More than 300 HISD JROTC cadets visited Texas A&M University for a weeklong summer camp to prepare for the upcoming school year and engage in collaborative learning and team-building exercises.
The JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge and STEM Camp welcomed other local school districts as well.
“JROTC requires all programs to participate in JCLC across the country,” said Major Micah Ray, Sam Houston MSTC ROTC Instructor. “Not all cadets at each school can attend, but the top cadets of those programs are chosen to represent their schools at the challenge. The challenge itself provides an opportunity for cadets to earn awards for their uniforms, which they can add to their resumes.”
Senior Cadet Major and Battalion Commander Jasmine Nava was one of three cadets chosen to represent Sam Houston MSTC’s ROTC program.
“What I learned from camp is that patience is important,” said Nava. “Everyone is different, one way or another, and has a different mindset. With that, you have to learn how to combine each other’s ideas to effectively overcome challenges.”
Each cadet received uniforms, boots, socks, a hydration system, and ribbons for their uniforms to help stay motivated while participating in a wide range of outdoor activities organized by HISD instructors and camp volunteers from the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Activities included drill, games of tug-of-war, swimming, rock climbing, kayaking, and more.
“Some of the challenges and obstacle courses were difficult at first,” said Junior Cadet Master Sergeant and Security Officer Katherine Alamia. “After working as a team to break out of our comfort zones, we were able to communicate and work effectively together to complete challenges.”
The cadets also worked collaboratively in team settings to build robots for competitions.
“We had on-land robotics where cadets had to build robots and program them,” said Major Ray. “Then we had the water robotics competition where students had to use drill saws, and all kinds of equipment to construct their equipment and then program the software on the robot to put it in the water and compete.”
The week concluded with an award ceremony at Butler Fieldhouse for families and community members to attend and celebrate the returning cadets for completing JCLC.
To learn more about HISD JROTC, click here.