SDUSD JROTC Brigade Newsletter January

San Diego Unified School District Joint Brigade JROTC

Issue 2

BRIGADE NEWSLETTER WELL INTO THE NEW YEAR After numerous competitions determining the district-wide standing of each unit, cadets anxiously and ardently prepare for upcoming drill and athletic events to ensure they meet their goal of attaining the coveted Stillwell Trophy. Let’s take a look at how cadets performed at critical competitions in the past few months!

ACADEMIC BOWL 2018 This weekend, competitors from 13 schools across the San Diego Unified School District came together to compete at the annual SDUSD JROTC Brigade Academic Bowl competition.

Competitors have practiced all school year for this highly anticipated event, in which they buzz in and answer questions pertaining to every academic discipline imaginable, including topics as general as math and categories as specific as political slang. The event was held at Patrick Henry High School on January 6th, 2018 and resulted in a win for Scripps Ranch High AFJROTC, followed closely

by Patrick Henry High NJROTC (2nd place), Point Loma High NJROTC (3rd place), and University City High MCJROTC (4th place).

Congratulations to all winners and competitors!

Team captains of academic teams stand beside the Brigade Commander as they accept their trophies.

Throughout the event, cadets were given the opportunity to

meet and mingle with cadets from other schools, fostering camaraderie among units and building lifelong relationships between students who would otherwise not know each other.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Academic Bowl ....... 1 Upcoming Events…………………2 Regulation Drill ...... 2 Cadet Ball Theme Announcement…………………….2

UPCOMING EVENTS • Presidents Day Holiday— February 1619

• Cadet Ball — March 17th • YPF/Cadet Challenge Competition— April 7th

JROTC REGULATION DRILL COMPETITION While the sound of the school

Captain J. Moreno Best Drilled Unit Trophy,

bell signals the end of the school day to

awarded annually to the SDUSD JROTC

many students, for over a thousand JROTC

unit whose performance in regulation drill

cadets countywide, it serves as a reminder

exceeds that of all others in the brigade.

to head over to their JROTC unit areas to

The award, named after the late U.S. Army

practice for the annual San Diego Unified

nurse and former San Diego High School

School District Regulation Drill competition.

cadet Captain Jennifer Moreno, serves to

Cadets from each grade level participate in

commemorate her superior dedication and

competitive tryouts within their respective

service to her country and community, and

units for the honor of representing their

is an immense source of pride for any unit

respective schools at drill competitions,

deemed worthy of an award bearing her

often dedicating several hours each day

name. The recipient of this year’s Captain

practicing their drill technique to distinguish

Moreno Trophy went to Patrick Henry High

themselves from their peers.

School, for its outstanding overall performance in all aspects of the

Once the best of the best have been

Regulation Drill Competition.

selected by their cadre and unit leaders, they spend countless hours perfecting their

This year’s first place winners in individual

CADET BALL THEME ANNOUNCEMENT!

drill movements and execution. The

events include Morse High AJROTC’s First

culmination of these extensive practices is

-year Color Guard, Scripps Ranch High

the first phase of the annual San Diego

AFJROTC’s Varsity Color Guard, Patrick

Unified School District JROTC Regulation

Henry High NJROTC’s First-year and

Unit commanders have voted and the final decision for the theme for Cadet Ball 2018 is the Great Gatsby! The dance’s colors will include black, red, gold, and dark green! See you there!

Drill Competition, consisting of the Best

Third-year Best Drilled Individuals (BDIs),

Drilled Platoon and Best Drilled Squad

Platoon and Squad Drill Teams, and Point

competitions. This year, the event was held

Loma High NJROTC’s Second-year and

in two phases; the first having taken place

Fourth-year BDIs.

at Serra High School on December 9th, 2017, the second, on Saturday, January

Congratulations to all winners and all

20th, at James Madison High School.

teams that participated!

Teams from each of the 13 units came together in fiercely competitive drill events, where they were closely evaluated by several military officials serving as judges for the competition. Each unit aims to achieve the highest overall score possible in each category to attain the coveted

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Patrick Henry High School team and unit commanders accept the Captain J. Moreno Trophy from MOWW member Cpt. Debbie Kash.

CADET SPOTLIGHT! Every quarter, two of the finest cadets in our brigade are chosen to be featured in our newsletter! Let’s meet this quarter’s exemplary cadets!

C/2ND LIEUTENANT VALERIE HO (SCRIPPS RANCH AFJROTC) Why did you join JROTC? I joined JROTC because it is one of the few programs in high school that allow you to have so much experience working with others both in a leadership and follower position. Leading our peers allows us to become more aware of our own strengths and weaknesses, and teaches us to be diligent in tailoring ourselves to fit the needs of the people we lead. Taking the role of a follower allows us to observe successful and unsuccessful leadership styles, and better understand the importance of motivation and camaraderie in any group of people.

C/2ND LIEUTENANT CHRISTIAN MATABANG (MIRA MESA AFJROTC) What do you look forward to the most as part of your JROTC experience?

I look forward to making an impact on other people's lives, whether it be within the cadet corps or my community. I want to be the one to guide someone else to be the best person they can be, and help them realize their true potential, just like how previous cadets helped me in the same exact way.

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