Studer Community Institute

NAS Pensacola hosts NJROTC National Championship

April 14, 2015
/ Staff Reports
/ education

Two local Pensacola Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) units competed against the top schools from around the country in the NJROTC National Academic, Athletic and Drill Championship held on board Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola April 10-11. Pine Forest and Escambia High Schools were among 25 NJROTC units representing 15 states that were challenged on their athleticism, tested in academics and evaluated on the drill deck during competition. Events were held at the Naval Air Technical Training Center’s (NATTC) Charles Taylor Hangar and on the NAS Pensacola track and parade field. The unit from Boca Raton High School, Fla. outlasted the other teams to capture the win. Following the competition, Commander of Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), Rear Adm. Michael S. White, presented participation certificates to all 25 schools and then presented overall trophies to the top five units at an awards ceremony at the National Museum of Naval Aviation. “We’re so excited to have the (NJROTC) Nationals back here in Pensacola,” said White, who also observed the drill events and visited with units during the competition. “As you watch these young men and women compete here, it gives you great faith in the future of our nation. Whatever leadership role they pick, they are ready.” “This is the best possible feeling I could have imagined,” said Cadet Capt. Jake Woods, 18, a senior and the cadet regimental commander of the Boca Raton NJROTC unit. “I know that there is no higher goal for any cadet in this unit than to win this national championship. What drives us all year long every year is coming to this place and winning this championship and we are so glad we were able to pull it off.” Boca Raton last competed in the nationals in 2011. This year they piled-up 5,215 points to capture the title. Troy High School (Fullerton, Calif.) came in second with 5,084 points. Centennial High School (Las Vegas), the 2009 and 2010 national champion, placed third with 4,900 points; Westview High School (San Diego) was fourth with 4,862; and Shawnee Mission North High School (Kansas) finished fifth with 4,815 points. Last year’s winner, Escambia High School, finished 11th with 4666 points and Pine Forest finished 9th with 4700 points. Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.) Rodney Bolling, senior Naval Science Instructor (NSI) at Pine Forest said that making it to the Nationals is always a focus of his unit. “It’s an honor for the cadets to represent the city and their school at such a prestigious event and to be able to compete at this level,” said Bolling. “They have shown their dedication and commitment to working hard after school so they could be here.” This is the fifth year in a row that Escambia High School has made it to the finals. Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Andre Francis, Escambia’s assistant NSI credits their success to hard work and desire. “From day one, we’ve been working on what I call a dynasty,” said Francis. “We have been striving for perfection in what we do. The kids love to compete to continue that dynasty. Many of our graduates come back to watch those following in their footsteps.” “It’s been unbelievable to see these kids and these units perform so well and dedicate themselves to this competition,” said Dr. J. D. Smith, director and NJROTC program manager. “The cadets are performing at an extremely high level and we couldn’t be happier with this year’s competition.” In addition to regular classroom instruction, NJROTC cadets participate in a number of extra-curricular activities throughout the school year and during the summer months that are designed to stimulate learning by hands-on experiences and to reinforce the program’s curriculum. Cadet extra-curricular activities include community service projects, drill competitions, academic competitions, visits to naval installations, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) training. There are 580 NJROTC units worldwide with more than 90,000 cadets participating. For more information about NJROTC, visit www.njrotc.navy.mil/.

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NAS Pensacola hosts NJROTC National Championship

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