District 214 Leadership Development Program Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps

NJROTC is hosted at Wheeling High School
900 South Elmhurst Road
Wheeling, IL 60090-5599

NJROTC is a course in leadership, teamwork and citizenship, using studies about the Navy as a common core. Students take the course as an elective and receive a grade that counts towards graduation and their GPA. Only the academic class and a few unit activities are mandatory, but cadets are highly encouraged to participate in the unit's 'extra-curricular' field trips, teams, and events.

Students are NOT members of the military, though they wear a 'regulation' military uniform once each week. There is no military obligation, and students have no 'status' within the military. There are definite benefits to those students who are considering a military career, but the program is designed to help students be successful in whatever career or endeavors a student pursues.

The unit's mission is to help develop more informed and responsible citizens. The goal is to develop young leaders.  The focus is to maximize student opportunities and prepare them for success, especially in college.

District 214 Participating Schools: 

• Buffalo Grove High School
• John Hersey High School
• Prospect High School
• Rolling Meadows High School
• Elk Grove High School
• Wheeling High School

What We Do

Naval Science Class

Naval Science 1-4 are electives offered by all D214 high schools. The curriculum coincides with a student's corresponding grade: Freshmen (NS1) through Senior (NS4) and consists of a myriad of topics including… 

Wheeling Students attend Naval Science classes during the day whereas District Students attend class Wednesday evenings (night class) at Wheeling High School.

Night Class

Every Wednesday throughout the school year, non-Wheeling cadets gather at Wheeling High School to attend a 4-hour night class. During this time, cadets learn in their respective Naval Science class from 4:00 to 6:30 PM, have chow (dinner) from 6:30 to 7:00 PM, and then participate in team-building/leadership development activities in the Wheeling High School fieldhouse until 8 PM. The unit also occasionally goes on Wednesday night field trips.