Apr 11

Apr 11 Duplin County high schools participate in Cadet of the County Competition

JROTC cadets from East Duplin High School, James Kenan High School, and Wallace-Rose Hill High School participated in the Cadet of the County Competition on April 6th.

Cadets competed in four categories based on their number of years in the program and their rank. Each cadet presented themselves to a board of judges with retired Assistant Superintendent and Army veteran Cary Powers presiding. Danna Westerbeek, Guidance Counselor at East Duplin High School, and Staff Sergeant Pacheco, an Army Recruiter, also served as judges.

Cadets were individually scored on recitation of the JROTC creed, uniform inspection, knowledge of U.S. history and military protocols, drill movements, and identification of ranks on Army badges. A final question asked cadets to describe how they have benefitted from the JROTC program. Cadets proudly answered with variations on common themes to include leadership, motivation, respect, and confidence.

Duplin County Schools is proud of all the participants that were selected to compete. Awards were given to the top three scorers in each of the four categories and the highest scorer overall was named Cadet of the County for 2022. Congratulations to the following winners:

Overall Cadet of the County: Anthony Evans; EDHS

Officer Category

1st Cadet- Anthony Evans; EDHS

2nd Cadet- Christian Lee; EDHS

3rd Cadet- Jerriffe Miller; WRH

Senior Enlisted Category

1st Cadet- Adam Hernandez; EDHS

2nd Cadet- Ryan Tyndall; EDHS

3rd Cadet- Alejandra Meraz; WRH

Junior Enlisted Category

1st Cadet- Litzi Tena-Meto; WRH

2nd Cadet- Angelina Oviedo; EDHS