Group recognized as“ most improved” in the region.
Penn Hills Junior ROTC AMASSING ACCOLADES
Group recognized as“ most improved” in the region.
The Junior ROTC Naval detachment at Penn Hills High School recently won a number of honors.
The cadets placed seventh at the national Brain Brawl competition in Annapolis, Md. Retired Navy Commander Bob Morabito supervises the Junior ROTC detachment and says he is extremely proud of the cadets’ performance. The competitors included team captain Christine Spieler, junior; Jacob Russell, junior; Andy Oswalt, senior; Zachary Oswalt, freshman; and Tatyana Lantry, sophomore. They traveled to the U. S. Naval Academy at the end of April to participate in the competition.
“ Our cadets’ performance in a national competition such as this confirms what I already know to be true in the Penn Hills School District— the majority of our students are enthusiastic learners who strive for academic achievement,” Morabito says.“ When given the opportunity, they applied themselves with dedication to do the absolute best they could.”
This was the first time the Penn Hills Junior ROTC detachment had qualified for a national competition since the program began 15 years ago. The national Brain Brawl competition includes questions based on naval science topics, as well as trivia and current events. The cadets studied old trivia questions after school several days a week and reviewed topics including meteorology and astronomy to prepare for the Brain Brawl. Some of the cadets have also participated in other trivia competitions. Although the preparations were tedious, the cadets say they felt they were prepared.
“ Going into the competition I felt a mixture of nervousness, excitement and confidence,” says Zachary Oswalt.“ I was a little
BY PAUL GLASSER nervous as any athlete would be before a big game.”
The cadets advanced all the way to the semifinals where they placed seventh. A team from Georgia won first place for the third year in a row. The Penn Hills cadets say participating in the competition was a valuable learning experience that will help them improve their performance next year.
“ I am very proud of all the hard work and dedication that we put in this year,” Lantry says.“ Now I’ m expecting even more next year.”
The Penn Hills Junior Naval ROTC program recently won recognition as the“ most improved unit” in the region. The program was also recognized as a“ distinguished unit with honors” and earned the right to nominate cadets for each of the nation’ s three military service academies.
In class, the cadets study a wide variety of naval topics including seamanship, military law and leadership skills. The cadets also practice marksmanship with air rifles and prepare for ceremonial drills. Cadets from the Penn Hills Junior Naval ROTC program also recently built a remotely operated submersible and competed in the SeaPerch program. The event emphasizes science, technology and engineering curriculum. The cadets had to maneuver their submersible through an obstacle course.
Each year, the Penn Hills Junior Naval ROTC cadets visit the military park at Buffalo, N. Y., and tour several decommissioned ships including a destroyer, submarine and cruiser. The cadets stay overnight on the cruiser where they stand watch and eat military rations.“ It really puts you back in the era,” Andy Oswalt says. For more information visit: phsd. k12. pa. us / NJROTC. aspx. n
“ When given the opportunity, they applied themselves with dedication to do the absolute best they could.”
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