Arvin High School         JROTC           Bear Battalion

Unit History

The Arvin HS JROTC was established in the summer of 1994. In its first year, the new cadre of a Lieutenant Colonel and a Master Sergeant began the task of developing the first company along with a class of 48 students. The following year saw immediate growth reaching a cadet strength of over 100 cadets and the growth continued until a maximum number of cadets, 240, was reached in the following years. The ceiling remains at 240 based on room size and teaching staff.

With the growth came the natural development of the Cadet Bear Battalion, to include the Cadet Battalion Commander, Cadet Battalion Staff and five Companies of cadets consistent with the number of class periods. Each company has the traditional Commander, First Sergeant, Executive Officer, Platoon Leaders/Sergeants, etc. The Battalion became self reliant by the third year with established traditions and activities and experience.

Extracurricular special teams started out with the Color Guard in the second semester of SY 1994-95. This was followed by the Drill Teams and Rifle Team establishment in the third year with the arrival of the drill rifles and the competition pellet rifles. Competition began with rivalries between the 4 other local JROTC schools, to include Air Force, Navy, Marine, and our sister Army JROTC. Competition has grown, to include more matches, addition of Cadet Challenge Teams, schools from other cities and counties attending, as well as AHS JROTC competing out of town.

The Battalion has three annual parades, a Military formal dinner and dance, three field trips (Edwards AFB Air Show, Magic Mountain, and a historical trip), a sports day cookout, summer camp,  and an awards ceremony as part of its yearly activities, the roots of which, all date back to the second year of its infancy. Community Service and School Service have been and remain a major emphasis since the creation of the AHS JROTC. All cadets are asked and rewarded for the countless hours of service they provide.