Nease NJROTC held six distinct promotion and awards ceremonies throughout the day on the campus parade deck on Oct. 23, recognizing the cadet corps for exceptional performance during the first quarter.
Of the 24-cadet battalion, 119 cadets earned promotions for successfully passing a rigorous promotion exam and meeting minimum community service hour requirements. Additionally, more than 800 individual awards were presented for exceptional performance and achievement in the areas of community service, school service, physical fitness and participation on one or more of the program’s competitive teams.
Cadet company commanders directed formal military ceremonies throughout the school day during their respective class periods. As part of their hands-on leadership training, cadet company commanders organized, planned and executed the entire ceremonies. Active duty recruiters from the United States Army, Marine Corps and Navy, along with a retired Army colonel, assisted in the presentation of awards.
“Attending (Area-12) Leadership Academy last summer helped me prepare for moments like this,” Bravo Company Commander Teagen Pettit said. “Sitting in a classroom and learning how to put on a major ceremony is one thing, but actually leading one in front of the parents and school administrators was both nerve-racking and exhilarating.”
In addition to Pettit, Company Commanders Sinead Morgan, Christopher Oliver and Hayden Rowe led their cadets in ceremonies replete with the formal customs and courtesies seen in active duty events.
Parents were invited during the ceremony to pin the new ranks on their cadet.
The most prestigious awards presented during the day were the Sailors of the Quarter awards — given to the top performers from the past quarter. Cadets Elkhan Bagirov, Kaitlyn Boggs, Olivia Kerrick, Isabella Rivera and Yuan Tian received those awards.
Nease NJROTC has been recognized as the No. 1 NJROTC unit in Area-12 (northern Florida and state of Georgia) for five of the past six years, and was the No. 5 Most Outstanding Unit in the Nation in 2018.
