VALDOSTA —
Chief Boris Cates spent 23 years of his life serving his country in the United States Navy. Upon retiring in January of 2003, Cates decided to further dedicate himself to his country and his community by enriching the lives of children in the Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Course (NJROTC).
“It was something I always wanted to do, to teach,” said Cates.
Prior to retiring, Cates worked with elementary schools through Community Partners In Education (CPIE) in Charleston, S.C. Having seen the impact of his work with the local schools, Cates knew that working with children was something he wanted to continue. That’s why when a job came open in the NJROTC program at Valdosta High School, he jumped on it.
“This job popped open at the right time for me,” said Cates.
Having spent nearly nine years with the NJROTC program at VHS, Cates has seen first hand how it furthers a child’s education by promoting patriotism, civic pride and a great potential for leadership.
“We teach them respect for themselves, to the school, to the city of Valdosta and to their country,” said Cates.
NJROTC for students at VHS is a choice and one that the program doesn’t take lightly. While the benefits of the program are tremendous, the effort that each student must put in is above and beyond the curriculum requirements for students at VHS.
The first week of NJROTC is introductory. Students learn the benefits of the program and teachers learn what the program means to students.
“We ask kids why they joined NJROTC,” said Cates.
To his surprise, many wrote that they wanted discipline. Without a doubt, discipline is the very least they will receive in the program at VHS.
“We get to chew kids out more severely than a teacher,” said Cates.
Though Cates screams at his students while he has them on the ground doing push ups, the words he chooses are constructive but are meant to be piercing.
“It’s a punishment,” said Cates. “Push ups and screaming.”
While all students at VHS must abide by a strict set of rules, students in the NJROTC program have the potential for getting in trouble for things that many students may find second nature such as saying “yeah” or even not staying true to their word.
It is because of this “tough love” mentality that kids are given the opportunity to quit in the first week, though not many do.
“As humans we want discipline, we want structure, it makes things easier,” said Cates. “All kids want to be a part of something.”
The second week in the program, students receive uniforms, learn military drills and begin physical training (PT).
“That’s when they learn when you mess up, you’re doing push ups,” said Cates.
From that point on, every day is part of a cycle, a repetition. When asked what an average day in the NJROTC looks like, Cates responded that there is no such thing.
“We don’t have average days,” said Cates.
Mondays are reserved for academics, Tuesdays are PT days, Wednesdays are for uniform inspections and verbal testing, Thursdays are for physical fitness and a sort of fun day of either softball or soccer and Fridays provide an additional academic day.
“It becomes clock work and there’s no reason to say, ‘I forgot my uniform’,” said Cates. “It’s like a boot camp, you do it over and over again.”
It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. Well, what do you call it when you do the same thing over and over again and get different positive results? At VHS, that’s called a graduate of the NJROTC program.
In particular, it is being able to see the “fruits of his labor” that makes being a NJROTC instructor so rewarding for Cates.
“I like to believe that I had a part in our kid’s success,” said Cates.
Cates recalls one student he taught who graduated from VHS two years after he started.
“He actually became Sailor of the Year on two different ships,” said Cates.
According to Cates, when the now successful young man was in NJROTC at VHS, he was somewhat of a class clown. The program helped discipline him and keep him on the right track in life. Now, he’s about to find out whether or not he’s made officer.
“He comes every year and visits me,” said Cates.
Examples such as this are why Cates keeps doing what he does. The program is extremely rewarding for him because it’s extremely rewarding for children. Despite the fact that the program undoubtedly makes you a well rounded person, it has helped usher several graduates into the military and even college.
“We don’t just teach the basics,” said Cates. “We teach life skills.”
The program also opens up a number of college scholarships for those who are good students and if kids stay in the program for at least two years, they can enter the military on an advanced pay grade.
According to Cates, the benefits of the program are not only reaped after the fact but help students while they’re in school as well.
“We have the lowest ISS (In School Suspension) rate . . . our absentee rate is low,” said Cates. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
For someone who joined the Navy on a whim at the age of 17, it has all worked out pretty well for Cates. Aside from spending over two decades in the service, he has found a calling and is turning out some of the most prepared young adults in the community.
Chief Boris Cates isn’t just an NJROTC instructor, he’s an instructor in the school of life.
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