Willamette Leadership Academy (WLA) is a public charter military academy in Lane County, Oregon, United States. WLA prepares students to become leaders and to live fulfilled lives as respectful and responsible citizens.

History and Academics

The Willamette Leadership Academy is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization. WLA is accredited through the NAAS and Oregon Dept of Education. All teachers are highly qualified and certified. PYCO originally opened Willamette Leadership Academy but as of 2021, WLA is independent of PYCO. In 2012, the charter was taken up by Springfield Public Schools and all grades moved to the former Goshen Elementary building in Eugene. In 2013, grades 6–8 split off, and the newly created Battalion 2 moved into the old Mohawk Elementary building in Springfield. In 2021, both battalions merged once again into the Goshen building. WLA no longer owns the Mohawk location. Willamette Leadership Academy currently serves multiple counties with students attending from Drain to Lebanon and Walterville to Veneta. WLA employs approximately 40 staff members. WLA is located at 34020 B Street, Eugene, OR 97405.

Staff

At WLA, there are many staff members dedicated to keeping the education environment a good one. Unlike most schools, WLA employs staff members known as Staff NCOs. An NCO stands for Non-Commissioned Officer in the military. All NCOs at WLA are former or current members of at least one branch of the United States Armed Forces. By cadets (students), they are referred to as "MSG" (Master Sergeant), "1SG" (First Sergeant, "SGM" (Sergeant Major), etc. The teachers who teach academic classes are known as Officers. By cadets, they are referred to as sir or ma'am. Their ranks include Second Lieutenant (2LT), First Lieutenant (1LT), Captain (CPT), Major (MAJ), Lieutenant Colonel (LTC), Colonel (COL), and General (GEN). There are also Special Education teachers who are known as WOs (Warrant Officers). These are ranks that fall somewhere in between NCO ranks and Officer ranks. The current principal of WLA is Colonel Kate Klontz. The School's administration team on campus includes the following staff members: General Nunez, LTC Migliaccio, CSM Brainard, and Master Gunnery Sergeant.

Cadet Ranks

The following is a list of cadet ranks in order of lowest to highest.

Staff Ranks

The following is a list of staff ranks in order of lowest to highest, starting with NCO ranks. Additionally, there is one staff member on post who has a marine rank called "Master Gunnery Sergeant". This is the equivalent of SGM WO Ranks: Officer Ranks:

Cadet Uniform

BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform - basic everyday uniform) Class A's (Dress Uniform - mostly for award ceremonies) Cadets also have black mesh or clear plastic backpacks Earned additions to uniform: Optional additions to uniform:

Staff Uniform

Abbreviations of the Academy

Terminology

Standing Orders

Leadership

WLA incorporates putting many students into leadership roles to boost their skills and learn leadership skills to help them out in the future. Student Leadership consists of the following roles: Squad Leader (SL), Platoon Leader (PL), Assistant Platoon Leader (APL), Guidon, student NCOs (Tan covers), and then staff.

Awards/Ribbons