Aidan Hansen is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Maryvale High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX– When you walk into the newly renovated JROTC building on the Maryvale campus, you will find one of the most effective programs in Arizona. 

The Junior Officer’s Reserve Training Corps, better known as the JROTCl, looks to dominate the 2022-23 school year in competitions. Over 200 cadets are in the program.

The JROTC program is led by Lt. Col. David Nguyen, Sgt. First Class Daryl Yost and Master Sgt. Jeffrey Rice. Nguyen, who retired from the Army after serving 22 years in the military, is in his tenth year at Maryvale and is currently running the program.

“We do this because we want to make the kids have good skills," Nguyen said. "We want to give them our experience, we want to encourage them, we want to make them mentally strong [and] physically fit. We want to prepare them for college.” 

The JROTC program competes every month in competitions. Every event in the competition must be co-ed, as Maryvale is a part of the only true AIA sanction where women must compete, Nguyen said.

These events include the drill team, the marauder team, the unarmed drill team, the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB), and many more.

The program uses the military to teach children to be better. 

“Everything we do in JROTC is to make young men and women better citizens, like for their community, give back to the school,” Nguyen said.

Maryvale’s varsity unarmed drill team was named 2022 state champions. A banner displaying the achievement now hangs in the building in the JROTC building lobby.

Yost is the coach for the unarmed drill team and has high expectations for this year’s team after losing six seniors last year. 

“I’ve gained seven freshmen this year that we actively went out and recruited last year at the middle schools," he said. "These freshmen are just amazing." 

 The 2022 unarmed drill team state champions (pictured above)

Jocelyn Garcia Navarro, a sophomore on the unarmed drill team, has been helping new cadets adapt to the team after her sister commanded the team before graduating in the spring of last semester.

“She really worked and perfected what she learned last year, up to this year where she’s able to take the newer freshman we have and teach and train them,” Yost said.

The marauder team, led by coach Rice, has a meet this weekend in Flagstaff. The marauder team does orienteering, rope bridge, hurt locker, the leadership reaction course, and recovery lane.

All of these events are timed except for orienteering, which is based on points. 

The JROTC staff is composed of seven students who make decisions and plan events for the JROTC. Four of the JROTC staff are on the marauder team and won third place overall last year in the sweepstakes.

“All of my marauders are on other teams," Rice said. "Marauders are on the staff, a lot of my marauders, because they do it for four years, end up joining the military."

The marauder team at camp last month (pictured above)

Maryvale’s JROTC trophy cabinet is massive. It stands over 15 feet tall, 20 feet long and is filled with awards.

The cadets strive to add to the cabinet every time they go to a competition. 

“I mean, we hope to grab that first place,” said Kenneth Ho, a member of the JROTC staff.