BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School JROTC cadets earned four top-10 finishes and placed in a total of 11 events at the Florida State Drill Championships on April 2 in Lakeland.
The highest finish came in Male/Mix Armed Dual Exhibition, with BHS placing fourth. BHS also took seventh in Male/Mix Armed Squad Exhibition, nine in Male/Mix Armed Platoon Exhibition and 10th in Female Armed Squad Exhibition.
Bradford, which was competing against some programs up to four times its size, also had the following results: 16th Female Armed Dual Exhibition, 17th Female Armed Solo Exhibition, 17th Male/Mix Armed Platoon Regulation, 21st, Male/Mix Unarmed Platoon Regulation, 22nd Male Armed Solo Exhibition, 22nd Female Unarmed Squad Regulation and 31st Female Armed Squad Regulation.
Competing cadets were Kevin Acree, Damarian Burch, Monique Burr, Coveyon Desue, Jacilyn Gaudette, Carson Halsey, Winston Herring, John Hendricks, Brianna Isaacs, Hagen Kadlec, Andrew King, Justin Knights, Lysa McKenzie, Madison Miller, Hayden Powell, Ronnieann Roode, Leilani Santos-Pulu, Tyler Shaffer, Hayden Starling, Noah Stoehr, Cameron Vaughn, Nathaniel Woodcock and Reanna Wright.
Earning the right to compete in so many events at the state championships was just another part of what has been quite a notable year for the BHS program, which has had some down years recently.
“Honestly, Bradford High School is building back the brand of the name and the legacy it held years ago,” said one of the program’s instructors, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Johnnie Hickson. Hickson added, “That’s like our motto for this year: Build back the brand for Bradford High School JROTC.”
Cadet Carson Halsey said, “We’ve definitely made big steps. This is my first year here. I saw from the outside what the JROTC program was (in the past). They didn’t really have a name for themselves.”
On the upward track
The program certainly made a name for itself earlier this year as it was designated an Honor Unit with Distinction, which is achieved by programs that demonstrate exceptional performance in all areas of operation. A program must score at least 95 percent on the JROTC Program of Accreditation Inspection.
Hickson said 5-10 percent of programs around the world achieve Honor Unit with Distinction, thus demonstrating how the BHS program is ascending.
It has been six years since BHS was designed Honor Unit with Distinction. Maj. John Crews, the program’s other instructor, said, “We’re on that upward track.”
Crews credited the cadets’ hard work and the amount of time they practice. Cadet Reanna Wright spoke to that as well. Regarding all of the program’s highlights this year, she said, “We accomplished this together by working hard. We have practices Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and sometimes even Fridays and during the weekends. We’re pushing hard to be on the map. We want Bradford to be known.”
For Cadet Hayden Powell, the program began making a name for itself when it was able to place first in drill competitions ahead of two programs that are consistently near the top: Baldwin and Union County.
“We’ve made our mark,” Powell said. “We’ve shown them that we’re here, and we’re not going to be messed with anymore.”
Powell is a team commander, so the successes throughout this year have meant a lot to him.
“I take ownership of it,” Powell said. “I view them as my cadets. With these competitions especially, I’m so proud of them and what they’ve done because we’ve completely changed the direction of our battalion.”
Rebranding the program began when Crews became the instructor in 2018. Crews admitted the drill part of JROTC is not an area of strength for him.
“I’ll be honest with you. I’m more of a combat leader. I served a lot of time in combat,” Crews said. “I know that (drill is) one of my weaknesses. I can do it, but it’s not going to be pretty.
Therefore, one of the most important things he did was bring Hickson on board last year. Hickson, who came from Hawaii, has experience in taking drill teams to national-level events.
“That’s what I needed,” Crews said. “I was looking for him before the job even opened up.”
On Jan. 18, BHS competed at the Baldwin/Camp Blanding drill meet — its first as a program in two years. BHS won the Individual Exhibition Drill, placed second in six drills and placed third in another.
A program has to earn at least a win at the regional level to qualify for the National Drill Championships, which BHS did. That competition will be held April 15-16 in Daytona Beach.
Hickson said “another feather in our cap” was when BHS placed in 12 of 14 events at the Area 1 drill meet, which qualified its various teams and individuals for the state championships that recently took place.
“That was amazing,” Hickson said of the performance. “A lot of schools didn’t even place in one (event). You had to place in the top three to even be qualified (for state). Bradford High School almost did a complete sweep of the whole thing to qualify for state, which is a feat in itself.”
