After advancing through two phases of online competition, the Leilehua High "Mighty Mules" JROTC Leadership Team and the Waimea High Menehune Battalion will compete at the 2017 Army JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl (JLAB) in Washington DC. The competition will be held from June 22-27, 2017, and is sponsored by the Army JROTC and conducted by the College Options Foundation.
"This will be the first time that two of our public schools have simultaneously reached this level of competition in the National Leadership Bowl Championship," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "We are proud of these cadets and congratulate them for being among the best teams in the country. We also send our best wishes as they head to Washington DC."
Forty Army JROTC Leadership Bowl teams in the nation have advanced to JLAB, which includes an all-expense paid trip to the Championship event in DC. During the two fast-paced preliminary rounds, cadets were tested on their knowledge of current events, leadership values and leadership skills.
The Leilehua High JROTC team earned top scores out of the 1,378 Army JROTC teams that competed from around the world. It is composed of Cadet Faith Boyce-Jennings, Cadet Morgan Burks, Cadet Kobee Ledward, Cadet Janarah Jones, and team alternate Cadet Essence Johnson. The team's coach and chaperone is Nick Spiridigliozzi, Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Army Retired.
This is the fourth time that Waimea High's Menehune Battalion has qualified and competed at the National Leadership Bowl Championship. The team earned high scores and is composed of the following cadets: Micah Guillermo (Team Captain), Kristine Ruiz, Wayne Noda, Cade Tanaka and team alternate Leilani Higashi. Chaperones are JROTC instructor Victor Aguilar, Major U.S. Army Retired and Corazon Guillermo.
JLAB is a nationally recognized competition created exclusively for JROTC students. By participating, cadets learn the values of citizenship, academic competition, and college opportunity. The competition creates tremendous opportunities for JROTC cadets by allowing them to demonstrate leadership and academic abilities.
College Options Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education. Using academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials and personalized counseling, College Options Foundation has assisted the nation's JROTC cadets worldwide for over a decade.
