Page 16 - Reedley Exponent 1-25-18 E-edition

Anthony Lujan, the current RHS NJROTC battalion commander, slices into a cake served after the Jan. 17 inspection ceremony.
with him is Jamilynne Gonzalez, the next battalion commander, for 2018-19.
Members of the RHS NJROTC program's armed drill team perform a drill during the Jan. 17 inspection ceremony. They are (from left) Villado Hermenegildo, Gabriela Romero, Cesar Garcia-Medina and Mary Esparza.
Garcia-Medina is credited with leading the effort last year to organize the armed drill team and other drill teams.
Cyler Phillips (left) and Angelica Villegas enjoy a mo- ment together after the ceremony. Both also learned they will be platoon commanders in 2018-19.
Photos by Felicia Cousart Matlosz / The Exponent
NJROTC
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said Bodine, who is a retired commander with the U.S. Na- vy. “I tell them, ‘Welcome to your new job. It’s called high school.’”
Bodine also said they feel the program is more than just about education – it’s also about forming a family.
It’s what in part drew sophomore Jocelyn Elizondo to the program this academ- ic year. As a freshman, she wasn’t part of it but friends were in it. “They would al- ways talk to me about how NJ is like a really big family, and you really get to know every- one,” Elizondo said. “And, ev- eryone here is so close. That really got my attention.”
But, make no mistake, the RHS NJROTC strives for achievement:
• For example, its marks- manship team – Andreya Cantu, Fatima Calderon, Mat- thew Smith and Krystal Ro- driguez-Martinez – as of Jan. 19 ranked 23rd among the 580
Navy Junior ROTC programs nationwide.
• The RHS program cur- rently has a “Unit Achieve- ment” award, which means it ranks among the top 20 per- cent of Navy Junior ROTC programs across the country. (The RHS cadets this year want to earn a “Distinguished Unit” Award, which would put them in the top 8 percent na- tionwide. The RHS cadets will find out later this academic year what award they earned.)
• Members will be go- ing to the national NJROTC Orienting competition next month in Orlando, Fla. They are Cesar Garcia-Medina, Riley Richardson, Villado Hermenegildo, and Matthew Smith. As of late last week, competition still was ongo- ing for the cadet who will be earn the team’s fifth spot. The orienteering event combines racing with navigation to find specific locations.
John Ahlin, principal of Reedley High, said the NJROTC program brings camaraderie, friendship and support for students, who can
engage in a wide variety of events and activities.
“The NJROTC students support our school and the Reedley community when called upon,” he said. “The students uphold our Reedley High School norms of respect, honor and success.”
“I not only got to know everybody here, but it became a sense of pride and a family."
– RHS senior Anthony Lujan, current NJROTC battalion commander
The inspection on Jan. 17 was conducted by retired Lt. Cmdr. John Wolstenholme, who oversees the NJROTC at Lemoore High School, and retired Chief Warrant Offi- cer Mark Bristol, who over- sees the NJROTC program at Parlier High School. Like similar inspections across the country, they looked into all aspects of the RHS program, such as grooming standards.
The public ceremony in the stadium also was part of it.
When Wolstenholme took the podium at the stadium event, he told the cadets and the audience that, as instruc- tors, they undertake these type of inspections on a regu- lar basis.
“Within five minutes of arriving to a school, we can usually tell how a specific unit is going to do that morning,” Wolstenholme said. “I will say this – within five minutes, we already knew we were going to have an easy time. The in- spection process took mini- mum time. It’s very apparent the cadets prepared for this inspection.”
Wolstenholme also said that the unit had “really come a long way” and noted that “I think Reedley hosts more events than any other school in the Valley.”
“It’s a pleasure always to come to Reedley,” he said.
After the stadium pro- gram, Wolstenholme and Bristol would continue their inspection by scrutinizing, for example, administration pro-
cedures regarding inventory and supplies.
Bodine said the annual inspection is taken on by the students, who spend months preparing for it and then ex- ecuting it. He pointed out that Garcia-Medina, for example, last year initiated organizing the armed drill team and oth- er drill teams. “He has done a fantastic job,” Bodine said.
Lujan, the outgoing bat- talion commander, said being in the program lived up to his expectations “and more.”
“I not only got to know ev- erybody here, but it became a sense of pride and a family,” he said. “That’s what gave me more, a sense of family.”
Incoming battalion com- mander Gonzalez, who also sang the national anthem at the stadium ceremony, said she was happy to be chosen for the position.
The program, she said, has taught her how to work with other people and to develop leadership skills.
Was she excited about her upcoming year? “Yes,” she said, with a big smile.
Meanwhile, the stadium event also included the an- nouncement of the lead offi- cers for 2018-19. In addition to Gonzalez in the top post of battalion commander, the other members of the leader- ship staff are Mary Esparza, battalion executive officer; Michael Lujan, battalion mas- ter chief; Matheu Keith, Al- pha Company commander; Alex Madrigal, Bravo Com- pany commander; Andreya Cantu, operations officer; Jasalyn O’Bannon, assistant operations officer; Victoria Fernandez, training officer; Valerie Frazier, administra- tion officer; Esther Villa, sup- ply officer; and Adam Harris, athletics chief.
In addition, Natalie Gar- cilazo is 1st Platoon com- mander; Cyler Phillips is 2nd Platoon commander; Quince Quintana is 3rd Platoon com- mander; and Angelica Villegas is 4th Platoon commander.
Now, these leaders will prepare for the 2019 annual inspection. Bodine told them they are in charge. And, he said: “It starts now.”
The Reedley Exponent B8 Thursday, January 25, 2018
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