The Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) at Lincoln High School (LHS) has the opportunity to send up to two cadets each year to Leadership Academy, also referred to as “LA.”
This summer-camp style event serves to help prepare selected NJROTC cadets for leadership roles in their respective units. Leadership Academy condenses the same mission as the local high school program
into one very intense week that challenges and motivates cadets to push toward their physical and intellectual limits.
Cadets are encouraged to practice habits of orderliness and precision, to develop respect for constituted authority, and to be responsible and informed citizens. They develop leadership skills, build confidence, learn valuable teamwork, and end the week with a graduation ceremony during which they receive a silver shoulder cord to wear on their uniform, signifying the successful completion of a hard-earned accolade.
This year Cadet Samantha Fitch, from Mannington, represented LHS for the five-day event that takes place at Camp Atterbury near Indianapolis, Ind.. “the training event that had the biggest impact on me was the uniform inspection,”, she stated, due to the intensity of scrutiny, but she boasts new self-confidence knowing she can reach the level of attention-to-detail demanded by the instructors.
Fitch recommends the experience to her classmates saying how fun and exciting the event was, but cautions them to be ready as “they [the instructors] will ask any thing and everything [from the cadet manual]”.
The NJROTC program at LHS spans over three decades and is always welcoming new cadets at the start of each new academic year. It is designed to give cadets a head start by developing self-discipline, self-confidence, and leadership skills they need to be successful in life regardless of their future career path or goals.
So far this year 17 new cadets have signed up. If you know someone who might be interested in participating, reach out to the instructors by calling 304-326-7413 for more information.