EHS welcomes new JROTC teacher and wrestling coach Ron Baker for his first year of teaching.
“This is my first year ever really being part of JROTC and all that. I started coaching wrestling over at Hamilton a few years ago, and just saw the impact I had on some of those kids over there and then I got really involved with my youth group at church too, and just decided that was something I really wanted to get into,” Baker said.
There are many things Mr. Baker enjoys about EHS which is a nice change of pace from what he is used to.
“I really like it here. I always liked how you guys carry yourself at the wrestling tournaments and then get in here, like, it’s a little bit smaller to school than I grew up in. It seems like everybody knows just about everybody,” Mr. Baker said. “Everybody is super polite, which is something I’m not, you know super used to, and it seems like the parents are pretty involved here too.”
Mr. Baker has brought a lot of good experience to the JROTC program and his fellow ROTC instructor, Mr. Van Schoyck, sees a benefit for the class.
“I think he brings a little bit more focus to drill than I could. He has a little bit more experienced with drill. Baker used to be a Marine before he joined the Air Force, so I think he has a little bit more background with drill than I do, which I think will help the drill team,” Van Schoyck said.
In addition to being a teacher, Mr. Baker will also be coaching the wrestling team. He has big plans to help improve the team.
“I just want people to understand if you master, like, three or four moves, you know, and then you just put the to work out you can get the state, just imagine if you start mastering someone else,” Mr. Baker said.
Mr. Baker has strong feelings on why someone should be a part of both the JROTC program and the wrestling team.
“I think people should join JROTC for the same reason I think people should join wrestling, their skills, that you learn from wrestling and that you’re gonna learn from my program, that you’re just not gonna get from other things. That’s the same with wrestling. You’re not other skills you learn from wrestling that apply to life, that aren’t gonna apply to that you’re not gonna get from, like baseball or basketball,” Mr. Baker said.
“The same thing with my class, that’s what I’m saying when it’s not a recruiting program, it’s a citizenship/character program right we just wanna develop good people so and like sure, every class wants to do that, but that’s literally what the goal of our class is. You know, absolutely same for wrestling.”
