NJROTC Award Ceremony salutes students, staff

By Mason Lazzaroni

Reporter

NJROTC (Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps) celebrated their second-annual awards and promotions ceremony on Oct. 28.

This year the ceremony started at 7 p.m. and lasted approximately an hour and 45 minutes. The auditorium was filled with eager parents, family members, supporters of the program and friends who were there to cheer on the students.

Prior to the start of the ceremony, Executive Officer Kamarri Hearn shared some thoughts on if he will win any awards, and if he had any advice for cadets regarding earning future awards and promotions.

“Stay on top of your game, get good grades, do as much community service as possible, and participate,’’ Hearn said.

The evening started with patriotic music playing while attendees were being seated. After that concluded, Petty Officer Reed took the stage to get the ceremony started. As the honored officials entered, a bell was rung signaling their arrival.

The NJROTC color guard presented the colors and the National Anthem was sung by two NJROTC cadets, which was quite moving. P.O. Reed then provided the invocation followed by the cadets reciting the NJROTC Cadet Creed and Cadet Honor Code.

The first event was recognizing those who were being promoted to Seaman Apprentice.

The criteria for this promotion was: no suspensions, passed most classes, worn their uniform correctly at least 85 percent of the time and minimal tardies. The cadets who were promoted to this rank were given a pin to wear on their uniform.

The next promotion was for Petty Officer Third Class. The criteria for this promotion was as follows: be a cadet for at least eight weeks, have a 90 percent or better in attendance, maintain a 2.25 GPA, be involved in at least one community or school activity, no referrals or suspensions, and no violations of the cadet honor code.

The promotion for Petty Officer Second Class was given next, followed by several leadership awards. Commander Patrick Isom from Bloom Trail presented Commanding Officer Jasmine Thomas with her promotion.

The evening continued with P.O. Reed introducing his staff and their accompanying positions. A very moving moment in the ceremony was when they played, “God Bless the USA,” by Lee Greenwood, and had military members who have served or are currently serving, stand up to be recognized while presenting each of them with a small American Flag.

The physical fitness awards were then handed out and the cadets were congratulated on all of their achievements.

Petty Officer Reed then spoke about the leadership training some cadets attended over the summer and they were presented with several awards each. These cadets looked so sharp while executing their facing movements that P.O. Reed had them repeat them a few times, which garnered some laughs from the audience.

Community service is a very important component of the NJROTC program. During the course of the school year, cadets participate in a variety of events in the surrounding communities. The cadets were recognized for their dedication and commitment by being presented with a community service ribbon.

The color guard and drill team members were then recognized for their achievements.

Up next were the class leaders who were presented with a certificate of appreciation by P.O. Reed.

A short video was then shown, which included pictures of the cadets and their many activities they participated in, along with some candid shots of them enjoying their time hanging out with each other.

The platoons then assembled on the stage and demonstrated how orders are passed on through the chain of command. The demonstration was very impressive and showed how hard the cadets have been working.

Each platoon was then presented to the audience and their flags unfurled. After this, individual platoons were awarded streamers for their achievements.

One of the highlights from the night was when Commanding Officer Jasmine Thomas gave a stirring speech and then presented P.O. Reed with an award. This was completely unexpected by P.O. Reed, and he was overcome with visible emotion.

He shared that this had been the first time in 15 years that he had been recognized by a cadet. You could feel the admiration radiating off the cadets during this moment.

The sponsors of the program were acknowledged and thanked for their continued support. They were as follows: Al-Amin Trucking, and Lou Pascale, owner of Aurelio’s of Crete.

Rounding out the night was an impressive performance by the NJROTC exhibition drill team. These cadets really know how to put on a show. They definitely proved that practice and hard work pays off. The employees of District 201-U were thanked for their hard work in helping the NJROTC program.

The booster parents were then thanked for their dedication and hard work in helping with the cadets. The night concluded with a “Knockout” finalist competition.

This is a competition where the instructor inspects each cadet after giving them a series of military drill commands. The cadet that does not meet all the checkpoints in the command will receive a tap on the shoulder, meaning they are ‘knocked out.’ This was pretty intense and resulted in Commanding Officer Jasmine Thomas winning first place.

The ceremony concluded with a final award to an outstanding cadet who P.O. Reed explained went above and beyond, Cadet Rachel Perry. The final remarks of the evening were then delivered by Ms. Triche.

Afterwards everyone was invited to enjoy some cake with the cadets and opportunities to take pictures with their families and friends. During this time, Cadet Arthur McFadden shared some insight about what it takes to earn an award.

“Give it your all and don’t give up,’’ McFadden said.