While training to win a national championship, the Smith-Cotton JROTC program is also fighting world hunger. This year, the S-C JROTC Academic Team, commanded by Cadet Derek Patton, is trying to qualify for the national championship competition in Washington D.C. The team consists of all sophomores, something that has never happened in the history of the program. The five cadets, Haleigh Carson, Megan Wilbanks, Maddy Ash, Kylar McNeal and Patton arrive at school early two days each week in hopes of one day achieving a national title.
Schools from across America compete in academics, trying to outscore each other on various tests. In order to reach nationals, the team must score well in the first two rounds of competition. In the first phase, every team competes and the top schools advance. During round two, the advancing schools compete and teams with the top scores advance to national finals in Washington, D.C.
