US Coast Guard JROTC
While the Navy has Junior Reserve Officer Training Courses (JROTC) at many high schools throughout the nation, the Coast Guard only has one - located at MAST Academy. MAST stands for Maritime and Science Technology High School. It's part of the Miami-Dade Public School system, the fourth largest school district in the nation with 32,000 students. MAST Academy has 550 students, a diverse group chosen from the Miami area. In 1989, the 101st Congress authorized the establishment of the first Coast Guard JROTC program with sponsorship by the late Florida Congressman Claude Pepper (it is named the Claude Pepper Coast Guard JROTC). The Coast Guard Recruiting Command helped get the program developed.
The idea for this unique maritime-theme school was born in 1984 when city leaders realized minorities were not a significant part of the marine industry. On April 5, 1991, a groundbreaking ceremony for MAST Academy was held and the school opened its doors in late summer that same year. The school is located near the bustling port of Miami across Biscayne Bay on Virginia Key. It is housed on the former site of Planet Ocean, after the school system purchased the 11.2-acre site from the University of Miami.
The mission of the MAST Academy is to provide a nurturing culture and marine setting for studies and activism leading to academic success, career preparation, an appreciation of the sea and the environment, and lifelong personal development. The MAST Academy is a nationally recognized U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and a New American High School Showcase Site with an innovative marine theme. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige visited two years ago, and VADM Thad Allen, Coast Guard Chief of Staff, walked the hallways in November 2002.
Acceptance at MAST is very competitive - it takes hard work and just a wee bit of luck. Students applications are based on a point system including grades and an interview. Then, a lottery is held to make the final selections with about 120-140 chosen each year. Nearly 100 percent of MAST's graduates go on to college. If graduates of the MAST Academy's JROTC program go the enlisted route, they come out of Coast Guard boot camp at Cape May as E-3s.
MAST Academy's facility is built around a nautical theme, including portholes, lighthouses, docks and masts. The building includes 108,600-square feet and has a multi-purpose auditorium, five atriums for display purposes, recreation center, bayside cafeteria, conference rooms, Olympic pool, boat house and a maritime and science park. The middle room is the drill room, a large airy space with high ceilings.
The medals and awards locker is located in the back of the room and a USCG JROTC logo is painted on the front wall. Desks with computers line one of the walls. The third room is the senior staffing area, which also contains desks, computers and even a display of USCG ballcaps donated to JROTC by former MCPOCG Vince Patton. Bulletin boards in the hallways and classrooms are full of Coast Guard paraphernalia, including stories about Coast Guard heroes, from former Commandants to Ida Lewis, from crusty chiefs to World War II SPARs. Students choose JROTC as an elective and about 160 students are involved - or about 29 percent of the student body.
On Wednesdays, they have inspections and wear the Coast Guard Tropical Blue Long uniform. Their rank is on the right collar and the letters JROTC on the left. Many of the uniforms are donated by the D.C. Chapter of the Chief Petty Officers Association who hold a semi-annual uniform exchange at Headquarters.
