Leadership Training Program expanded at MCPSS

Mobile County Public Schools’ new Leadership Officer Training Corps Program (LOTC), implemented in fall 2023 at seven middle schools, has been expanded to eight additional middle schools in fall 2024.

The LOTC program, the first of its kind to be offered in Alabama, is an elective course that counts as a credit for physical education. Students in the program take part in drone and robotics competitions as they learn about leadership skills and the importance of teamwork. Throughout the year, they are given an overview about a variety of careers from guest speakers and from visits to businesses and industries. They also learn about orienteering and how to conduct drills and ceremonies.

LOTC participants take part in 10 different major events throughout the school year, including robotics and drill competitions and field trips.

MCPSS officials implemented the program as a way to “make a cultural shift” in students’ behavior and to help them focus on learning about leadership and good citizenship in a positive environment, said Lt. Col. Frank Barrow, who implemented the program during his tenure as Director of Army Instruction at MCPSS.

“The opportunities this new leadership program offers our middle school students is reflected in the excitement of those students who enrolled in the course,” Barrow said. “I have never seen a new initiative yield such positive results in such a short period of time.  The students are disciplined, they study harder in class, and they are genuinely happy to learn!”

Barrow noted that the program was supported by a variety of stakeholders, including the Mobile County Sheriff’s Honor Guard, which taught basic the students drill and ceremony skills, and Bishop State Community College, which sponsored tours of its campus as a way to emphasize career opportunities through the region. 

“I also believe that this program has been successful due to the commitment of the district leadership to properly resource LOTC with funding for equipment and a world-class curriculum,” Barrow said.

In the 2023-24 school year, each of the seven participating middle schools signed up at least 80 students in the LOTC program. With the expansion to eight additional middle schools, the program has the potential to add many more participants.

The LOTC students are seeing tangible rewards from the program, from the community leaders that they meet to the new skills they are learning, Barrow said. “It’s a big game changer.”

The MCPSS middle schools that are offering the program are Alba, Burns, Calloway-Smith, Causey, Chastang-Fournier K-8, Grand Bay, Hankins, Lott, Mobile County Training, North Mobile County K-8, Pillans, Scarborough, Semmes, Washington, and Williamson.