Honor of Honors
JROTC Battalion Commander is recognized for leadership and academics
A North Crowley High School senior was one of only 28 high school students in the country to receive the U . S . Army Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement award this fall .
Alexia Montagnon , JROTC battalion commander , was surprised with the announcement of her award , one of the top honors a cadet can earn , at a Crowley ISD Board of Trustees meeting in late September .
Written by Megan Middleton
“ It was exciting . I was happy ,” Montagnon said . “ I feel appreciated — like all of my hard work paid off .”
Each year Lt . Col . Mickel Sawyer , JROTC senior Army instructor for Crowley ISD , submits a cadet for the award who he thinks is worthy . The award is based on leadership and academics .
Sawyer said Montagnon stands out because of her leadership over the years — beginning as a squad leader and eventually working her way up to battalion commander , the highest position .
“ I think it was well deserved because of the way she has carried herself here ,” he said of her award . “ She ’ s a proven leader . She leads by example . She ’ s not afraid to let the cadets know when they ’ re right or when they ’ re wrong . She ’ s not afraid to be out in front of them and let them know who ’ s in charge .”
Normally battalion commanders are seniors , but Montagnon was chosen to begin serving in that role as a junior . She leads a group of 225 cadets in that position .
“ She was ahead of the pack so that ’ s why we selected her to be the battalion commander last year and this year ,” he said .
Alexia Montagnon receives the U . S . Army Legion of Valor Bronze Cross of Achievement from Crowley ISD School Board President June W . Davis in September .
Montagnon enjoys the challenge of serving as battalion commander as well as meeting and helping people as part of her position , she said . She hopes to attend Baylor University and study to become a worship leader . She also wants to serve in the military .
“ I love what I do ,” she said of serving as a leader in the JROTC . “ I like to stand out . I want to be different … I want to be able to tell my kids what I did . I want to leave a legacy .”
DID YOU KNOW ? Montagnon is not the first Crowley ISD JROTC cadet to earn the U . S . Army Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement . In 2013 , Xavier Espitia , a Crowley High School senior , won the award - marking the first time a CISD student received the honor .
JUST KEEP LIVIN
The Just Keep Livin Foundation was started by Matthew and Camila McConaughey and is dedicated to empowering high school students by providing them with the tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future .
Crowley ISD teacher Markeith West serves as the Dallas-Fort Worth region site coordinator for the Just Keep Livin foundation and has worked with the organization since 2000 . West snapped a photo with McConaughey this summer holding a shirt from the Bill R . Johnson Career and Technology Education Center where he teaches .
6 CROWLEY ISD CONNECTIONS | Winter 2016