• Joseph Stilwell Military Academy of Leadership 

         Welcome fellow Patriots! Joseph Stilwell Military Academy of Leadership, known informally as JSMAL, is a public magnet middle school home to 750 middle school cadets in grades 6-8.   As the name of the school implies, we are a military themed middle school.  General Joseph Stilwell was a highly decorated soldier and a graduate of West Point. It is no coincidence that this school is located on Burma Road.  In World War II, he led an expedition through Burma that allowed China to receive much needed supplies that were previously cut off.  In honor of General Joseph Stilwell, we require all cadets to wear a uniform and wear it correctly. We also require cadets to take leadership courses, rich in military traditions, each year they attend JSMAL. 

         Like other public middle schools, we offer a comprehensive and challenging curriculum designed to meet the needs of our diverse students from all over Duval County.  We have core courses ranging from our most challenging advanced courses to our more supportive intensive courses in reading and math.  For those who meet our prerequisite classes, students can take up to six high school courses by the time they finish the 8th grade.  Those courses include Algebra I, Geometry, Biology, Spanish I, Spanish 2 and Leadership.  We also have a state of the art PITSCO STEM lab, and two computer labs. Finally, we have a pre-college course in the 7th grade, designed to prepare our academically talented cadets for an 8th grade college elective course.  Cadets at JSMAL can enjoy a full range of opportunities in athletics, and a variety of clubs and activities.

         We are in a unique position in that we need to relook at the school’s mission and vision in order to tie it to military inspired ideals, that through everyone’s efforts, we all can truly model duty, honor, country. We need your help to realize and accomplish this. Many volunteer opportunities are available, and we welcome your time and support.  Please consider joining our PTSA and/or School Advisory Council (SAC) and let your voice be heard.  PTSA is a voluntary organization whose purpose is to make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. SAC is a team of people representing various segments of the community–parents, teachers, students, administrators, support staff, business/industry partners and other interested community members. The SAC reviews relevant data, identifies problem areas, develops improvement strategies, monitors their implementation, and then starts the whole process over when the next round of data is available.

         I encourage each of you to reach out to me or to any of our fabulous staff members with questions and ideas for how we can make JSMAL a truly outstanding place to teach and learn.

    With highest regards,

    US Military Logo

    Tamara Roper
    Principal