The foundation of the Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) curriculum is Leadership Traits and Principles. During the summer of 2024, the cadets demonstrated the trait of unselfishness by giving of their time and talents in numerous community service projects. Among those events were the Michigan City Police Department Youth Leadership Camp, the Michigan City Juneteenth Celebration, recycling at the Members Advantage Credit Union, the LaPorte County Triathlon, the Washington Park Zoo Clean-Up, the MCHS Freshman Orientation, parking support for the Michiana Humane Society fundraiser, and the Citywide Back to School Rally. The cadets also supported a number of patriotic events. These included the Michigan City Kiddie Parade, the Michigan City Patriotic Parade, and the American Legion Flag Day Ceremony, 

            The most important Leadership Principle is to “Know yourself and seek self-improvement.” Select cadets attended the National Military Drill Camp near San Antonio, Texas, as well as cadets practicing drill over the summer at MCHS. The school’s drill team’s goal is to qualify for the MCJROTC National Championship in the Spring in Washington, DC. That trip, like all MCJROTC activities, is done at no cost to the student or MCHS. All costs are covered by the Marine Corps, augmented by the MCHS MCJROTC Booster Club. Another potential Spring trip for the cadets would be to upstate Pennsylvania for the MCJROTC Raider National Championship. Cadets worked hard during summer conditioning for this physically demanding event, based on tasks that could be required of Marines doing long-range patrolling. MCHS also offers challenging mental competitions in the form of CyberPatriot, where cadets act as security managers for an organization’s information system. Select cadets attended a Science, Technology, Mathematics and Technology Camp at Randolph-Macon University, just outside of Washington, DC.

Major Tom McGrath, the Senior Marine Instructor, had high praise for the dedication shown by the cadets over the summer. “Our cadets have great loyalty to our school and the Michigan City community. They really want our school to be successful both academically and in extracurricular competitions.”

Marine Instructor Master Sergeant Jeff Benak also noted the strong desire of the cadets to improve collectively as well as individually. “There is a strong desire for our program and our school among the cadets to be recognized as the kind of organizations that other programs and schools want to emulate.”

The cadets will “hit the deck running” as the school year starts. They will be supporting all home football games logistically and providing the color guards for the national anthem. They will also be starting Military Drill Team practice before school and Raider Team practice after school. This is in addition to continuing their support of community organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Marine Corps League.