KCS JROTC League to Compete 

The Knox County Schools Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) League will hold countywide competitions in a meet scheduled for Feb. 15 at Gibbs High School.

The JROTC league is a unique opportunity for cadets from the nine county high schools offering JROTC programs to compete in air rifle marksmanship, color guard and unarmed drill events. Rifle teams will commence firing at 8:30am and color guard and drill teams will start competitions at 1:00pm.

About 150 cadets from across the county are expected to participate in the daylong activities. Evaluators for the color guard and drill events will be local recruiting officials from the four services.

The league was established last year under the direction of the Coordinator of High Schools Donna Wright to bring county schools together, foster camaraderie, and increase the level of local competition. Teams compete twice each semester, with the team holding the highest point total in each category taking home the respective trophy. Rotating trophies are awarded in air rifle marksmanship, color guard, unarmed squad, and unarmed platoon drill. The league also has an annual field day in April, hosted by the Bearden Naval JROTC.

Although the league was formed last school year, competitions did not start until Fall 2001. “This is an excellent opportunity for our cadets to develop strong leadership and team skills in a competitive environment,” said

Lt. Col. Melvin Shafer, Jr., the league secretary and Senior Army Instructor at Gibbs High School. “What they learn about teamwork, leadership, commitment, and performance under pressure here they will be able to apply to situations throughout their lives, regardless of the career path they choose,” continued Shafer.

“This is a fine program that lets our JROTC cadets apply what they have learned in class in a demanding, competitive environment,” said Wright. “This is both a critical time and a wonderful display of patriotic commitment to school and country. We look forward to the growth of our JROTC league over the years to come.”

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