Meet Sergeant First Class Tim Gatton, West Valley's New JROTC Teacher

Tim Gatton has spent his career helping others – first as an Army flight medic and now as a teacher at West Valley High School. This year, he joined the West Valley School District as a new instructor for the district’s JROTC program.

“In JROTC, students learn about leadership, teamwork, and being good citizens,” says Gatton. “My classes cover leadership and crisis response, which is all about how to stay calm and help others in an emergency.”

Sergeant Gatton looks forward to working closely with freshmen students. 

“High school can feel big at first,” he says. “I want new students to start off strong.”

Gatton has deep roots in the Yakima Valley. Before coming to West Valley, he worked at Selah High School with students in special education. Before that, he spent 21 years in the United States Army.

For most of those years, he was a flight medic, caring for sick and hurt people on board helicopter ambulances. His last Army job was right here at the Yakima Training Center, where he helped lead a helicopter ambulance unit. He retired in 2015 as a Sergeant First Class.

Today, he brings that same care and steady leadership to his classroom.

"I believe that JROTC helps prepare young people for the future," said Sergeant Gatton. "Students enjoy the sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves and pride of accomplishment after meeting a new challenge, and they carry that into future endeavors."

That kind of growth in school and after graduation is at the heart of the WVSD’s Strategic Plan. When students feel connected and build real skills, they are ready for life after graduation and prepared to do their best in whatever they set out to achieve. 

“For West Valley Rams, JROTC is a place to belong and a place to lead,” says Gatton. “Programs like this make West Valley Schools stronger and give our students something special that stays with them.”

Thank you to Sergeant Gatton for serving our country.  We know that you will serve our students well. We are proud to welcome you to the West Valley Ramily!

Learn more about JROTC at https://hs.wvsd208.org/jrotc.