by: Stephanie Sparrow, Reporter

After high school, Students usually start working, go off to college, or go into the military. This year especially, Jim Thorpe School District has many of their seniors pursuing a career in the military. Seniors  Colton Hurley (Army), Jimi Kamieniecki (Air Force), Brian Fasolino (Navy) and Connor Guerra (Navy) are just a few looking to pursue a career with the military. What are their interests in joining the military?

“I have an interest in flying,” stated Kamienecki. Guerra joined the Navy for his “love of the ocean.”  Also on the topic of interest, Fasolino stated, “I’m joining because of the jobs it will open up to me once I get out, also it is a pretty cool way to see the world while protecting your country.”

With a career in the military, those enlisting can choose between being full-time or part-time. These options give many options for an individual wanting to join the military.

Kamieniecki stated, “I will be full-time in the Air Force, but I will be attending Wilkes University first for their Reserve Officer Training Corps program (ROTC). This will allow me to be an officer in the Air Force right away once I go in.” For Hurley it is a different story: “I’m already signed up and I will be leaving late summer. I’m going in full-time and after I get out I’m planning on using the money to go to school,” he stated.

Within the military there are five main branches, Army, Marines, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. There are hundreds of different jobs those enlisting can pick from within those branches. Each branch may have benefits for individuals.

While talking to Fasolino and Guerra, they were asked what they were looking forward to gain from the military. Guerra stated, “I’m looking forward to learning the skills the military will provide me.”  Fasolino stated, “I’m really looking forward to seeing the world and learning new things.”

As well as the students wanting to serve, they are not the only ones in JTHS with military affliliations. Jim Thorpe has a handful of teachers who have already served for their country, one of them being Mr. Michael Pope.

Mr. Pope served for a little over two years. When asking him why he joined, he replied, “I always wanted to serve in the military, I also liked what the military teaches you.  You learn skills like leadership and discipline. Also, it helped me pay for my college.”

Mr. Pope teaches Chemistry here at Jim Thorpe. After Pope served, teaching was not his first option. Before teaching, Pope worked at two different chemistry plants, he was a Chemist at one plant and a production technician at the other. What made him choose teaching?

“The school actually called me,” said Pope. “My mom always said I would be a good teacher. I didn’t think it was for me, though. After getting the call, I tried it out, and now I love it,” stated Mr. Pope.

Considering everything Mr. Pope has been through, and all the knowledge he has gained, he left The Olympiad with some good advice.

Pope stated, “I strongly recommend the military for anyone who needs guidance or direction. It helped me determine what I need to do to achieve my goals. It also helped me learn and improve on the skills I needed to reach these goals. Everyone can get something out of it while doing a great thing for their country.”