PARENTS AND STUDENTS MAY CONTACT Lt Col Kerry Lewis at: Office 512-841-9886/512-841-9944
Per AFJROTCI 36-2010, 7 May 2018 states: “The information and opinions contained in this Internet site do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Government, United States Air Force, Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development, or Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.”
OUR MISSION
I am Lt Col Kerry Lewis, welcome/welcome back to TX-20025 here at W. Charles Akins Early College High School in Austin, TX. The program's first year began in 2002 with approximately 110 cadets and we have grown every year since. JROTC is part of the Academy of Business, Legal, and Leadership Enterprises (ABLLE) but you do not have to be a member of this academy in order to take the class. All enrolled students are eligible to take the class and a PE/Elective credit is given for the course. We are located in the A Wing, Rooms 123/125.
Air Force JROTC's goal is to to build better citizens by stressing the importance of citizenship, self-esteem, self-respect, community service, pride in belonging, self-discipline, and personal responsibility. Cadets study and discuss the heritage of flight and navigation, aerospace vehicles, rocketry, propulsion, space travel, and aviation careers. Cadets are also introduced to military customs and courtesies, flag etiquette, basic drill, management, human relations, and communication skills. There is no military obligation with JROTC, nor does the program have a recruiting agenda. However, if students decide to enter the military after graduation, they may receive credit in the form of advanced rank, dependent upon the number of years in JROTC and the student's choice of military branch. For example, if the student chooses to enter the Air Force, they do so at two pay grades higher than other enlistees with no JROTC background. This puts them ahead of the average enlistee!
It is a requirement of the course curriculum that students wear the uniform, as a minimum, once a week. It is to be worn all day and is a graded requirement of the course weighted at 40% of the student's 6 week grade. Uniform wear is every Wednesday and Thursday, depending upon the student's A or B schedule. If the uniform is not worn on the prescribed day, the student has until the next uniform wear day to make it up, in order to receive partial credit or result in a zero for that week. All Cadets must adhere to strict uniform wear standards established by the Air Force, i.e. haircuts, shaves at all times, whether in uniform or not. This applies on uniform wear days and while in the classroom. Note: Please review the current Cadet Guide (posted here) for further info on uniform wear standards and appearance. Students will have access to a Cadet Guide listing all uniform and grooming standards. Continued disregard for uniform wear can result in dismissal from the course.
Students are not required to buy the uniform; it is issued to them at the beginning of the year and is returned (dry cleaned) at the end of the school year unless attending Cadet Leadership Course during the summer. Cadets returning the following school year may keep their uniforms over the summer.
Scholarships: 10% of all college ROTC scholarship offers are reserved for qualifying Air Force JROTC cadets.