Milpitas High School’s (MHS) Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) program is still going strong.
Last year, the Beat reported that the program was put on probation and at risk of being shut down by the Navy due to low enrollment numbers. During the 2023-2024 school year, enrollment was at about 52 – half of what it had been the year before.
Now, over a month into the 2025-2026 school year, the program has 74 students – and the leadership is working to find ways to recruit even more students and build the program out to its fullest potential.
“Our goal is to get past 100 people and I’m confident we’ll get there,” said Command Master Chief Patrick McCormick in an interview with The Beat.
McCormick, who recently started working at MHS as the new senior naval instructor, retired from the Navy earlier this year after 26 years of service.
“Being here is a dream come true,” McCormick said. “It’s everything that I truly loved about the military. I see the impact in our classrooms every single day of what we do.”
Along with the hiring of McCormick, other changes have been made to continue to grow and evolve the program…
For the last few years, MHS’ NJROTC program has made an effort to create a platoon solely for interested eighth-graders who are current students at Thomas Russell Middle School, which is located right across the street. After finishing their school day at Russell, the middle schoolers walk over to MHS for an additional period of NJORTC, as part of the Echo Platoon.
This year, new incentives for middle schoolers have been unrolled, in an effort to keep them motivated to stay on for the full year – and to also encourage them to consider continuing NJROTC come their freshman year.
“We started allowing for the eighth-graders to get ranked up,” Command Master Chief McCormick explained. “They also get a chance now to compete for Cadet of the Month, or Cadet of the Year. And if they bring others into the program, they get incentives as well.”
There is also talk of trying to expand NJROTC out to the eighth-graders at Rancho Middle School. Since that school’s located across town, it’ll be a bit tricker to figure out how to transport its students to MHS.
Tia Lu, an eighth-grader at Russell Middle School, is part of this year’s Echo Platoon.
“I was interested because a bunch of my family members have been in different areas of the military. I’ve had a couple high school friends who said the program’s really good,” Lu told The Beat. “So far, the program has been fun. We get to do a lot of activities.”
When she gets to high school next year, Lu hopes to continue being a part of NJROTC.
Another change to this year’s NJROTC program is the inclusion of homeschool students for the first time at MHS. A federal law passed in 2019, granting homeschool students access to their local high schools’ Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs.
Sofia Guerrero, a sophomore, and her brother, Isaac Guerrero, a freshman, are both homeschoolers who just signed on for their first year of NJROTC.
“I like participating in the drills, learning, and studying,” said Isaac. “I like to go out with the platoon. I love my Master Chiefs. I want to participate in color guard so I’m learning some basics right now.”
Although Isaac hopes to attend the Naval Academy and eventually join the Navy, Sofia isn’t set on a naval career. She’s exploring different opportunities, but feels that what she’s learning in NJROTC will have a lasting impact on her future, whatever path she chooses.
“NJROTC shows you how to be accountable and take responsibility for your actions, how to be a leader,” said Sofia. “I also like that everyone here accepts you for who you are.”
Since NJROTC is a naval program, many of its student cadets dream of joining the Navy someday. But Command Master Chief McCormick told The Beat that NJROTC is first and foremost a leadership and personal development program that can be of benefit to all students, regardless of whether or not they want to enter the Navy.
Gaia Tanzarella is a tenth grader, who is currently in her third year of NJROTC.
“I’m not planning on going into the military. I have other aspirations. I want to become a psychiatrist,” said Tanzarella, who is a Cadet Petty Officer First Class. She also added: “I really love the environment here [in NJROTC]. I like the things that they teach, and how generous they are with the ranks and giving us ribbons.”
Ernesto Sto. Domingo moved from Florida and started his first year as a freshman – and NJROTC cadet – at MHS in 2022. This year, he’s a senior, serving as a Cadet Chief Petty Officer. He also serves as the Public Affairs Officer, handling various forms of communication for the program.
“The program has impacted me a lot. It helped me gain leadership skills and it also helped me with athletics. It helped me gain a lot of confidence in myself and it also prepared me for sports,” said Sto. Domingo, who has been on the MHS football team since his junior year.
After high school, Sto. Domingo wants to enlist in the Navy as a Master at Arms, and become a canine handler. After that, he hopes to become a law enforcement officer.
“Our cadets develop critical skills in teamwork, discipline, and citizenship that will serve them well beyond high school,” said Master Chief Jimmy Whitney, who is also a naval instructor for the program.
Whitney and McCormick are hopeful that they will continue to recruit interested students into the program.
“One of the hidden gems of this program is we’re prepping you for life outside of high school. We’re preparing them to be adults,” said McCormick. “This is a leadership development course. It’s where we teach them to be successful adults in the future, regardless of what they want to do in the future.”
If you’d like to support the young cadets in MHS’ NJROTC program, go here to contribute to their latest fundraiser.
Author’s note: Our family was so impressed by the program that our son just joined as a cadet last month.
