An amenity not commonly found in high schools was recently added to ours: a shooting range.

If you’ve recently walked past the JROTC room and looked inside, you’ve probably noticed a huge window into another room on the far wall. On the other side of this glass is the new shooting range to help area youth programs and the NJROTC cadets.

The shooting range was built with the support of the WHS maintenance staff. The staff built the first range, which was located in the new wrestling room, then relocated it to the old wrestling room when the class was moved to provide space for the wrestling team.

“The maintenance staff has been a tremendous support, and we would not have the range without them,” Lt. Tim Raines said.    

Even though the shooting range is new, Raines is looking to further expand it in the future.

“I have applied for a NRA Grant to renovate the facility that we have been given. We have also requested new equipment for our program,” Raines said. “We should find out soon if we were approved for the grant.”

With the possibility of a growing shooting range on school campus, some people may raise concerns about the safety of the facility.

“The Air Rifle/Marksmanship range does not or will never use firearms or handguns here,” Raines said. “We only use air rifles which shoot air propelling a pellet 10 meters. No firearms or explosive power [is] involved with our program.”

Even though the cadets aren’t using actual rifles, students are still learning accurate and valuable skills.

NJROTC follows the standards of the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP).  CMP is a U.S. government-chartered program that promotes firearms safety training and rifle practice for all qualified U.S. citizens with special emphasis on youth.

“It teaches us marksmanship, shows you discipline and patience,” sophomore Matt Ruth said. “For a lot of people going into the military, it puts them a step ahead.”