RIBAULT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
BOOSTER CLUB
Meeting Minutes
11/2/06
Booster Club Contact List
Please notify Amanda Osenbaugh if there are any changes to your address, phone number or email. Communication via all methods will be used.
Program perspective from Col. Watson
There are now 76 cadets enrolled; at least 100 are needed to keep the program viable. In response to recent concerns about a relaxation in atmosphere, “mini boot camp” will begin Monday, November 6th to review the basics. Overall, Col. Watson is pleased with the program and the caliber of cadets enrolled.
Birthday Ball
The Marine Corps Birthday Ball will be held on Friday, November 10th at the Prime Osborne Convention Center. This is a formal event to include dinner and dancing. All cadets are expected to attend; this is a graded event. The ball is being held in conjunction with the area chapter of the Montford Point Retired Marines, a group that honors the first African-American Marines who trained at Montford Point, NC in 1942 (1st Sgt. Landrum is an active member.) All cadets will wear dress uniforms, including females (however, if a female cadet has already purchased a gown, they will be allowed to wear it.) Parents are encouraged to attend. Cost: $35 per cadet (a fund raiser was held and all cadets’ tickets were paid for); $50 per adult. Approximately 17 parents have purchased tickets. Arrival at 6:00 p.m. The ball will conclude at 10:00 p.m.
Veteran’s Day Parade
The MCJROTC will march in the Veteran’s Day Parade on Saturday, November 11th. The parade is mandatory; this is a graded event. The parade will start at 11:00; arrive at Ribault at 9:00 to ride the bus to the parade site. If you are driving, meet at the grass lot in front of the Prime Osborne building (parking lot J.) If you want to pick up your cadet afterward, check him/her out with 1st Sgt. Landrum before leaving. Parents can march with the cadets (please wear a Ribault MCJROTC tee-shirt or golf shirt if possible.) If you would like one, there are a few shirts with last year’s logo available from Amanda Osenbaugh.
Promotion Ceremony
A promotion ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 9th beginning promptly at 11:00 a.m. A brief booster club meeting will follow and conclude with a cookout celebration. See attached invitation; RSVP cadet name and number attending by Wednesday, December 5th to Lisa Bell (246-8062.)
Parris Island Inspection
The Marine Corps arranges an annual inspection of all MCJROTC programs. Drill Instructors from Parris Island were at Ribault on Tuesday, October 31st and the program scored 98 out of 100 points! Several cadets were recommended for meritorious promotions. Congratulations to Col. Watson, 1st Sgt. Landrum and all the cadets.
Drill Team Practice
There is mandatory drill team practice on Mondays and Tuesdays; if a meet is coming up, additional practices will be called. Thirty-six cadets have indicated they want to participate; it’s important that cadets attend all practices. There have been issues with the activity bus; Col. Watson is working with administrators at Ribault to work out transportation and hopes to notify students of bus stops and times by Monday, November 6th.
Aviation Program
Twenty cadets are participating. Must have at least a B in MCJROTC and a 2.5 GPA overall to participate. Several private entities are interested in helping out financially. Col. Watson is developing a business plan to request assistance with costs for flight time, etc.
Grade Issues
You are encouraged to monitor your student’s grades. There is a lot of help available for students needing it including before/after school tutoring and Saturday School. There are other tutoring programs available as well. Contact Amanda Osenbaugh if you need help contacting teachers or the guidance office; it was noted that many parents have had difficulty getting phone calls returned. You can also contact Col. Watson or 1st Sgt. Landrum for assistance.
Camping Trip
Cadet Major Lane indicated an interest in a MCJROTC camping trip (including PT on the beach!) Hannah Park has tent camping sites for $15.26/night for 6 people per site; cadets will need to raise money for the trip. Cost for 30 participants would be $153 for two nights (Friday-Sunday) plus funds for food. We are exploring weekend dates in February as that is prior to drill competition in March and weather should be good. More info at the next booster meeting.
Parris Island Trip
The cadets enjoy attending and like to go annually; the Corps only pays for alternate years. Costs are $2500-$3000 per trip and will depend on fund raising efforts.
Year End Trip
A suggestion was made to plan an end-of-year trip. One suggestion was a day trip to Universal Studios in Orlando. Cost would be less since it wouldn’t involve an overnight stay and will depend on fund raising efforts.
Fund Raising
The candy sale was quite successful; the cadets raised approximately $6000. More fund raisers are necessary to finance the trips mentioned above as well as travel to drill meets. Several suggestions were made (see below); more information will be presented at the next meeting before a decision is made.
Sponsor book: A suggestion was made to produce a sponsor book where individuals and businesses are asked to buy whole or partial page ads in a book to benefit the MCJROTC program. Prices will need to be set and printed information produced for the cadets to share with potential sponsors.
School spirit items: Lanyards with the Ribault logo and different graduating classes or other school spirit items (shirts, socks, hair bows, etc.) Ordering information and costs will need to be determined.
Candy sale: The first sale was successful; a comment was made that it would be nice to do something different from what all the other organizations do.
Mural Project
Col. Watson requested $75 from the booster club to hire a mural artist to paint the Marine Corps logo on the wall of the ROTC building behind the flagpole. The artist has done other paintings at Ribault and comments were shared about the high quality of his work. Request was approved.
Recruitment Activities
The MCJROTC program at Ribault is a magnet program. Activities to attract cadets to the program will be held in conjunction with the school district’s Magnet Fair. There is an excellent DVD with program highlights available. A suggestion was made to schedule an event at the traditional open house that takes place in January prior to the magnet application deadline. Possibilities include a speaker (possibly the African American female fighter pilot who spoke with the students last year) and a helicopter landing.