‘An amazing accomplishment’

Robertsdale High School Navy JROTC team to make return trip to National Academic Bowl Championship in Washington, D.C.

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 3/22/17

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Cadets from the Robertsdale High School Navy JROTC Academic Team will make a return trip to Washington, D.C., in June to compete in the 2017 Navy JROT Academic Bowl …

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‘An amazing accomplishment’

Robertsdale High School Navy JROTC team to make return trip to National Academic Bowl Championship in Washington, D.C.

Posted

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Cadets from the Robertsdale High School Navy JROTC Academic Team will make a return trip to Washington, D.C., in June to compete in the 2017 Navy JROT Academic Bowl Championship on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“This is just an amazing accomplishment,” said RHS ROTC Commander Lt. Col. Scott Meehan. “This is an opportunity for these students, not only to compete at a high level, but to also experience all that our nation’s Capital has to offer. They will also get to experience life on a college campus, rub elbows with dignitaries from 5-star generals to our nation’s leaders, and even Miss America. They will also get a chance to talk to college counselors from across the nation that they would never get a chance to talk to here.”

Six cadets, team leader Ren Magtanong, Emyle Mann, Connor Smith, Sierra Gardner, Austin Skains and Laighton Mitchell, advanced through two phases of online competition to earn the right to advance to compete. The team from RHS earned top scores in a field of over 100 Navy JROTC teams that competed from around the world. The team is one of only eight Navy JROTC Academic Bowl teams in the nation to advance to the finals.

The competition is open to freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Individually, Smith finished as the top-ranked competitor among nearly 365 sophomore competitors, while Mitchell was ranked sixth overall. Of the six cadets, only four will be allowed to compete in the Championship, with two alternates, as selected by the team.

“They got together as a group and decided for themselves who would go,” Meehan said.

Locally, a team from Pace High School in Pace, Florida, also qualified to compete.

Additional 2016-17 Navy JROTC finalists include Clements High School from Sugar Land, Texas; Ed. W. Clark High School. Las Vegas; Nash Central High School, Rocky Mount, North Carolina; Patrick Henry High School, San Diego; TR Proctor High School, Utica, New York; and Troy High School of Fullerton, California.

For cadets Emyle Mann and Ren Magtanong, the competition will be a return trip. The two competed in last year’s competition, along with fellow qualifier Laighton Mitchell, who will serve as an alternate on this year’s team. Cadet Austin Skains will also serve as an alternate.

“It was really intense,” said Mann, who served as team captain for last year’s squad. “There were teams there from magnate schools who could solve math problems in their heads.”

During the two fast-paced preliminary rounds, students were tested on their knowledge of JROTC curriculum, English, math and science. One of the main goals of the JROTC Academic Bowl is to prepare students for state exit/graduation exams as well as college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT.

“It’s conducted much like a game show,” Meehan said, “which not only includes a test of general knowledge, but is also test of nerves with the added intensity of competing in front of a live audience.”

Petty Officer Edward “Theo” Theodoro and his wife Mitzi will accompany team members to this year’s competition as chaperones.

The winner of the Navy JROTC Academic Championship will compete against the winners of the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force JROTC academic bowls in the JROTC Joint Service Academic Bowl Championship.

The JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl is a nationally recognized academic competition created exclusively for JROTC students. By participating, cadets learn the values of citizenship, academic competition and college opportunity. The competition creates tremendous opportunities for JROTC cadets by allowing them to demonstrate leadership and academic abilities.

The College Options Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education. Using academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials and personalized counseling, College Options Foundation has assisted the nation’s JROTC cadets worldwide for over a decade.