HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Cadets at Columbia High School in Huntsville have a new home base after Huntsville City Schools cut the ribbon this week on a $6 million building for the school Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program.
The district counts the project as another step in its 10-Year Capital Plan. The building covers roughly 16,500 square feet and holds classrooms, offices for instructors, dressing rooms and storage space for uniforms and gear. A camouflage theme runs through the interior to match the program military focus.
The biggest single space is a 10,000-square-foot drill hall built for competitions, with fixed bleachers and glass-panel doors. Outside, a 35,000-square-foot obstacle course modeled on military training is meant to push fitness, teamwork and leadership.
Students will start using the facility in November, according to the school. Principal Lenoise Richey called the building a major investment in Columbia students and said the JROTC program teaches discipline, responsibility and service.
The district also put a name on the multipurpose room, honoring Brig. Gen. Charles Young. Young, who was born enslaved in 1864, went on to finish at West Point as only its third Black graduate. He later ran a national park, a first for a Black officer, and taught military science at Wilberforce University. The Army raised him to brigadier general after his death, in 2022.
Columbia cadets will now train and meet in a room that carries his name, a daily reminder of a career built on leadership and service. For a district that has been working through a long list of capital projects, the JROTC building gives one of its high schools a space built from the ground up for the program.
Section: More Huntsville AL education news
Filed under: Huntsville AL Education News
