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They probably won’t be featured on the front page of the Lowell Sun tomorrow like some teen stories we read about. But if you were driving downtown this morning, you must have noticed the hordes of young people painting benches, parking meters, and railings along the canal, as well as raking, mulching, and cleaning. More than 300 Lowell High ROTC students committed to give two days of work in the downtown area as part of the group’s goal to achieve 20,000 hours of community service this year. Undoubtedly they’ll make that goal even though it’s the most ambitious yet. (Last year, they completed 15,000 hours of service.) Then again, this group has a proven success record in so many areas.

The ROTC program at Lowell High, which currently involves about 400 kids and grows larger each year, has a number of other successes. The largest ROTC program in New England, it is also considered one of the best by people in the know. Last fall, I met Colonel Gary Chilicott, whose job is to inspect ROTC programs in the eastern United States and in Europe. The colonel could not say enough good things about the Lowell program and its students. He told me that Florida may have larger programs due primarily to bases located near its schools, but none he’s seen could match Lowell for student diversity and quality programming. I believe him. The statistics alone tell part of the story: 98% of Lowell’s ROTC students go to college; many of them earning scholarships to do so. But the real evidence of the leadership and quality of our ROTC program comes with seeing the students in action: dressed in crisp, blue uniforms with young faces showing discipline and focus–whether they are raising the flag, marching, or standing proud–these students and the retired Air Force officers who teach them are some of the brightest stars we have, giving us a reassuring glimmer of our community’s future that often doesn’t get the notice it deserves.