THE OFFICIAL HOME OF
THE BULLDOG BATTALION
JROTC MAINSAIL Newsletter (December 2024)
We are almost halfway through the school year, and the Bulldog Battalion has been making a mark! Many of our teams have been practicing and competing at a furious pace.
The Raider season just finished with a bang after the JV Raider Meet on November 2nd. The Raider Team competes in events such as 5ks, tire flipping, one-rope bridges and litter carries. At the District Raider Meet, our team notched the fastest in-competition Litter carry time in our program’s history!
Our JLAB team has also performed exceptionally well. In JLAB, the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl, cadets compete virtually, taking online tests which assess their knowledge of math, reading comprehension, grammar, leadership and many more. Our Academic Team scored an --% on the Level 1 Test, which will most likely result in them moving on to Level 2. If they progress once more, they win an all-expenses paid trip to Washington DC to compete nationally!
The season for Drill has just begun as well! In Drill, cadets hone their marching skills in preparation for meets in January and February, competing against other school’s JROTC programs.
And it's not just our teams that have been making a splash. On Veteran’s Day, select cadets in the Battalion marched in the parade, a proud display of over -- cadets. In addition, our program’s Service-Learning Project is kicking off on January 14th & 15th. This year, we partnered with SSIS to promote citizenship and the US Flag to elementary schoolers.
We may be halfway through the school year, but we still have a long way to go, and the Bulldog Battalion is just getting started!
JROTC MAINSAIL Newsletter (September 2024)
Our Bulldogs have started another strong year! Cadets have started joining teams and have been getting involved in our battalion events. Classes have begun and everything is running smoothly. We have a lot of upcoming events in this exciting new year 2024-2025.
If you are unfamiliar with our program and what we do, the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Program is dedicated to inspiring and promoting leadership, character, and community service among its members. We do this by providing our students, or ‘cadets,’ with hands-on leadership experience through the implementation of our student-run program. Cadets are responsible for one another in various teams, classes, and many other activities. There is no obligation for cadets to join the military, and most of those enrolled in JROTC do not elect to serve after high school.
Our Battalion is led by senior Cameron Ehrlich. He is the Raiders captain. So far, under his direction, the Battalion Staff have begun drafting several ideas for both the Continuous Improvement and Service-Learning Project. Each year the Bulldog Battalion decides on something in JROTC that we wish to improve. Past Continuous Improvements have included better Physical Training, more promotions, and more consistent Uniform Wear. In addition, every year the Battalion completes a Service-Learning Project. As a program, we work together to accomplish a volunteer event in our community. These events are typically planned for months and require the full attention of several of the Battalion Staff to complete.
The JROTC teams are also off to a great start with cadets going to JCLC over the summer which is a 4-day summer camp available to our cadets and other Sarasota and Manatee county cadets where they learn about teamwork and do activities like canoeing and rappelling. The Raider team is starting off strong with their first completion 9/21 at BRHS. Rifle Tean has their first match on 28 September. With Homecoming right around the corner remember to come to support our JROTC Saber guard Friday 9/13.
Overall, it is shaping up to be a wonderful year for Sarasota High’s JROTC program. Let's go Bulldogs!
JROTC Mainsail Newsletter (February 2023)
Since the last Mainsail, our Bulldog Battalion has done it all! From dances to competitions, inspections to physical training, we have had quite the few months.
Our JLAB (JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl) Teams competed in the Level 2 Test, with a chance to move on to nationals in Washington D.C this summer. Our Academic JLAB team achieved the highest score from our program in 3 years! Our Leadership JLAB team was excellent as well, attaining their top score this season.
Drill cadets were also exceptional in their performance at the University of Tampa Drill Meet! Our drill team continues to practice and hone their skills in preparation for their final meet on March 25th.
Our program has also participated in a myriad of fun social occasions. Our annual Bulldog Dining In, a formal event for the members of our Battalion, gave cadets a wonderful experience getting to know their fellow bulldogs while also having fun and eating great food!
February 25th was the Military Ball, in which cadets and their guests from JROTC programs across the county got together for a black-tie dinner and dance. After a night full of eating-and hours of dancing- cadets returned home with many new friends from other JROTC units, and, of course, a full belly.
Most importantly, our program recently conducted JPA, a yearly inspection of our program’s quality. We were judged on our marching skills, the exactness of our uniforms, our leadership knowledge and our community service. We are proud to say that we received an extremely high 98%, retaining our Honor Unit with Distinction designation (the highest possible), which we indicate proudly by wearing a gold star on our uniforms above our nametags.
In future mainsails, look out for updates on our upcoming Raider Spring Season, as well as our Battalion Drill Meet and TreeUmph Field Trip!
-C/MAJ Hayden Wilding