For the first couple of weeks of school, Don Lugo students and staff strutted by a pole without questioning where the flag was. At first, no one noticed the missing symbol of America until someone mentioned it and got offended. Due to 9/11’s 15th anniversary this past week, Mr. Ashby, the assistant principle who handles the schools facilities, made a solution with the custodians or “facilities crew” with putting up the flag themselves.

The flags depressing disappearance was due to the discontinuatoin of the JROTC program this school year. After 10 years of encouraging this program, the students of JROTC were in charge of lifting the flag everyday bright and early. The inspiring JROTC alumni were devastated when they heard this distressing news because the program meant so much to them and helped a lot in encouraging them into being part of the military in their future.

JROTC students had a plethora of wonderful benefits from this program who wanted a career in the military. Don Lugo could have kept the program going, but since only 29 students were enrolled for the class of 2016-2017, and one of the sergeants who was leading and helping sergeant Briseno sadly left Don Lugo, they could not save it. Neither could the army fund the program if there weren’t at least 100 students enrolled, because it was not cost effective.

JROTC was a program for the students who were interested of being a better person with the discipline the sergeants taught and demonstrated, former JROTC student Armando Ordenana adds, “This program taught us discipline, respect, and was supposed to prepare us for the army.” The program showed the students leadership skills and organized them to get activities done. It is so heartbreaking to hear these former members because this program was all they had to look forward to and did not expect it to be canceled.

A lot of people at Don Lugo were devastated to hear and have this happen at their school. Dr. Cabrera adds “I am very disappointed that its gone. These students represented us Don Lugo to the community during there events outside of school.” Many were surprised because they knew JROTC was a great example in those for who were interested, a former JROTC member Israel Rodriguez shares “I felt bad, it would have truly benefitted my career for the future, it’s so devastating.”

After the news was released and done, no one at Don Lugo knew what was going to happen with the schools flag. For a while Lugo had no flag up which caught attentions to some students and staff. But with the great administration Don Lugo has, Mr. Ashby came to a result and worked it out with his facilities crew. Ashby adds, ” we received the flags from Sergeant Briseno and learned how to properly handle the flags with respects.”