Col. Scott Stewart ’99: Taking Students to New Heights

Shirts pressed. Shoulders back. Posture perfect. That’s what retired Col. Scott D. Stewart ’99 demands of his cadets in the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Color Guard at Wekiva High School.

Since the start of the year, Stewart has taken his cadets to several high-profile events where the JROTC instructor can show off the color guard under his command.

In April, the color guard appeared at the first round of the NBA playoffs with Orlando Magic against the Detroit Pistons — their second time at an Orlando Magic game. In May, they performed at a National Prayer Breakfast hosted by the mayor of Apopka, FL, where Wekiva is located. And on August 29, Stewart will take the AFJROTC to the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway, an event that will be aired nationally.

Stewart says his goal is to instill self-pride in his students by teaching them discipline, respect, and accountability. “I want them to realize that they can do the impossible,” he says. “And when you brush your teeth in the morning, you need to love the person that you see.” 

Figuring it Out

Stewart grew up in Berwick ME, where his family owned a gas station. By age five, he was pumping gas. Education wasn’t a priority. “My parents let me bring home bad grades,” he says.

Stewart grew up watching “Adam-12,” “Starsky and Hutch,” and “Hawaii Five-0,” police dramas that fueled his dream of becoming a cop. When he failed the state trooper exam, he set his sights on the military and became a law enforcement specialist. 

When his four years in the military ended, Stewart found himself unemployed. He tried to get a job in the county sheriff’s office but was turned down. “My education was so poor, I couldn’t even write a report,” he says.  

He eventually landed a job at the 7-Eleven. He lived on expired food that the manager was throwing away. “I realized, no one's going to come to your rescue, and you're not going to win the lottery,” he says. “You have to take care of yourself. I realized I needed to go back to college and finish my degree.” 

World Opens Up

Using his military experience and assorted college credits, Stewart got a B.S. in criminal justice at Empire State University. Having a degree enabled him to become an officer in the U.S. Army and paved a path for him to advance to captain.

“As soon as I got that degree and was pinned captain, my world just opened up,” Stewart says. 

He didn’t stop there. In 2004, he got a master’s degree in emergency disaster management. 

By the time he retired in 2022, Stewart was commander of the 919th Special Operations Mission Support Group in Duke Field, FL. Two years later, he earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, graduating with his son Scottie, now an engineer, who was his roommate while they were both attending UNCC.   

Making an Impact

In late 2024, Stewart became the ROTC instructor at Wekiva High School, where he now has 174 cadets, about 10% of the school. Six to 10 serve on the color guard at any one time, a privilege that requires extra training and discipline, as well as a clean uniform.

Under his leadership, the color guard has also appeared at Disney World and a local retirement community, where they performed a 13-fold flag ceremony for a 97-year-old veteran and brought the audience to tears.

In addition, Stewart has received grants to purchase two flight simulators, which will help put interested students on the path to aviation careers. Last March, he hosted a military recruitment day, featuring the Navy, Marines, and Army.

Even with all he does, Stewart wasn’t sure he was making an impact until last April, when a colleague summoned him to the library. There, he found a surprise birthday celebration, complete with balloons and a homemade cake. That’s when Stewart realized the effect he was having. 

“It made me cry,” Stewart says. “I was like, I can't believe it. And the librarian came up to me and said, ‘I've been here since the school opened in 2009. No teacher has ever had this done for them. I don't know what you're doing but keep doing it.’”