North Penn’s JROTC program has strong finish to school year

Knight Crier

LANSDALE – Members of the North Penn School District (NPSD) Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Unit have shared countless exciting and triumphant experiences throughout the 2014-2015 school year. The organization attended over 100 events ranging from performances for local residencies, service medleys, presentations of classroom projects, competitions and much more.

 

Being part of the NPSD JROTC program headed by Chief Master Sergeant Dee Sullivan and Major Mark Miller, allows cadets grades nine through twelve the opportunity to interact with their community, United States war veterans, and fellow JROTC members from neighboring schools as well as schools across the nation. This past February, Cadet Mattie, Cadet Nguyen, and Cadet Walter had the honor of attending a Military Order of World Wars luncheon with JROTC units from the Greater Philadelphia area as well as numerous service members who served in various conflicts. In March, the North Penn JROTC Cadets attended the 76ers game at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and performed color guard while the national anthem was played. These are just a few of the many remarkable events the NPSD JROTC Unit participated in this past year.

 

Throughout the school year, the NPSD JROTC competed in three competitions in categories including color guard, armed drill, unarmed drill, armed exhibition, unarmed exhibition, and inspection, and took home a total of 27 trophies during the 2014-2015 school year. One of the highest honors received this year was by North Penn’s JROTC Color Guard on May 2, 2015 when they took 3rd place at the National Competition for Color Guard in Daytona Beach, Florida—only two points shy of 2nd place! North Penn’s exemplary team consisted of Kevin Varga, Chase Childs, Alex Arnold, Emily Blasé, and their manager Zachary Bruno. Among 16,000 cadets competing on the drill floor for military knockout, two North Penn JROTC members gave exceptional performances as well, as Chase Childs placed 6th and Emily Blasé placed 4th.

 

The National Competition for Color Guard is very prestigious, as it consists of units from all service branches from 37 states, as well as Guam. Nearly 900 Air Force programs and thousands of Army, Navy, and Marine JROTC units compete in this competition. Placing third is a true honor and depiction of the dedication and discipline of these fine young cadets.

 

Congratulations to the North Penn School District JROTC Unit, as members have continued to achieve great honors and remain model citizens for the community.