JROTC squads pick district-wide leadership

Every school year the San Diego Unified School District JROTC Program inducts its new Cadet Chain of Command. As graduating seniors depart to pursue their career goals, new leaders emerge to lead more than 2,500 cadets into the next school year.

Pressed with the challenge of sustaining a quality Cadet Corps; the new leadership embraces the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the program and its cadets. The Cadet Brigade Staff is the cornerstone of Cadet Leadership. They represent to top 10 percent of cadets among the entire District. Selection for these positions require them to appear before a selection board and present their skills, abilities and desire for specific leadership positions. This year the San Diego Unified Cadet Corps will be led by a group of students that have achieved significant academic and leadership recognition.

The 2013-2014 JROTC Joint Brigade Staff are:

• Brigade Commander: c/COL Julia Sterling, San Diego High School;
• Brigade Executive Officer: c/LTC DeShawn Walker, Hoover High School;
• Command Master Sergeant: c/CSM Earnest Lagdameo, Mira Mesa High School;
• Administrative Officer: c/Maj William Jiang, Scripps Ranch High School;
• Scholarship Officer: c/LTC Shannon Douangsavanh, Lincoln High School;
• Operations Officer: c/LtCol Andrew Custodio, Scripps Ranch High School;
• Logistics Officer: c/LCDR Jessica Plein, Patrick Henry High School;
• Public Affairs Officer: c/MAJ Jenny Nguyen, Madison High School;
• Communications Officer: c/MAJ Johan Escalona, Morse High School.

For more information on the program, contact LTC David Guzman, Program Manager, at dguzman1@sandi.net.

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JROTC students sharpen science, tech, engineering, math skills

For the third consecutive year, the JROTC Program in the San Diego Unified School District has partnered with the College of Engineering at San Diego State University to offer 55 cadets the opportunity to attend the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Camp this summer. The concept of the program was a fully-funded, five-day residential experience on the SDSU campus from July 30-Aug 3.

The STEM camp was a great success as students were introduced to the rigor of engineering, bio-medical, robotics and bio-tech curricula. Hands-on experiments included building of programmable robotic devices, studying the functions and dissection of a heart and bridge design and testing. The cadets also had to opportunity to brief Cindy Marten, San Diego Unified Superintendent, on the STEM camp and the district JROTC program.

Throughout the week, cadets were housed in a university dorm with all meals provided and gain an excellent understanding of campus life. They were also given a campus tour and a personalized admissions briefing. This program was initiated through the support of Dr. Bruce Westermo, Associate Dean in the College of Engineering at San Diego State University and LTC David Guzman, the district JROTC Program Manager.

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San Diego City Council honors 2013 Mira Mesa graduate

The San Diego City Council declared July 26, 2013, Arnelle Sambile Day, in honor of the recently graduated Mira Mesa High School student who performed nearly 10,000 hours of community service during the 2012-13 school year.

"This young lady, arnelle, was in 2012, was recognized by the Girls World Expo as the 'Girl of Merit,': said Council Member Lori Zaph. She was the Wing Commander for the Air Force JROTC unit at Mira Mesa High and was named Cadet of the Year by the California Air Force Association.
"Because of all your service in high school and all the things that you accomplished, I felt it was fitting that the City of San Diego commend you for all your efforts," said Zaph. "Not just commend you, but -- this is pretty special -- you have a day in your honor."Watch video»

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Top Air Force JROTC academic team is from Scripps Ranch High

After nine rounds of competition, the Scripps Ranch High School Air Force JROTC academic team, composed of William Hang, William Jiang, Stephenie Reid, and Anita Ho took first place in the 2013 Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl Championship. It's the second year in a row that Scripps Ranch High has topped the Air Force JROTC competition.

Scripps Ranch JROTC instructor retired Col. Robert M.
Hogan, left, Stephenie Reid, William Hang, William Jiang
and Anita Ho, the Scripps Ranch High
JROTC Academic Bowl team.

• Watch video of match»
  

In the Joint Service Academic Finals, Scripps Ranch placed third, ahead of Marine JROTC Rio Rancho High School, Rio Rancho, NM. Taking first prize was was the Navy JROTC of Moon Valley High School, Phoenix, Ariz.; in second was the Army JROTC from Marmion Academy, Aurora, Ill.


Scripps Ranch High School Air Force JROTC team earned top scores out of the more than 200 teams that competed from around the world to win a place in the finals, which included an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The team was one of only 16 Air Force JROTC teams to advance to the finals.

In the two fast-paced rounds of online competition, students were tested on their knowledge of JROTC curriculum, English, math, social studies and science, using SAT/ACT-type questions. According to sponsor College Options Foundations, one of the main goals of the JROTC Academic Bowl is to prepare students for state exit/graduation exams as well as college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT.

