West Broward cadets rule county ROTC meet
West Broward High School’s Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) squad recently rose to the occasion with top honors at the 2016 Broward County Drill Meet at Fort Lauderdale High School.
More than 1,000 cadets from 24 JROTC programs competed in the meet. Broward County Public Schools boast the second largest JROTC enrollment in the nation.
West Broward’s 44-member squad enjoyed an impressive showing by taking first place in 12 of 17 categories. Western High School, Everglades High School, Plantation High School and Monarch High School rounded out the top five finishers in the county meet.
The awards for the West Broward cadets keep piling up during what has turned to a dream season. West Broward has now won the county championship in three competitions: Marksmanship, under the direction of Col. Kenneth Merkel; Raider (1st Sgt. Ernest Sosa) and Drill (1st Sgt. David Torres).
Torres, a resident of Miramar, has been involved with JROTC programs in Broward County for nine years. The Army instructor came on board with West Broward High School this season and was pleased with his cadets’ performance in the drill meet.
“Our students are very disciplined and dedicated. What makes me most proud is that we have an average of 3.4 GPA collectively, so it’s a very well-rounded group,” Torres said. “We tell our students that academics comes first and JROTC is just there to help you get better grades and help get you into college and graduate.”
Torres explained that winning the Marksmanship, Raider and Drill competitions – all in the same year– is a remarkable achievement.
“That just doesn’t happen too often,” he said. “It just shows that when you put in the effort, all the hard work and dedication can pay off in a big way.”
West Broward High School also has a leadership squad of six cadets whohave qualified to compete on a worldwide basis and will be heading off to Washington D.C. this summer. While there, the team will be tested on its academic sand leadership abilities. The team includes Michael Youssef, Chase Williams, Nicholas Saris, Gabriela Peralta, Skyler Pro zora nd Amelia Figueroa.
Leadership abilities are developed and nurtured in an environment where the Army instructors delegate the responsibilities to commanders in various groups. Ellice Cothern is the Commander of the Female Color Guard and Commanderfor the Female Armed Platoon. The16-year-old Pembroke Pines resident got more out of the JROTC program than she ever imagined.
“I wasn’t really sure about the JROTC when I first joined and just wanted to get my [physical education] credit, but it ended up helping me with my confidence, discipline, academics, leadership abilities and speaking skills,” Cothern said. “This drill meet gave us a chance to showcase our talents to the entire county and really make a name for ourselves. This is our best showing ever.”