Scripps Ranch High JROTC Wins Academic Bowl; Is Congratulated by Defense Secretary

Superintendent Bill Kowba has presented the Scripps Ranch High School Navy JROTC academic squad with a letter from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta congratulating the team on its victory in the Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl.

The cadets placed first in Air Force international competition against 200 teams from the U.S. and second in tri-service (Air Force, Navy/Marines, Army) competition among 2,000 high schools around the world.

Seniors Alwin Hui, Cameo Tsui and juniors Willilam Jiang and Stephanie Reid attended the event June 22-26 in Washington, D.C., with one of their instructors, Col. Robert M. Hogan and chaperone Areana Chen.

“I felt really happy and glad to get this far with our team. I was really proud to see how our team came together and really worked well, and developed teamwork throughout the competition,” said Hui.
The event is pressure-filled, asking questions on a wide-range of subjects and the cadets were able to meet fellow students from all over the nation and world. There were nine rounds through the two competitions.

“When I was very nervous, coping was joking around and having fun with all the cadets,” said Reid.

“I was pretty nervous. I [tried to] just forget about it on stage,” said Jiang.

The goal behind the 2012 Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl Championship was to prepare the students for an array of exams, taken not only in the rest of high school, but in college as well. The cadets learned how to cooperate with one another and the importance of determination, as they journeyed through the Academic Bowl and competed for first place. In the two rounds of online competing, the cadets were asked SAT and ACT-like questions to demonstrate their knowledge of math, science, JROTC curriculum, and English.

"Looking at the questions they asked, it was quite an accomplishment for those four young cadets,” said Hogan. Scripps Ranch High School’s JROTC was one out of 16 teams to progress into the finals. “We truly outshone all of the 15 high schools. There was no doubt in my mind that we would win the competition," he said.

For more information, contact Hogan at rhogan@sandi.net.

 -- Contributed by Jessica Glynn, Scripps Ranch High Falcons newspaper