Though he is a championship drill coach, Hickson said his previous teams lacked “grit,” which he said the BHS cadets have.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the rural area around here, but my (past) teams just didn’t have what these guys have,” Hickson said. “I think that’s going to make a difference in bringing back a trophy from nationals.”
An eighth-grade JROTC program has been started at Bradford Middle School. Four of the 22 eighth-grade cadets are actually part of BHS drill teams.
“They’re doing stuff out of the normal character of what an eighth-grader would be doing, not only the leadership, but doing things that 12th-graders are doing,” Hickson said.
Powell said, “These eighth-graders are awesome. They’re some of the best cadets I’ve seen. Both of are Squad Regulation Unarmed are commanded by eighth-graders: (Ronnieann) Roode and (Noah) Stoehr.
“You have other programs where when they have an eighth-grade program, it’s more like, ‘Oh, we have an eighth-grade program,’ but they don’t use the eighth-grade program. It’s there, but it’s not utilized. Some of our best cadets who are showing up are our eighth-graders.”
Crews said it’s hoped that the eighth-graders will eventually be able to go to BHS for their classes.
“That way, they can get the full experience of the senior cadets teaching them,” Crews said.
Powell said, “They’re a bit younger, so sometimes they get down on themselves, but that’s why we have senior leadership here — to help them get past that and to continue to motivate them.”
“They’re showing so much promise,” Hickson said.
Specific goals, broad impact
Qualifying for state and national events give cadets goals to work toward, but Hickson said there’s more to it than that.
“This gives them a sense of belonging,” Hickson said. “It gives them a sense of family. Most importantly, it gives them the ability to do something that actually helps them build their self-esteem.
“They’re doing that. You can just see them light up.”
Powell talked of the impact being in JROTC has had on his him, saying, “This program has changed my life, honestly, and turned it in the complete other direction.”
He didn’t have a clear picture of what he wanted to do after high school, Powell said. He had a general goal of going to college, but not what he would study once he got there.
Joining JROTC last school year as a junior helped give him a more specific goal. Powell gives thanks to Crews and Hickson for seeing in him qualities he didn’t even know he possessed.
“Chief and Major have defined what I can do and all the things I’m capable of as a person,” Powell said. “I never realized I could be a leader before. They saw in me that I had what it took to be a leader and the fact that I was a good one.
“I’m planning on joining the Army as an officer. That’s because of what they’ve done for me. This program as a whole is just something I’ve kind of fallen in love with. It’s what I do.”
Halsey knew he wanted to join the military before he joined JROTC. Being a part of that program, though, is what’ll help him make that happen.
“This year, Major and Chief have really helped get me into the steps toward achieving that goal instead of it just being a thought,” Halsey said. “Major helped me out with applications. Chief helped me out with really getting my mindset there. ‘This is what I’m getting into. That’s what I need to stay focused on.’”
What Halsey has discovered is that being in JROTC has had a broader impact on his life and is teaching him skills that are useful in any walk of life.
“This is my first year since like fourth grade getting straight A’s. I’ve held straight A’s consistently this entire school year,” Halsey said. “Just learning everything in here, you see how you’re like a part of something bigger than yourself, and then you realize you can apply everything here to (other) classrooms. We learn study habits. We learn time management.
“Everything we learn here, we can apply to a certain area of our life.”
Cadet Nathaniel Woodcock talked of how JROTC has impacted him, saying, “I’ve become more respectful. I’ve been able to be more socially active. I’ve had experiences in achieving goals.”
Wright described JROTC as a family in which everyone is supporting each other. That’s something she especially learned during competition on Raider teams. She admitted she wanted to quit, but Powell kept pushing her. She was told she could no longer say “can’t,” as in saying, “I can’t do this.”
“That’s not in my vocabulary now,” Wright said.
Being in JROTC has also helped Wright turn a childhood dream of wanting to be a photographer into reality. She’s the program’s public-affairs officer
“I absolutely love taking pictures and capturing these wonderful moments with my fellow cadets,” Wright said. “It’s great.”
Support of JROTC
You can view some of Wright’s photos and keep up with BHS JROTC activities and accomplishments via a public Facebook group: JROTC BHS Tornado BN.
Besides practicing, cadets have been participating in fundraisers. Crews said the program had $1,200 in its account at the start of the school year, but the cost of participating in the National Championships is $1,600. The program has had to purchase new exhibition uniforms since the Army supplies the program with standard uniforms only.
If you’re interested in supporting the program monetarily, please call Bradford High School at 904-966-6075.
