CLARKSVILLE, TN – In July, three teams from two CMCSS high schools, Northwest and Rossview, competed during the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) National Competition in Washington, D.C. Northwest High School was represented by their Leadership and Academic teams. Rossview High School Academic Team qualified for the national competition.

The overall finish of each team represents the highest level each school has ever received. The Northwest High Leadership team took 11th-place out of 1,500 teams across the nation. The school’s Academic Team was one of the Top 16 in the country, out of over 1,700 academic teams. Rossview High Academic Team also placed in the Top 16 and has the added distinction of receiving the highest score of any CMCSS JROTC academic team to date.

Northwest High JROTC Academic Team: Robert Elston, Analiese Poe, Kaylee Coon and Emily Sawyer. (Contributed)

“Freshman me was this little shell of a person that didn’t want to expand much,” said Bridger Helm, a senior at Northwest. He explains how CSM (Ret.) Glenn Louk took him aside and began to assign specific responsibilities. The experience pushed him to try more, and it made all the difference.

Kaylee Coon, a senior at Northwest, and Madeline Pufall, a sophomore at Rossview, share similar experiences of being shy and unsure of themselves. Through their journey with JROTC, the cadets have grown more confident in their abilities. “Everything with JROTC has taught me a lot about myself,” said Kaylee. “I found a lot of strength. It taught me to be proud of myself.”

The Rossview High JROTC Academic team toured Washington D.C. during their trip to JLAB. (Contributed)

The JROTC program offers multiple avenues of exploration along with leadership and academics. Students can also try raider, drill, S.T.E.M. opportunities of Robotics, Drone and Cyber Patriot, and rifle teams. Cadets are assigned to the team that best fits their interests and abilities. They insist the program is not simply a ‘military focused’ mindset and instead has provided a much stronger frame of mind.

“When you think about JROTC, you think military,” Madeline explained. “But I relate it more to a life skills class. How to be a better citizen, how to work with what you have, and how to give back to the community.”