The competition was held in June 21-25 at George Mason University in Washington, D.C.
According to College Options Foundations, the JROTC Leadership Symposium and Academic Bowl is a nationally recognized academic competition created exclusively for JROTC students. By participating, cadets learn the values of citizenship, academic competition, and college opportunity. The competition creates tremendous opportunities for JROTC cadets by allowing them to demonstrate leadership and academic abilities.

College Options Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education. Utilizing academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials and personalized counseling, College Options Foundation has assisted the nation’s 1.1 million JROTC cadets.

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JROTC Cadets return from 2013 Leadership Camp

The final day of classes for students in the San Diego Unified School District may have officially ended on June 11, 2013; but for hundreds of JROTC students, their education extends beyond the regular school year. Two hundred JROTC students attended a one-week JROTC Leadership Camp in Cedar Glen, CA, June 21-27.

Cadets gained valuable outdoor experience in the Lake Arrowhead area, while participating in many physically challenging events. This fully-funded camp is sponsored by the U.S. Army Cadet Command and designed to consolidate kids from various San Diego Unified high schools and combine them into five newly formed units. Student leaders will immediately face the challenges of supervising, bonding and motivating their new companies.

Throughout the week, students rotated through various educational sessions to include map/compass orientation, wildlife/habitat sciences, environmental safety awareness, and maintaining personal health and wellness in extreme conditions. However, it was definitely not an all work, but no play adventure. Cadets had plenty of time to participate in extracurricular activities which included horseback riding, archery, canoeing, rock-wall climbing, rappelling, and confidence courses.

Selection to participate was completed at respective high schools, as JROTC teachers identified cadets that had excelled throughout the year in academics, physical fitness and leadership potential. Most importantly, this outward-bound camp experience rewards students for their personal achievements and gives them an opportunity to build new friendships. The life lessons learned at the JROTC Leadership
Camp inspires cadets to step out of their comfort zone and accept new challenges with greater self-confidence and personal motivation.

For more information on JROTC in the San Diego Unified School District, visit the program's website.

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JROTC cadets complete a successful year

Thousands of JROTC cadets, parents, District administrators and members from various San Diego military and veterans groups participated in the 67th annual JROTC Awards Ceremony at Morse High School's John Shacklett Stadium. The ceremony is designed to recognize the individual, team and unit achievements in the areas of academic excellence, physical fitness and precision drill competitions.


JROTC boasted a very successful year as enrollment increased for the third consecutive year, topping more than 2,400 cadets.

Most noteworthy, for the fifth consecutive year, JROTC had a cadet recognized as a valedictorian or salutatorian in one of their 13 high school programs. This year, two cadets will be the Senior Class valedictorians and two salutatorians. This summer, the Scripps Ranch High School JROTC Academic Team will compete in the National Academic Championship in Washington, D.C.; the team was national runner-up in 2012.

Throughout the entire school year, JROTC programs participate in numerous competitive events which award placement points. The overall unit recognition awards and final standings were determined by assessing the most cumulative points attained by each unit during the year-long competitions. This year’s winner is the Army JROTC program from San Diego High School, Scripps Ranch Air Force JROTC was second, and in third was the Mira Mesa Air Force JROTC.

The event was highlighted by a Pass and Review as the graduating seniors led their units for the final time. This year’s JROTC Commander Jordan Robertson from Patrick Henry High School officially passed the organizational flag and responsibility to the incoming 2013-14 JROTC Commander, Julia Sterling from San Diego High School.

For more information on the program, contact David Guzman, Program Manager, at dguzman1@sandi.net.

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History lessons in Nation's Capital for JROTC students

Living American history and how to share that knowledge with their peers was the topic when JROTC students from throughout the district spent a recent week in Washington, D.C. at the invitation of a veterans group.

The students visited the U.S Capitol (sponsored by Congresswoman Susan Davis), the U.S. Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Smithsonian Museums, the White House and the home of George Washington in Mt Vernon, Va.

The educational trip, sponsored and fully-funded by the Military Order of World Wars is conducted each year by a selection panel of military veterans. This year’s trip centered on student-to-student teaching techniques as each cadet researched and presented assigned historical sites, monuments and figures.

Students attending were: Samantha Bui, Mira Mesa High; Jessica Plein, Patrick Henry High; Emanuel Baeza, Madison High; Erica Santo-Domingo, Scripps Ranch High; Melissa Ly, Pt. Loma High; Junelle Aquino, Serra High; DeShawn Walker, Hoover High; Julia Sterling, San Diego High; and Shannon Douangsavanh, Lincoln High.

