St. John's Military School Keeps Cadets Safe While Teaching Personal Accountability

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Dec 05, 2016, 05:00 ET

SALINA, Kan., Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- St. John's Military School, an all-boys, all boarding, academically focused military school in Salina, Kansas, wants the cadets living on its campus to feel at home. With an understanding that cadets are away from their families, the goal of the school is to provide an environment where cadets feel safe and know that they are surrounded by faculty, staff, and fellow cadets who care about their well-being. To create this protective environment, St. John's takes a multi-pronged approach to safety and security that includes facility security systems, routine safety and health screenings, mentoring programs, and most importantly, a commitment to enabling the formation of a brotherhood that safeguards its own.

"Some people have a misperception that military school is about developing soldiers, but it's not," explained Bell. "It's about teaching young men to have a better understanding of how they work within a larger group. It's about working with others to overcome obstacles and succeed as a whole. It's that sense of being part of a greater purpose, and being a leader that makes our cadets attentive to the needs of others. It's the desire for their brothers to succeed that makes our cadets our first line of defense against conflict and helps us to keep them all safe in return."

According to Capt. Brian Bell, Admissions Dean at St. John's, the school's foundation of safety is laid for cadets on the first day that they enter campus.

"Each new cadet meets with the commandant's secretary on his first day and receives a copy of the Cadet Handbook," said Bell. "We explain to each and every cadet on day one what behaviors and actions are not accepted on our campus, and what disciplinary measures will follow if rules are broken."

St. John's makes the protection of its students, and their commitment to the expectations stated in the Cadet Handbook, a top priority. School leaders monitor the conduct of its cadets to ensure compliance with expected behaviors through a variety of infrastructure systems and routine procedures.

"We have nine cameras positioned around the common areas of our campus so that we can investigate reported breaches of conduct," said Maj. George Stelljes, Commandant of Cadets at St. John's. "We also conduct weekly health and wellness inspections. If we observe a bruise on a cadet, we find out where it came from to make sure the explanation does not involve an incident with another cadet. Our laundry maintenance staff even report any contraband found in the cadets' pockets or possible blood on their clothing. We take every measure possible to uncover behaviors that could put our cadets in harm's way. Safety is our absolute highest priority."

Like many schools across the country, St. John's has put additional measures in place to safeguard its cadets against bullying.

Read on>>> http://bit.ly/SJMSSafety

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SOURCE St. John's Military School