St. John's welcomes new Cadet Corps instructors

Mr. Erwin and Mr. Chapman have both started their first year at St. John’s, where they will be teaching in the Cadet Corps Leadership Program. This year there is new curriculum for the program, including classes on Developing Self-Awareness, Leading and Influencing Others, Leading Teams and Achieving Goals, and Leadership and life Beyond St. John’s. They said they plan on allowing the cadets to have more control and responsibility over the program by leading the different clubs and teams and potentially even starting new clubs

Mr. Chapman was previously employed at the Department of Defense, connected with the Pentagon. He has taught before; about 10 years ago, he was an English teacher and preschool volunteer in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. “It was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed it, and I always thought I would get back to teaching at some point.”

Mr. Erwin previously worked for the federal government in the Department for Veterans Affairs. This will be his first time teaching in a high school, although he has previous experience as an assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership at West Point. He said he is very excited about the future of the cadet program. “When I learned about the transition that St. John’s was going through, this opportunity to be around students in a Lasallian Catholic environment and the opportunity to help inspire and teach leadership to the next generation was something that was important to me”

Mr. Erwin said he is looking forward to seeing where the cadets take the leadership program. They are going to have more activities and opportunities specifically for cadets and led by cadets. Mr. Chapman is excited about the “experiential education opportunities,” such as field trips, hands-on learning experiences, and the chance for cadets to learn life skills and apply them to their daily lives.

Mr. Erwin said he chose St. John’s for many reasons, but mainly because of its “rich history and traditions.” He found it important that St. John’s is one of the oldest Catholic high schools and that it had the longest running military program in the area. Mr. Chapman is from the area and said he’d heard many great things about the academics, sports, and extracurriculars at St. John’s. “It seems like a very good trajectory and I want to be a part of that,” said Mr. Chapman.

To read full bios on Mr. Erwin and Mr. Chapman, click here.