By Nate Meleo '95, Faculty
At the beginning of school, I had a number of students approach me about starting a military club. These students were all interested in applying to the service academies (possibly using Tabor's direct nomination ability) or going ROTC in college. Some were just interested in the more tangible elements of military "stuff" like survival skills or leadership training. At the time, I told them two main things: I wasn't interested in advising a club that never met, and that the best way to learn about the military was to be somewhat immersed in a military culture.
The idea then moved towards creating a "Tabor Cadet Corps," similar to JROTC programs in public schools, that was structured like a small military unit. So, that's what we did. The corps meets every Thursday morning at 6 am and conducts a whole host of activities, including group leadership projects, team-building activities, marching and drill, survival skills workshops, strategy games, etc. We've had about 16-18 kids showing up each week, actively engaged, and having a great time. We talk a lot about Tabor's heritage, and link what we're doing back to some of Tabor's history. The cadets are "ranked," with upperclassmen taking on the leadership roles.
The students helped design a cadet uniform to wear on meeting days and bought the uniforms with their own money. The red shoulder cordon indicates Tabor's colors, and the bars on the left pocket show a student on the honor roll.
For the future, we hope to take on school wide responsibilities such as raising and lowering the flags on certain days. We're also planning trips like indoor rock climbing, hiking, camping, and perhaps marching in local marion parades. (Some of our alums will remember that!)
Tabor's continued status as a Naval Honor School and our ability to nominate candidates directly to the service academies is a valuable niche for Tabor. The "Cadet Corps" may offer another avenue of opportunity for students to simply investigate a potential service or career path, or open avenues to trade some service to our country in exchange for a college degree.
