Central Catholic Marianist High School - U.S. Army JROTC

U.S. Army JROTC

Central Catholic is one of only two private schools in the city with a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) unit (T.M.I.: The Episcopal School of Texas is the other) and also bears the distinction of being the oldest JROTC program in the city (established in 1935). It is also one of the largest Army JROTC programs in the nation. Students are required to enroll for two years in the corps, third and fourth years being optional. Currently, the unit bears the title of honor unit, placing in the top 50% of nationwide AJROTC units. Although Central Catholic is a single-gender school, female students from Providence High School, Central Catholic's next door neighbor, may also choose to participate in the program, which was integrated in the 2003-2004 school year. It also has one of only two JROTC units in Texas with its own marching band.

The school is home to the Bordelon Rifles, consisting of two of the top air rifle shooting teams (a precision team and sporter team) in the nation. Shooters on the team consistently place well not only on local levels, but shoot at national and international levels, placing themselves high in rankings for the teams and the shooters themselves. They boast many titles and trophies for their efforts, including the top prize from the American Legion Individual Overall National Championship in 1995, awarded to 1997 graduate Steve Wilson. The teams are named for SSgt. William J. Bordelon, USMC, a Central Catholic graduate who was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The medal is now on display in the atrium of the main building. There is also a highway dedicated in his memorial. There are two signs that display this between I-35 and I-37. It is the first sign to have the insignia of the medal of honor.

The Central Catholic JROTC is also home to the Chaminade Guard (affectionately referred to as "The Machine"), the oldest active military exhibition drill team in the United States. The prestigious drill team was organized in 1938 and named after Bl. Fr. William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary. The junior varsity drill team, the Loyd Rifles, was organized in 1961 as a Junior Varsity team when the Guard became too large of a unit. The team is named after First Lieutenant U.S. Army, Frank J. Loyd Jr. (class of 1945), another one of Central Catholic's U.S. military heroes.