Shrewsbury Assabet Students Try MCJROTC

Submitted and written by Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School 

Dealing with Drill Sergeants at the crack of dawn might not be in every high 
school student’s summer plans, but seven Assabet Valley students spent one 
week in Pennsylvania this summer in a rigorous training exercise as part of the 
Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. The trip was sponsored by Montachusett 
Regional Vocational Technical School’s MCJROTC unit.


Grace Poirier, Berlin; Steven Phillips, Boylston; Mikayla Bradford and Vega Mijangos, Marlborough; Robyn Cooper, Northborough; Anthony Harvey, Shrewsbury; and Alexander Morais, West Boylston, applied and were chosen to join the group that traveled to Boswell, Pennsylvania in July.

The Assabet students were put in platoons with students from both Monty Tech and Fitchburg High. 

Alexander Morais had already made the decision to become a Marine after high 
school, but this opportunity gave him his first real look at military life, right from 
the first day. “I’d never put on the uniform, been part of a platoon or been pushed as hard mentally and physically as I was during that week. What amazes me the most, though, is how quickly my platoon bonded and felt that genuine concern for each other. By the second evening, we all were commenting as to how it felt as though we’d know each other for years, not hours. “

“We did lots of cool things, like running every morning, and obstacle courses. 
Before we’d do something, they would sit us down and talk to us about what we 
were going to do and how it would make us become stronger as a person. Good 
citizenship, service to our country, and personal responsibility were stressed, too. 
I would definitely do this again,” commented Steven Phillips. 

Assabet Valley is planning a MCJROTC club for students this year, in preparation for perhaps having a unit at the school in the future. 

Grace Poirier, a senior, admits that the experience was difficult emotionally for 
her, particularly as she had started her high school career at Monty Tech and was a cadet there. Now, coming in as a senior, she had to take orders from younger students. “The physical challenges of the week weren’t so bad for me, I’ve kept in shape. But I had to push my teammates, and help them get through things even though they were difficult. JROTC definitely teaches leadership skills, perseverance, and team building, as well as effective communication. The military mindset promotes selfless-ness, and working together as a unit, not going for personal glory. Even though I don’t intend to join the military after high school, I want to be an OB-GYN nurse, I am glad I had this opportunity to challenge myself and look forward to being a leader in Assabet’s new JROTC .

“I learned things that will give structure to my entire life, using traits that will be 
with me forever. This was a life-changing experience for me. I am still in touch 
with the rest of my platoon, I’m in the best shape I’ve even been, and I feel like I have begun to embody the Marine code of ethics. I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity,” added Morais.