BASH recently welcomed commander Kruppa, the new Naval Science and Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) instructor. Commander Kruppa replaced Commander Hayman, who retired at the end of last school year after instructing NJROTC at BASH for 23 years.
The Navy is nothing new to Commander Kruppa, he joined out of high school and stayed for 23 years. Commander was influenced to join by his family. His father and brother were in the Army, and his father was deployed in the Korean War.
When asked what the most valuable lesson learned during his time in the Navy, Commander said, “You meet so many people from diverse backgrounds. You can really learn from everyone, and despite all your differences you all have a common purpose and all grow together.”
Commander Kruppa is not new to education or teaching NJROTC. In the Navy he went through a lot of training and education, which led him to value education, more so than he did in high school. This sparked a passion for teaching. He received his bachelors and masters degrees through the navy and was initially hired as a faculty member for the Marine Corps University. From there, he taught at a school in New Jersey, and then instructed NJROTC at Allentown for 4 years.
Commander Kruppa was always interested in BASH. He was impressed by their performance in regional competitions. When the opportunity came at the end of last year to teach NJROTC, he jumped at it. His favorite things about BASH so far is “the energy, and the support with the students.”
With all this talk about NJROTC many students might ask the question, what even is NJROTC? Well, in Commander’s own words “NJROTC is an elective that is focused on self discipline, respect, and personal growth. It includes an assigned class, extracurricular activities, community service and teams.”
Commander advocated for NJROTC further, adding that its presence elevates and benefits school greatly. He mentioned how it helps bring students of diverse backgrounds together and encourages volunteerism and overall a sense of activeness. He added that “it’s a beautiful thing that students are willing to volunteer their personal time to serve their community”.
Finally, a message Commander Kruppa would like to share with the students of BASH:
“I would say I’ve experienced many times high school students who decided to join the military as they are graduating who have never done ROTC. My recommendation is to stop by and ask about what that looks like. With that being said a small fraction of cadets (students in NJRTOC) actually join the military. If you’re interested in servicing the community, but do not plan on enlisting, you should still consider joining.”
We all look forward to Commander Kruppa’s career at BASH and wish him a great school year!
