Scotlandville Magnet High School has walked away with a number of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps’ (JROTC) honors in recent competitions.  Other school JROTC programs and cadets are performing at a high level, as well.

Cadet Sgt. Michael Thomas of Scotlandville Magnet High School has been named the district-wide winner of the JROTC LET 1 Cadet of the Year Board Award.  The East Baton Rouge Parish School System event was hosted March 19 at Glen Oaks High School.  Thomas has exceptional leadership potential as exemplified by his positions as platoon sergeant and member of the Drill Team and Honor Guard, as well as his excellent academic performance and other extracurricular activities.  Candidates were judged by their resume, cumulative GPA and JROTC curriculum knowledge, appearance and military bearing.

In addition, the Scotlandville High’s JROTC program recently received its highest battalion ranking at an inspection by JROTC state inspector Willie Burton.  The review of 94 cadets improved in part due to a filing system developed by student Cadet Capt. Murlonae Webb.  This was part of a parish-wide annual state inspection of all nine EBRPSS JROTC programs and its 1,000 students.

At Glen Oaks High School, Cadet Private First Class Breanna M. Dozier, a sophomore, Medical Magnet program student and honor student, is the winner of the JROTC District Essay Contest.   The title of the essay for 2008-2009 was “Why Did I Enroll in Army JROTC?”  Dozier’s essay will represent the parish JROTC program at the national level. 

In February, Cadet Captain Bobby B. Nguyen of Broadmoor High School was the winner of the LET2 Cadet of the Year Award.  The event was hosted by Broadmoor’s JROTC, where Nguyen has demonstrated leadership as a supply officer and through superior academic performance and extracurricular activities. 

In January, Istrouma High School was the site of the district-wide JROTC competition.  At the event, Tara High School’s team won the drill competition (four out of four wins this year) and the color guard competition.  The school represented the district at the Louisiana State JROTC Drill Competition in February at Leesville High School in Leesville, LA.  Tara High School’s team placed third in unarmed color guard and second in individual drill.  In addition, Zachary High School’s JROTC Rifle Team won the rifle competition at Istrouma High School.

For more information, contact LTC August Amoroso Jr., LTC, U.S. Army (retired), who is the director of the district’s Army Instruction program, at (225) 226-7608.