Brittany Kelley
BUDA — Seven years after Johnson High School’s opening, students will now have access to a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) class.
According to JHS principal Robert Hensarling, the school has been on a waiting list for the program since opening, with the initial construction including a range and a classroom made for the curriculum. While Lehman and Hays high schools house the Navy and Marine Corps programs, respectively, Johnson will host the Air Force branch.
“You don’t want too many of the same branch. The military has some guidelines in terms of the distance between different programs and my understanding is you can’t have two of the same program in the same district,” explained Hensarling. “Air Force made great sense because of the aerospace engineering program that the campus [has] … We’re the only campus that offers that program study, with the intent that it would coexist with the Air Force JROTC once we had it approved because there’s some carryover between things, like learning to fly aeronautics.”
The school had to be inspected prior to approval, where they were told that the “facilities were top notch,” said Hensarling.
When the first email was sent out gauging interest, 48 responses were received of the required 50 students needed, so the school knew that students were “chomping at the bit to get started,” many of whom are in the aerospace engineering career and technology education track.
Prior to the 2026-27 school year, students interested in JROTC were required to transfer schools to either Lehman or Hays to participate.
The curriculum will be led by aerospace science instructor Senior Master Sergeant Jacequlyn Rider and senior aerospace science instructor Colonel Shelly Mendieta.
Rider served for 22 years in the Air Force and retired in March 2026. She held positions at the tactical, operational and strategic levels of leadership.
Mendieta is retired from the Air Force and also served as a F-15E Weapon Systems Officer. She accumulated more than 2,400 flying hours as an instructor and flew more than 100 combat missions.
In the class, students will learn several basic fundamentals as the other branches, said the principal, but also teach Air Force specific lessons.
“We’ll do a seven-year curriculum planning, but the core components of the curriculum are the aerospace science, which is going to cover aviation history, science of flights, basic exploration, astronomy, cybersecurity, unmanned aircraft systems, but also … we have leadership education. So, it’s a lot of citizenship, traditions, personal growth, financial management, career paths, college preparation and, of course, military drill and ceremonies,” described Rider. “They’ll [also] get [physical education] credit for it. So, we focus on building active, healthy lifestyles through targeted exercise and national fitness standards. It’s not a military recruitment tool, but we have curriculum components that the Air Force dictates that we’ll make sure we’re meeting.”
Because this is the first year, there are currently no outside extracurricular options, but as the program grows and student interest increases, outside opportunities like drill teams will be added.
It’s Rider’s first time teaching and although she’s nervous, she explained that she wants to create a precedent of a great program.
“I went to Hays [High School] and I was in the Marine Corps Junior ROTC all four years of high school and then, I joined [the military] about two years after I graduated and I realized the impact that my Marine Corps Junior ROTC instructors had on me. In fact, when I was promoted to senior master sergeant in 2023, I asked my former instructor to come back and preside over my promotion ceremony and when I think about it, that's the kind of impact I want to have,” said the sergeant. “I want somebody to come back to me 20 years later or 25 years later or whatever and say, ‘Hey, this is the impact you made on me when I was a high school student and I would like for you to be part of this significant event in my life.’”
Both Hensarling and Rider shared that all students should consider joining the program, not just those interested in a military career.
“We want any student that’s interested in learning how to better themselves [or] push themselves. The ultimate goal is not to have all the cadets join the military. I’m sure some are interested in that field and we absolutely want to cultivate that, but we understand that the vast majority won’t go into a career in the military. We want them to be leaders in whatever field they pursue next. Learn some self discipline, learn some leadership skills, learn to take care of your mind and body and be a good citizen — that’s the ultimate goal of the program,” emphasized Hensarling.
Those who participate in all four years can qualify for an industry-based certification, which lets industry professionals know that they’re college, career or military ready. Students can also opt to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test, if interested in the military.
When asked what it means for Johnson to have this program, Rider simply said: “Everything.”
As the Air Force JROTC program is in its first year, JHS will allow students to sign up for the class for the first few weeks of school, said the principal. Students in any grade level can join and there are no prerequisites. Additionally, there will be an informational session available for families in the coming weeks.
