ROTC CREW FIGHTS MOVE TO GLENDALE CRESCENTA WANTS TO KEEP UNIT.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - About 50 parents and Crescenta Valley High School students packed the school board chambers Tuesday to protest a plan to relocate the Air Force Junior ROTC program to Glendale High School.

Glendale school district officials are considering the larger Glendale High as the new base for the Reserve Officers Training Corps because Crescenta Valley High in La Crescenta has failed for a few years to meet the minimum enrollment requirement set by the U.S. Air Force.

``We have seen continuous decline from a height of six years ago,'' said Mary McKee, assistant superintendent of educational services. ``We know we are not on probation, but we are in danger of being placed on probation.

``That's what we are trying to avoid in relocating the program and building it up.''

McKee believes the program has a better chance of thriving at Glendale High School because of the large student body on campus and its access to two middle schools from which it draws students. Crescenta Valley High School has only one feeder middle school and is considerably smaller.

Sgt. Cornelius Walker, who trains the ROTC cadets, said numbers alone should not determine the fate of the program.

``Sometimes as adults, we fail to ask those who are going to be affected the most. A lot of times, we look at the numbers. But the numbers don't always tell the whole story,'' he said.

Crescenta Valley students who are in the ROTC said relocating the program to Glendale High School could force many of them to quit because of lack of transportation. They also said it would mean severing their ties to the foothill community where they volunteer at many local organizations.

``ROTC is a large part of our community,'' said Matthew Harley, noting that more than 1,000 people have signed a petition against the relocation. ``We do a lot of volunteer service for our organizations.

``If it were to be moved to Glendale, we wouldn't be able to do the same things for the community that we have been doing.''

According to the school district, 45 students are currently enrolled in Crescent Valley's ROTC program. However, ROTC supporters said the enrollment stands at 65. The minimum enrollment required by the Air Force is 100.

Cadets said they recruited more than a dozen new members last week after they found out about the relocation plan. They said they are also currently working on a recruiting video and program.

The board will determine the fate of the program later this month after further researching the enrollment statistics.

``We will do everything we can to assist you and make sure you will have every opportunity to increase the number and maintain your program,'' school board member Chuck Sambar assured the crowd.