Welcome Back Lewis County High School Minutemen! The Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AF JROTC) WV-941 Minutemen are actively seeking students to support AF JROTC and participate in the following extracurricular activities:
The AF JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB)– (for JROTC), and WV Academic Showdown– (for everyone), is an academic competition that is open to members of JROTC and our school community with the goal of fielding a JROTC, Junior, Sophomore, and First-Year Student Team this year who are knowledgeable of Science, History, Math, Current Events, Sports, and Arts and Entertainment. Each team is comprised of four (4) primary competitors and (2) alternates. Seniors are highly encouraged to join the team as mentors. Seniors will be able to join the Academic showdown, not the Academic Bowl. The competition for JLAB consists of three levels; levels one and two are online, and level three is the in-person competition held at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. The WV Academic Showdown matches will occur across the state. The benefits of participating in the academic bowl range from improving SAT/ACT scores, increased interest in college admissions, and winning a trip to the nation’s capital for the final competition. Other benefits include receiving (free of charge) resources for college admissions and funding, student planning guides, college exam study guides, admissions tutorials, and personalized counseling. Our JLAB and Academic Showdown Teams are led by Cadet Major Tomey after school on Mondays between 3:15-4:15, during second lunch on Mondays and both lunches on Fridays.
The AF JROTC VEX Robotics Competition is an opportunity for members of our JROTC and school community to become future innovators, with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM-related careers. Competitive robotics not only encompasses all four pillars of STEM education, but also encourages important life skills like teamwork, communication, and project-based organization. Teams will design, build, test, and eventually field their robot designs in a series of competitions and tournaments. Tournaments are held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels and culminate at the VEX Robotics World Championship each April! The benefits of participating in this program are a variety of scholarship programs and opportunities to continue their education and pursue careers in STEM. Our VEX Robotics Teams are led by Cadet Second Lieutenant Roberts after school on Tuesdays between 3:15 – 5:30 and during both lunches Mondays through Fridays.
The AF JROTC REC Aerial Drone Competition is an opportunity for members of our JROTC and our school community to learn about drones, flight principles, programming, documentation, and communication skills while expanding their understanding and building interest for Drone-related workforce and career opportunities. Students pilot and program drones and document their process in a competition logbook. Our competition has FOUR focuses: Teamwork, Autonomous Flight Skills Challenge, Piloting Skills Challenge, and Competition Logbooks. Tournaments are held year-round at the regional, state, and national levels and culminate at the REC Aerial Drone Competition. The benefits of participating in this program are a variety of scholarship programs and opportunities to continue their education and pursue careers in STEM. Our REC Aerial Drone Competition are led by Cadet Airman First Class Sherrard after school on Tuesdays between 3:15 – 5:30.
The AF JROTC Color Guard and Drill Teams dedicate countless hours to their unit’s parade and drill teams. The Color Guard is one of the most visible co-curricular activities within the Air Force Junior ROTC program. Being part of the Color Guard enables cadets to properly present the national colors for selected events throughout the school year. A Color Guard consists of four highly motivated cadets that take pride in the presentation of the national colors at many events. Color Guard and Drill Team participation are used as a means of instilling discipline and esprit de corps and continues to be one of the finest methods for developing confidence and leadership abilities of cadets. These extracurricular activities are only open to AF JROTC members. Our Drill Team competes at local, state, regional and national drill team competitions throughout the year. While fostering a friendly and entertaining environment, these competitions provide cadets an opportunity to highlight their hours of dedication and tremendous marching skills. Our AFJROTC Drill Team is led by Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Sponaugle on Mondays and Thursdays between 3:15-5:30.
