5/3/23
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Sherman Reed is the type of person Troy Peel, the well-respected senior chief of Alma’s NJROTC program, loves to see succeed.
Reed wasn’t just triumphant in Peel’s program, so to speak, he took the bull by the horns.
The Alma senior was awarded a full NJROTC scholarship to the University of Missouri, whose JROTC roots date to the mid-1940s.
The NROTC Preparatory Program (NPP) is designed to develop Midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically, and to imbue them with the highest of honor, courage, and commitment. 22 universities within the United States offer such programs.
“Having a student like Sherman is like winning the educator lottery,” Peel said. “He works hard at everything he is assigned, no matter how trivial. He sets an excellent example for every cadet in the NJROTC program. He is a mentor for many of our junior cadets who are looking to succeed in the program.”
“Originally I was going to go to Regent (University), which is in Virginia, but when I got the opportunity to go to Missouri, which is way closer to home, I took the opportunity immediately,” Reed said. “I looked at the college campus, and it’s a great campus, and it’s in the great city of Columbia. Everything about it looks nice; I just couldn’t let the opportunity go.”
Alma High School Principal Brian Kirkendoll, a former Navy man himself, said Reed’s scholarship says a lot about Alma’s strong NJROTC program.
“We have a program that’s highly regarded, and a lot of the NJROTC colleges and instructors know about our program,” Kirkendoll said. “We have two instructors who actively seek those (scholarships) out. It’s a community effort, but also it’s how successful the program is.
“It’s a big acknowledgment for our instructors, too.”
“When it comes to NJROTC, it’s about adulting students, not just military but civilian life, to be able to instill leadership and integrity and overall produce better citizens,” Reed said. “Going through that program, it’s phenomenal. Having two great people, like Commander (Mike Raymer) and Senior Chief, has a lot of positive effects.”
Freshman year
Alma has had its share of great cadets over the years. But Reed’s tenure almost didn’t happen.
He and his family chose to homeschool during the 2019-20 school calendar year. Then, with COVID, it soon became a year not to remember.
“It (homeschooling) was very new to me, a new style of learning I struggled with,” Reed said. “It wasn’t just rough in the beginning, it was rough throughout. I ended up hating it. Then COVID happened. I guess I wasn’t the only one who got the taste of it (working from home).
“But I was really happy to be back at Alma High School.”
Reed said he first learned about Alma’s NJROTC program back in middle school. Once he re-enrolled, he immediately signed up.
“Sherman has made remarkable growth since he first came to us in his sophomore year,” Peel said. “That was his first year back in public school following an extensive year of home-schooling and, of course, the pandemic. He was a bit of an anxious train wreck that first year, but he trusted us to provide a stable and safe environment with enough room to grow.”
Reed said he was a bit intimidated the first time he laid eyes on Peel.
“Seeing Senior Chief for the first time, I was actually intimidated," Reed said. "He was in his full suit, and just the way he looked I was like, 'Wow, this is a full military man.'
"He intimidated me at first, but the more I got to understand him and what kind of guy he is, I really started to like him."
“We knew Sherman was smart, but what we were waiting to see was his resilience,” Peel said. “He found it, and with that, his self-confidence grew. He became comfortable being the leader for others.”
Successful program
The University of Missouri’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps dates back to 1946. The NJROTC goes back almost 100 years (1926) as well.
“The way it works is I’m going there (Missouri) for five years,” Reed said. “The first year is to see how I like the NROTC program, and the rest of the four years is to go to school.”
The expanded relationship between the Navy and the schools that host preparatory programs offers a performance-based pathway for midshipman candidates.
The heart of the NPP program is the host universities' year-long commitment to provide students who show great potential via grades, character, and extracurricular activities but might lack standardized test scores to advance high school courses, the educational foundation necessary for success in the NROTC program and Navy.
“Throughout high school, I was all over the place about who I wanted to be,” Reed said. “I think, at the end of my senior year, I found out who I wanted to be - I really wanted to be a Naval officer. I decided I want to spend the majority of my life being a Naval officer.
“I want to be in the Navy for as long as I can.”
“Sherman will attend the initial indoctrination course in Great Lakes, Ill. this summer,” Peel said. “He will report to the University of Missouri for his fall classes. Upon graduation from Mizzou, he will receive a commission as a Naval or Marine Officer with an over $60,000 (starting) salary, and zero college debt.”