ROTC
As a response to American involvement in World War I, a Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program began at Loyola Academy. While ROTC programs are typically associated with colleges and universities, many high schools maintained ROTC programs during times of war. The purpose of ROTC is to prepare young civilians for military service while they are obtaining an education. Specifically, ROTC trains people to become officers in various branches of the military. For years, many American universities required compulosry ROTC participation for male students.
This photograph shows Academy students drilling at an unidentified location in 1917, just as the United States became involved in World War I.