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South High School JROTC Team Recognized for Leadership Skills
October 6, 2021 -- “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) team at South 7-12 does just that, as they continually prove their leadership skills both on and off the drill pad. The team was recognized October 4, by Columbus City Schools’ (CCS) Board of Education, for their participation in the 2021 JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) National Championship.
According to U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Paul Allmon, Senior Army Instructor for South, JLAB has two categories: Academics and Leadership. South qualified in the leadership portion. The competition is completed in three rounds, in which the first two are done virtually. Depending on the score of the first round, the team will advance to round two. If they score high enough in round two, they will qualify for the nationals in Washington, DC. This year's competition kicked off October 1, so the team is currently preparing for round one testing.
“Cadets from South are the number one leadership team in the State of Ohio and the top team in the 7th Army ROTC Brigade which is located throughout Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Michigan,” Allmon said. “Out of the nearly 1,700 Army JROTC programs world-wide, this team was one of 40 to qualify for the finals in D.C. for the 2020-2021 school year. They finished 11th in the nation, which placed them inside the top one percent of programs Army-wide.”
The team, coached by Master Sergeant (Retired) Ben Zumock, consists of Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Joel Moren, Cadet Command Sergeant Major Elizabeth Portalatin, Cadet First Sergeant Miranda Parsley, and Cadet Sergeant First Class Abby Hutton.
CCS supports the team’s endeavors and wishes them well as they continue through the competition.