Evening star., 1948-10-07
Voted
To Revita|ize.
Cadet Corps
| School Board Seeks
| Reserve Officer Aid
As Port of Plan
By Colt .HendIey, yr.

py Soit Henoiey, ".
An attempt to get the Army to
furnish reserve officers to act az
instructors heads the extensive
plans which have been adopted by
the Board Of Education in an effort
to revive the depleted High School
Cadet Corps.
The board yesterday heard School
Supt. Hobar M. Corning present .
detailed analysis of what Is wrong
with the cadet corps-or what cadet
leaders and school of1icials think is
wrong.
One fact was clear. In 1910 .
total of 2,156 boys were enrolled in
the cadets in the white high schools,
which was 3l.1 per cent of all the
boys in the schools. Now, however.
only 629 boys are in the cadets,
This represents 12.5 per cent of the
boys in school.
Points of Program.
The changes. which are hoped will
boost enrolment, were arrived at
after series of conferences in the
past two weeks with cadets, their
instructors. school principals and
other school officers. The ma jor
points, as presented by DR.. Corning,
were:
The Army will be asked to resume
furnishing reserve officer instruc-
tors-something it did until 1889,
when an economy drive eliminated
the practice.
Individual schools will be allowed
to try various plans for the place
ment Of the cadet program within
the school day-on an experimental
basis-so that possible city-wide
changes may be made during the
next school year. At present. the
cadets do all their drilling outside Of
school hours.
Would Relax Rules.
The present rules which limit drill
time to two Commute periods q
week. Sitting healthy enthusiasm"
in the opinion of many cadet leaders,
will be relaxed. How much has not
been decided.
A program Of education to show
the advantages of the cadets will be
instituted among the parents, the
boys in high school, and more i'm
portant. the boys in junior high
school. This may take the form Of
pamphlets. meetings at which lead
ing cadets speak and recruiting
drives among the boys by old cadets.
Certain aspects Of the junior ROTC
will be worked into their program
to "revitalize" it. Specifically, this
will include the physical fitness pro-
gram of the ROTC, which will bs
incorporated into the physical educa-
tion program in the schools.
Uniforms will be obtained at q
much lower price. DR.. Corning said
one company could furnish the uni
forms at $23 for enlisted cadets and
$3o.65 for officers. These will be
reconditioned Army uniforms. the
same color and design as the present
uniforms. Last year the boys had
to pay $3.50 and $3.50 for uniforms.
42T in Colored Schools.
The situation in the colored high
schools is not as bad. The colored
schools have 999 caoets out of 2372
boys enrolled, or 42.1 per cent Of
the number. at school. The cadets
in these schools reached a peak Of
s7.1 per cent of the boys in 1945,
dropped to 1916 per cent the follow
ing year but have been climbing
steadily ever since.
1t was the low enrolment in the
cadet corps in the white high schools
that prompted the Army to ask
school officials to take some RENE.
dial action. indicating that Army
support might be withdrawn from
six of them If this were not done.
Present at the meeting yesterday
were Richard Riddell. representing
the Reserve Ofdcers' Association.
and L. S. Mann, representing the
Military Order of the World Wars.
Gen. Gay Working on Plan.
MI. mdIlIl GOlu tliC UOd1u tAlAt
Maj. Gen. Hobart r. Gay, com.
manding officer of the Military Dis
trict of Washington. is trying to
work out a plan whereby reserve
officers on inactive status would
give two days a week to helping
the cadets.
He pointed out that the law re-
quires each boy to serve in the
J corps. unless he is excused by a
doctor or upon the request of q
parent or guardian" He said the
cards, which school principals send
J home by the boys each year to be
signed by the parents, are an invi-
tation for parents to sign.
He suggested that copy of the
law alone be sent the parents, and
II they want their son to be ex.
cused they must write a letter.
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