The AF JROTC Raider Competition, or “Raider” as it is more commonly known, are athletic competitions between JROTC programs from all services around the United States. This extracurricular activity is only open to AF JROTC members. Raider event formats differ depending on location. Events take place outdoors and typically feature personal fitness/individual strength tests (i.e., push-ups, curl-ups, tire drag, obstacle course, etc.). Raider events also include a distance team running event, along with some type of “through the woods” obstacle event, and a rescue/first aid event (e.g., rescuing a body from the woods on a litter). Lastly, most Raider events include some form of rope bridge construction and/or a transport component. Cadets will test their individual strength in push-ups, tire drag, distance running, rope bridge, etc. Raider is a mental and physical test of strength and endurance that takes a committed corps of cadets who are willing to train hard and push themselves to the limit. Our AFJROTC Raider Competition Team is led by Cadet Second Lieutenant Queen after school on Wednesdays between 3:15 – 5:30.
The AF JROTC Aerospace Static Model Team provides cadets with knowledge on how to design and/or build small model rockets or planes. This extracurricular activity is only open to AF JROTC members. Cadets are also given the opportunity to learn about and interact with people who have flown or been closely associated with the planes or rockets they have built. Our AF JROTC Aerospace Static Model Team is led by Cadet Staff Sergeant Goff and Cadet Airman First Class Newsom and is during first lunch Monday through Friday.
The Kitty Hawk Air Society is a national AFJROTC academic honor society that recognizes academic and military achievement by cadets, provides additional leadership/educational opportunities, and encourages excellence. This extracurricular activity is only open to AF JROTC members. Members of KHAS, once inducted, will wear the KHAS badge on the uniform. KHAS members are also authorized to wear the gold KHAS shoulder cord. To qualify for the KHAS, one must attain academic excellence in AFJROTC and in overall academic studies, exhibit good character traits, and be willing to accept responsibility. Specific requirements are as follows: Qualified cadets are invited to participate in a “pledge” program to demonstrate their commitment to excellence. Cadets selected for the KHAS and successfully complete the pledge program will be inducted at an appropriate ceremony, where they will receive the membership badge and shoulder cord. The KHAS may be called upon to participate in various extracurricular activities. Cadets are expected to attend meetings, actively participate in designated projects, and contribute positively to the KHAS, AFJROTC, and the school community. Our KHAS is led by Cadet King after school on Mondays between 3:15-4:15, during second lunch on Mondays and both lunches on Thursdays.
Other opportunities that are available to AF JROTC cadets and our school community if there is interest and participation, (at least four (4) to six (6) people), include:
The National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, or CyberPatriot, is an educational program designed to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other STEM disciplines critical to the nation’s cyber technology future. The nation’s largest cyber defense competition puts high school and middle school students in charge of securing virtual networks. JROTC cadets on the winning team will each receive a full scholarship to Gannon University; second-place team members receive a $4,000 scholarship, and third-place team members receive a $3,000 scholarship. Additionally, many cadets receive offers for paid internships with industry leaders such as CISCO and Lockheed Martin during the summer.
StellarXplorers provides students with leadership opportunities, gives members insight into the space industry, and cultivates relationships between students and professionals. Launching students into STEM careers, the program welcomes those who are interested in space–no matter what level of experience– as a place to share thoughts, ideas, and experiences with others who share a similar passion for problem-solving, team collaboration, and space system design. Each member of the winning StellarXplorers national competition receives a $3,000 scholarship along with various offers of summer paid Internships from industry leaders in space.
JROTC’s Rocketry program is partnered with the American Rocketry Challenge, the world’s largest rocket competition, with nearly 5,000 students nationwide competing each year. Rocketry gives students the opportunity to design, build, and launch model rockets and provides hands-on experience with solving engineering problems. The goal is to motivate students to consider aerospace as a career field. Co-sponsors include the American Association of Physics Teachers, Estes Industries, the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, and NASA. Rocketry competitions involve designing and building a model rocket (650 grams or less in weight, 650 millimeters or more in length using NAR-certified model rocket motors totaling 80 N-sec or less of total impulse) that carries a payload of one Grade A Large egg for a flight duration of 43-46 seconds, and to an altitude of exactly 820 feet (measured by an onboard altimeter), and to return the egg to earth safely by parachute, without cracking it.
