Historic Junior ROTC Run Set for Choctaw Trails

More than 250 Junior ROTC students from metro Jackson high schools will be part of an historic 5K run  in Clinton.

Home turf for Mississippi College’s cross country team, Choctaw Trails will be the site for an event on April 25 celebrating the 99^th anniversary of Junior ROTC programs around the nation. The 5K begins at 11 a.m. that Saturday, but participants should arrive by 10 a.m.

A wide array of Junior ROTC programs serve as electives for students at over 3,000 high schools across the USA. The classes teach the students discipline, leadership skills, hard work and boost their self-confidence. Many of the students advance to ROTC programs at colleges in all 50 states.

Typically taught by retired Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel as well as Marines, the classes also help students build their fitness levels. The classes teach them valuable lessons about America’s military and ROTC courses open doors to field trips to Department of Defense facilities.

The fun run at Choctaw Trails will coincide with JROTC races across the United States and in other countries like Japan and Germany.

Organizers predict it will become the biggest 5K run in global history and be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Mississippi College President Lee Royce will speak to hundreds of runners before the event begins in Clinton. He will be joined by Colonel Artice Scott of the Mississippi Army Guard at opening ceremonies. MC admissions staffers will be there to meet with runners and promote the 5,000-student university in Clinton. MC is home to Army ROTC programs.

There’s no cost for Mississippi high school JROTC students to run. People that want to join them and participate in the 5K must pay a $9 fee.

The JROTC students hitting Choctaw Trails this Saturday will come from Pearl High, Germantown High, Murrah High, Jim Hill High, Brandon High and Madison Central, among others. The 252 students signed up so far are part of at least nine JROTC high school programs in metro Jackson.