May is just about the busiest month for JROTC, and the Bobcat Battalion will be working all the way until the last week of school.
Not only is this time prime time for Marksmanship try outs and the Drum n’ Fife team preparing for the Memorial Day Parade, but it’s also time for a few of JROTC’s biggest projects.
The change of command for the battalion was held May 10 so each of these projects will now take place under the new leadership. The upcoming juniors and seniors are now the main people in charge of the upcoming events.
The first main event was Leadership Day held May 19 during the school day. This event was planned by the new S-6, sophomore Bekah Sambol.
“It was a lot of work, but with the help and support of everyone in the battalion, the planning was able to run smoothly,” said Sambol.
During Leadership Day the current eighth graders are given the opportunity to learn a bit more about JROTC as a whole.
Cadets took the eighth graders through stations based on the program’s teams like Raiders, Drum n’ Fife, Drill, Color Guard, JLAB, Marksmanship, and Archery.
These stations (located in Gypsy Glen park next to the school) give the kids a taste of what the teams in the JROTC program are like.
Additionally, the eighth graders get to play fun games like tug-of-war and human table.
The annual service learning project is the JROTC’s main community service project for the year. It’s planned by the cadets in the program and meant to provide the battalion’s service and knowledge to members of our community.
There are three parts to the service learning project: the Beaver Area Heritage Museum, Dutch Ridge, and College Square.
For each of these events, the cadets have learned Beaver history in order to share it with each group of people.
Museum Day was May 20 at the Beaver Area Heritage Museum. Cadets learned about the exhibits at the museum and were able to present the info to the public. They got to act as tour guides for anyone who showed up to the museum that day.
Cadets were required to become experts in information on the log cabin, play house, the plants surrounding the cabin, the museum itself, and even old timey games that kids used to play.
The second part of the Service Learning Project takes place Dutch Ridge Elementary. The cadets will be heading to Dutch Ridge today, May 22, to teach students Beaver history.
At Dutch Ridge, cadets will operate stations for the sixth graders. Prior to the event, the sixth graders learned information about Beaver history that cadets will ask them at the event. Stations include tug-of-war, bingo, a bridge-building activity, a scavenger hunt, and more based on Beaver history questions students will need to answer to play.
The third and final part of the Service Learning project will take place May 25 at the Heritage Museum, again, for the College Square first graders.
The cadets will teach the first graders the same information the cadets learned for Museum Day as well as spending more time on the games and crafts kids their age played in the 1800s.
The final event of the school year for cadets is the Memorial Day Parade May 29. The cadets will not only march in the parade but all so attend the cemetery ceremony afterwards.
Seniors will have the chance to ride a float instead of marching. This event is the final time seniors will participate in JROTC, so it’s also a way for seniors to say goodbye to the program.
“The program’s end of the year is filled with numerous, exciting events. I am thrilled to participate in my remaining events. I am grateful for all that the program has done for me and I will always cherish the memories and the friendships I made,” said senior Bella Ord.
