CNS invests in youth, promotes leadership

  • Posted: Wednesday, January 11, 2017, 8:54 am

From left, Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, and Jessica Steed, executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, accept a donation from Kristin Waldschlager, CNS education outreach coordinator, and Gene Sievers, deputy Y-12 site manager, to get the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps program started at Oak Ridge High School.  From left, Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools, and Jessica Steed, executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, accept a donation from Kristin Waldschlager, CNS education outreach coordinator, and Gene Sievers, deputy Y-12 site manager, to get the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps program started at Oak Ridge High School.

Oak Ridge High School has a long and storied history of outstanding teams. From girls’ basketball to football, Oak Ridge High School has fielded winners. Next fall, add one more to the list.

Beginning in 2017, the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) will be on campus, thanks to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation (ORPSEF) and Consolidated Nuclear Security.

Similar to JROTC, the NNDCC educates high school cadets in citizenship, promotes community service, and instills responsibility, character and self-discipline. Unlike JROTC, the NNDCC program does not receive federal funding and relies on schools to fully fund the program. CNS provided a $15,000 grant for start-up to get the program off the ground.

“We are so pleased and thankful for the partnership that we have with CNS,” said Bruce Borchers, superintendent of Oak Ridge Schools. “This new program will lead to more of our students attaining the seventh key in our Seven Keys to College and Career Readiness,” he added.

Deputy Site Manager Gene Sievers and CNS Education Outreach coordinator Kristin Waldschlager presented the contribution to Borchers and Jessica Steed, executive director of the ORPSEF.

Said Steed, “CNS’s contribution to offset the startup costs is an outstanding example of key stakeholders working with school officials to benefits student in Oak Ridge Schools.”

In addition to the check presentation, Sievers also addressed members of the Oak Ridge Schools Advisory Board and about high school 50 students who are interested in enrolling in the new program next fall.

Sievers, a former nuclear sub commander, described to the students what the NNDCC offered and how it could lead to a career in the military. He also said, even if the students involved in the program opted not to go into the military, the lessons learned would be valuable in any career path.

“Leadership,” he said, “is not a vaccination. “It is a process, and the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps, though its training, offers the path to leadership,” he said.