Leadership, citizenship responsibilities and key American historical events were discussed by the students in group settings; throughout the trip students were assessed for their leadership qualities, participation and subject knowledge by members of the Military Order of World Wars.

For more information on the program, contact David Guzman, JROTC Program Manager, at dguzman1@sandi.net.

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JROTC juniors headed to Patriotic Education Seminar

Top performing JROTC cadets from around the district will be heading to Washington, D.C. and Mt. Vernon, Va., during Spring Break to attend the Patriotic Education Seminar.

Sponsored by the San Diego Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars, the students will visit the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court, Library of Congress and numerous other sites to gain greater awareness of our national history, monuments and museums. The chapter sponsors cadets from not only the San Diego Unified School District, but other districts around San Diego County.

The students are among the top ten percent in academic, citizenship and leadership skills. The students were selected following interviews by members of the Military Order of the World Wars.This year's winners are: Samantha Bui, Mira Mesa; Jessica Plein, Patrick Henry; Emanuel Baeza, Madison; Julia Sterling, San Diego; Melissa Ly, Point Loma; DeShawn Walker, Hoover; Junelle Aquino, Serra; Michelle Burlaza, Crawford; Shannon Douangsavanh, Lincoln.

The seminar provides a wide range of educational and awards programs for students and teachers to gain a greater awareness and appreciation of the principles and responsibilities of a free and democratic society. These programs include: U.S. history, citizenship and civics, Constitutional rights, citizen responsibilities, American political process and public policy issues.

For more information on the JROTC programs, contact LTC David Guzman at  dguzman1@sandi.net.

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JROTC students learn positive lessons

County Office of Education, Cox Communications highlight JROTC programs in "Salute to Education" video. Watch»

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8.5 tons of food collected by JROTC

The San Diego Unified School District Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (JROTC) Food Drive is an annual community service project to support our city in collecting food during the holiday season.

Given the economic struggles by many in San Diego, JROTC cadets set a goal of surpassing last year’s collection of 10,960 lbs. Together with friends, families, school faculty and students, the 13 JROTC units collected an amazing 53 percent increase of 16,795 lbs. (almost 8.4 tons).

Donations of canned and dried goods went to various local charities, churches and food banks to be distributed to families just before the holidays. In the past three years, JROTC cadets have contributed over 39,000 lbs. (19.5 tons) of food to our community.

Each year, special recognition is given to the school which donates the largest amount and this year’s Community Service Streamer will be presented to San Diego High School. In second place was Scripps Ranch HS and James Madison HS placed third. We thank all cadets for their donations to this worthy event.

For more information, please contact LTC David Guzman at dguzman1@sandi.net.

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Scripps Ranch High JROTC Wins Academic Bowl; Is Congratulated by Defense Secretary

Superintendent Bill Kowba has presented the Scripps Ranch High School Navy JROTC academic squad with a letter from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta congratulating the team on its victory in the Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl.

The cadets placed first in Air Force international competition against 200 teams from the U.S. and second in tri-service (Air Force, Navy/Marines, Army) competition among 2,000 high schools around the world.

Seniors Alwin Hui, Cameo Tsui and juniors Willilam Jiang and Stephanie Reid attended the event June 22-26 in Washington, D.C., with one of their instructors, Col. Robert M. Hogan and chaperone Areana Chen.

“I felt really happy and glad to get this far with our team. I was really proud to see how our team came together and really worked well, and developed teamwork throughout the competition,” said Hui.
The event is pressure-filled, asking questions on a wide-range of subjects and the cadets were able to meet fellow students from all over the nation and world. There were nine rounds through the two competitions.

“When I was very nervous, coping was joking around and having fun with all the cadets,” said Reid.

“I was pretty nervous. I [tried to] just forget about it on stage,” said Jiang.

The goal behind the 2012 Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl Championship was to prepare the students for an array of exams, taken not only in the rest of high school, but in college as well. The cadets learned how to cooperate with one another and the importance of determination, as they journeyed through the Academic Bowl and competed for first place. In the two rounds of online competing, the cadets were asked SAT and ACT-like questions to demonstrate their knowledge of math, science, JROTC curriculum, and English.

"Looking at the questions they asked, it was quite an accomplishment for those four young cadets,” said Hogan. Scripps Ranch High School’s JROTC was one out of 16 teams to progress into the finals. “We truly outshone all of the 15 high schools. There was no doubt in my mind that we would win the competition," he said.

For more information, contact Hogan at rhogan@sandi.net.

 -- Contributed by Jessica Glynn, Scripps Ranch High Falcons newspaper

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