music Battalion Cadets and Parents:
Welcome to Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). If this is your first year at SMA, welcome to the team. If you are a returning cadet, I am proud you elected to remain a part of this unique adventure. Your participation as a cadet in this program shows your willingness to make the most of your high school education. Over the course of this year you will be given the opportunity to hone your leadership skills, both physically and emotionally, in a balanced curriculum of study. Equally important to this training, however, is a performance component which will give you the opportunity to test your musical and acting techniques in front of a live audience, your fellow cadets.
As you are taking JROTC in conjunction with your music class, you will not be getting quite as much leadership instruction as your fellow SMA classmates. My commitment to you is to make the instruction and training you do get the very best possible. We will make up for quantity with quality. Here is some of what you can expect this year.
· Citizenship – Employability points.
· Leadership Theory and Application – Plan to succeed in JROTC and in life.
· Health and Physical Fitness – You must dress out and participate when required.
You will of course be getting an academic grade in JROTC, ½ a credit per quarter or 2 credits at the end of the year. As this grade will affect your grade point average and be listed on your school transfer it is important that you understand what I will be basing this grade on. Here is the breakdown: 70% will come from academics, 20% from employability, and 10% from your daily uniform inspection and your weekly formal inspection. Getting an A in JROTC is within each of your grasp. Work hard and do the right thing and you’ll be rewarded.
Rather than stressing the Don'ts of cadet behavior (don't be tardy, don't wear the uniform incorrectly, don't make bad decisions), I want to urge you to enjoy your JROTC experience and support your cadet chain of command. Here's what you need:
Full concentration: If you talk out of turn you will disrupt the concentration of everyone around you and you'll miss whatever is going on at that moment.
Relaxed bodies: Ready to laugh and listen and learn from other cadets experiences.
Open minds: Eager for new experiences and "question-making" rather than "answer-getting."
JROTC has the power to move us emotionally. Leadership training conveys ideas through images, sounds, movement and symbols, as well as words. It is okay to leave class with questions about meaning, with perceptions and ideas that vary from those of your friends, with emotional connections that may have a unique personal impact. Your responses to our training will be different from others, because each person brings something special and personal to class. There is no right or wrong responses. Your own positive involvement, coupled with your undivided attention during class is the key to making your JROTC a positive and rich experience.
If you have questions about what we are doing or where we are headed feel free to talk with me at school or call me when it is convenient. I sincerely look forward to being a part of your high school experience. Hooah!
Mike Collis, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army (Ret)
Cell phone # 941-812-5409
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