Room 805, formerly the Kearny band room, ROP Media Production Lab, and JROTC office and classroom, has been undergoing its latest transformation into a modern Career and Technical Education classroom and production facility for the School of Digital Media and Design. Before the remodeling process began in the late summer of 2020, Matt Fleming, Kearny’s Plant Operations Supervisor, did a sweep through the room to remove any last items of potential importance. He noticed a stack of ROTC photo albums left there during the hurried COVID shut-down the previous spring. He set them aside in the auditorium so they wouldn’t be lost. Those albums have been relocated to the Kearny Archives.
The Kearny Historical Archives is now the home for the 12 JROTC scrapbooks that documented every year from 1977 through 2004. The scrapbooks contain Company and Battalion group and individual photos; photos of Homecoming, Military Balls, Cadet picnics, and numerous parades and competitions; awards certificates; organization charts; and a history of the national ROTC program.
It’s a testament to the Kearny staff that they recognize the importance of Kearny’s past. Many times precious items and documents get overlooked and eventually lost during transitions like the one occurring now with room 805. Thanks to Matt, the Kearny Archives has just gained a huge record of the school’s history.
Kearny JROTC Patch
