By Cadet Captain McKenzee Thornton, Public Affairs Officer
In November, cadets representing the Raider, Rifle, Drill, and Color Guard Teams travelled to Randall Middle School to perform in their Veteran’s Day Recognition Ceremony. The following day, Cadets from the Color Guard and Exhibition Drill Teams travelled to Bevis Elementary School to participate in their ceremony. It was an honor for Newsome’s JROTC Battalion to perform for the Veterans and showcase its many talented Cadets.
Cadets participated in Operation Patriot, donating personal hygiene and comfort items to local Homeless Veterans and the Veterans residing at the Baldomero-Lopez State Veterans Home. The Battalion exceeded its goal of 2,770 items by donating almost 3,200 items to deserving Veterans. On November 11, 35 Cadets travelled to the Veterans’ Home to deliver the donated items and spend the afternoon. Earlier, the Cadets also performed at the Veteran’s Memorial Park.
The Wolfpack Battalion launched its second Service Learning Project – Operation Forgotten Angel, a drive to donate toys to underprivileged children not fortunate enough to be chosen during the community-wide Angel Tree Operation. Once again, Cadets met the challenge and exceeded the goal of 277 toys, bringing in over 325 gifts.
During the Great American Teach-In on November 16, two cadets from each of the six JROTC specialty teams returned to Randall Middle School. Cadets spoke on their respective teams, special events and the experience of being a member of JROTC. They also addressed general questions with regards to high school life.
The Battalion competed in several events during November: The Rifle Team competed in the Colonel Dale Vona Rifle Meet, placing second overall with a first place medal in the Standing position. For the first time ever the Battalion will send two Raider Teams to the State Championships as they come off a first and second place finish at the District level Raider Competition. Finally, both the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) and Cyber Patriot Teams competed with the Academic Team tying the current Battalion record with a score of 91. The Cyber Patriot team competed early in the month with two teams and will be advancing to the next round of competition.
The Battalion didn’t slow down as they prepared for their annual JROTC Program Accreditation (JPA) inspection.
For more on Wolfpack Battalion, visit www.newsomejrotc.com.
