Written by the S5 section: Isabelle Guevara and Mckenzee Thorton
Greetings from the Newsome Wolfpack Battalion. The month of October has been increasingly eventful as we have participated in a myriad of events and accomplished many things. The battalion celebrated its 13th Birthday this year. The festivities included cookies, cake, punch, and the traditional reading of the meaning of the Hillsborough County Unit Crest.
This month the JROTC (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps) special teams have competed in several competitions:
The Raider Team competed at USF last month placing 2nd overall; this month they competed at Anclote with both the Mixed and Male teams placing 1st overall; they later competed at Zephyrhills where the Mixed team placed 2nd and the Male team placed 1st. The Rifle Team placed first at Plant City, maintaining their six-year undefeated streak at the County level. The Cyber Patriot team, JLAB (JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl), Color Guard, and Drill teams are all practicing hard and preparing for their respective competitions.
Along with County and District wide competitions we’ve also had a few wins within the Wolfpack Battalion this month. Cadet PV2 Braden Desouza came in first place at the October Cadet of the Month board, and Cadet SFC Zachary Dench came in First in October’s NCO (noncommissioned officer) of the Month board. In addition to these achievements, cadet 1LT Raquel Janes has been accepted to VMI. with a full tuition athletic scholarship.
Newsome Cadets Mallory Hirn, Kristina Flynn, Joseph Ahrens, and Lauren Lewis were recognized at the YLC (Youth Leadership Conference) luncheon. Along with these, cadets Emma Custis, Alex Bugielski, and Dylan Renfro attended the conference, but were unable to attend the luncheon. Cadet Custis and Lewis received the MOWW (Military Order of World Wars) Patrick Henry Patriotism medal for being selected by their peers as the top individual in their respective groups. The three-day camp took place in Tallahassee, and it consisted of various character building activities which challenged and instilled leadership and teamwork skills.
The Battalion also volunteered at a few Newsome football games, the epitome of which was the Homecoming game with over seventy cadets participating. Leading up to this event, cadets participated in Spirit Week dressing up daily in themed costumes.
During the football game on November 25th, five JROTC seniors participated in the senior walk during half time. This recognition is available to any cadet that has been in the program for all four years of high school. Congratulations to the individuals and their parents who partook in this momentous occasion.
Cadets who achieved a ninety percent or above on the First Aid written test competed for the coveted First Aid Tab. One hundred and twenty-six cadets were awarded the tab as they displayed their knowledge of CPR, pressure dressings and splinting.
On Sunday, October 29th JROTC got spooky with Newsome High School’s Trick or Treat Street! The Battalion decorated a classroom in the theme of Moana, hosted a game in the courtyard and handed out candy to local children.
