New Club Instills Discipline and Leadership in Middle Schoolers

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When a Mansfield ISD counselor noticed that some students at her campus were not getting involved in the available extra-curricular activities, she decided to create one that helped build structure and self-confidence into children’s lives.

Catherine Wimbrey recalled how Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs helped teenagers when she was growing up in California.

So, she picked up the phone and called the JROTC instructor at Mansfield High School to see if he could help bring a similar program to Rogene Worley Middle School.

“I was excited that she contacted us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Kinnel. “I was willing and able to help young students because if you reach the youth, you reach the world.”

Groups are divided into males and females for detailed instruction.

The award-winning high school cadets go to the middle school every Tuesday after school to lead the Junior Cadet Corp club. It’s a structure Kinnel said is a mutual benefit.

“We feed the kids what they need, and then they lead it,” Kinnel continued. “Kids want you to be out their way. They want to show you what they can do.”

The middle schoolers learn different techniques in color guard, marching and armed drills. Wimbrey said she has seen a positive change in the students already.

“There’s a drop in discipline issues, and students are more organized and motivated,” she said.

Because of the club’s success, a similar club was recently started at Brooks Wester Middle School. Wimbrey said she hopes it continues to make an impact in the youth.

“I’m invested into it because I love our students. There are so many of them that I believe that if they had the leadership, if they had the discipline, if they had the family, so many of them would go further in life. Overall lives are being changed by this program.”

Approximately 20 middle school students participate in Worley Middle School’s Junior Cadet Corp. Most of the students said they will join a JROTC program when they get to high school.

A Soldier’s Surprise Family Reunion

What started as a school assembly ended up being a surprise family reunion.

Sgt. 1st Class Ed Rosado deployed to Kuwait in March. His sons thought he’d be returning home the day before Thanksgiving, but the homecoming came a week in advance.

The U.S. Army soldier has one son at Imogene Gideon Elementary School and another at Timberview High School. School administrators helped the family come up with a way to surprise the boys at one location.

“We had an assembly, and I invited Timberview High School’s JROTC cadets over to present the colors,” said Shanee Charles, principal of Gideon Elementary. “We invite Timberview students over here all the time for different events, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary.”

The assembly featured people in or wanting to be in the military, and the students had the opportunity to ask questions.

The Rosado family is grateful to be together for the holidays.

Toward the end of the event, a video played of Rosado sending greetings from overseas. To the crowd’s surprise, he was standing right there in the back of the cafeteria.

“As soon as I saw his face, I knew it was unbelievable. I was excited,” said Janmanuel Rosado, fourth-grader at Gideon Elementary. “It was like the best day of my life.”

“I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t help it,” said Timberview senior Jose Rosado, who was recently accepted into the U.S. Air Force. “Without my dad, I wouldn’t be here.”

Many in the crowd were in tears to see the family’s reunion. The father said he is grateful to the Mansfield ISD teachers who look out for his sons while he’s away and for everyone coming together to make the assembly happen.

“Being able to surprise my kids is amazing,” the 19-year serviceman explained. “It’s indescribable.”

Rosado said it’s always a wonderful feeling to be able to return to his wife and children so that he can be a part of the daily routines once again.

Land of the Free Because of the Brave

No matter which Mansfield ISD school you stepped foot into on Veterans Day, there was a recurring theme of extreme gratitude from staff and students.

Veterans were invited to an array of events, which included flag raisings, free breakfast, patriotic programs, and parades. It may not seem like a big gesture—and compared to the sacrifice our service men and women make to serve our country, it’s not—but it was a token of appreciation that went a long way for those who served and are serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

A veteran at one of the campus events wearing
a reminder that freedom costs.

For Lyle Keith, who retired from the U.S. Army with a ranking of Spec. 5, programs like “Bring a Vet to Lunch” at Elizabeth Smith Elementary are special.

“I’m the only vet in the family for my granddaughters, so I took a day off to be here,” said Keith who has two granddaughters at Smith Elementary. “I feel it’s very important because it gives these children a heritage and teaches respect for veterans.”

Grace Lindsay, second lieutenant in Summit High School’s JROTC program, said she’s proud to celebrate Veterans Day because veterans are the foundation of the country.

“They’re the people who’ve given us what we need—the people who’ve shown us that we can do our stuff with them as our front line,” said Lindsay. “They can protect us and still keep us safe even when we’re at school.”

Because we realize that freedom is not free, MISD thanks all those who served the U.S. in times of war and peace. Veterans Day is celebrated once a year every Nov. 11, but our appreciation will last a lifetime.


View the full Mansfield ISD Veterans Day 2015 photo gallery here.