​Kapolei High School student cadets have racked up a trio of prestigious national Marine Corps JROTC awards in recognition of their academic achievements and community service during the 2017-18 school year.

The school’s Marine Corps JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) unit was recently named a Naval Honor School, a distinction awarded annually to the top 50 programs worldwide. Schools were selected from approximately 250 Marine Corps JROTC programs around the globe, including on the U.S. mainland, Guam and Japan.

Naval Honor Schools are selected based on superior cadet academic achievement, significant community service hours, attendance at many and varied extracurricular events, and ROTC scholarships awarded and/or Service Academy appointments for graduating seniors. A 2018 Kapolei graduate was offered an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; another was offered an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Kapolei’s program, which consists of 140 students, also was awarded the Marine Corps Reserve Association trophy, an honor bestowed annually to five Marine Corps JROTC programs worldwide. Only Naval Honor Schools are eligible for consideration. 

Trophy recipients represent the top Naval Honor School program in each of the program’s five geographic regions. Kapolei High was selected for Region 4, which includes the western continental U.S. and the Pacific Rim.

“These are very prestigious awards,” said retired Marine Corps Col. Jason Seal, senior Marine Instructor for Kapolei High’s MCJROTC program. “We are very proud of these cadets and they deserve all the recognition and honor that these awards bring.”

Additionally, Cadet 2nd Lt. Oscar Faivre, a senior this year at Kapolei, has been awarded the Legion of Valor Award, which Col. Seal described as the most senior medal in the Marine Corps JROTC program, with only five awards given annually within a pool of 28,000 cadets.

Faivre, pictured at left with Hawaii JROTC Program Manager Lt. Col. Vince Morikawa, said he was surprised but humbled and honored to receive the award.

“It’s such a big award. It’s a great feeling that comes with a lot of expectations,” he said.

Faivre, who is the company commander this year, has been involved with JROTC since his freshman year. He wants to become a Marine officer and jet pilot after high school.

“I feel our unit performed really well and I’m just really proud of all the work we did last year,” he said. “It means a lot.”