A salute to JROTC success

Sedalia School District 200 has shown a commitment to the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps over the years. A look at the program’s expanded classroom and training space at Smith-Cotton High School will attest to that.

The JROTC program consistently has attained a high level of success, but this year’s squad certainly has reached the pinnacle. The squad went to Molena, Ga., last weekend for the National Raider Challenge Championships and came out on top in competition against 63 other JROTC squads.

But the team national championship was not the only hardware that came home — Cadet Paul Chernookiy was the top overall performer in the Ultimate Raider competition, and Cadet Jordan Bush took third place in the female division of the Ultimate Raider event, as well as taking the individual female physical fitness award.

Sgt. Thomas Bush, S-C’s JROTC Army instructor, noted that the team took first place in four in-state competitions before heading to Georgia to compete in the national competition.
In July, Earl Manuel, a senior and mixed division commander, learned he was named Missouri’s JROTC Cadet of the Year.

The JROTC program has brought a lot of positive light to Smith-Cotton, to the students who participate and to their instructors. One of the points of the U.S. Army JROTC Cadet Creed is: “I will always conduct myself to bring credit to my family, country, school and the Corps of Cadets.”

Smith-Cotton’s JROTC cadets certainly are living up to that commitment. We applaud the cadets and their instructors on their achievements, and thank their families and the program’s backers in the community for supporting a program that helps cultivate future leaders.