By NewsLine Staff
mail@floridanewsline.com
The Naval Service Training Command selected Nease as the Most Outstanding NJROTC Unit in the Nation for 2021 – 2022, taking top honors over the 583 NJROTC programs worldwide.
The Nease program has been a perennial contender for national honors, having finished as the number two program in 2021. The selection is based on an evaluation of academic achievements, competitions, orientation activities, summer training programs, school service projects, community service activities, extracurricular activities, and annual inspection results.
This announcement followed Commander Johnathan D. Shaw, Navy JROTC Area-12 Manager, announcing Nease as the Most Outstanding Unit in Area-12, a region encompassing 60 schools covering the 13 NJROTC programs in northeast Florida and 47 across the entire state of Georgia for the fifth consecutive year.
“There’s immense pressure every year for the seniors to keep Nease on top,” said Battalion Commander Isabella Rivera who accepted an appointment to the United States Coast Guard Academy. “We take our leadership roles seriously. And now we can pass on the torch to next year’s class with our mission completed.”
This year marks the second time Nease has taken home top honors. In 2015 Nease was named the Most Outstanding Unit in the Nation.
“They say it takes a village to feed a child; well in the JROTC world, it takes a community of cadets, parents, school administrators and instructors pulling in the same direction to ascend a program to this height,” said senior naval science instructor Captain Scott LaRochelle who is retiring after eight years at the helm of the program. “Nease NJROTC epitomized a ‘one team, one fight’ unified effort.”
Nease’s main identity is its Drill team that competes in a compilation of 10 academic, athletic and drill individual events at 12 – 16 school meets. Among other noteworthy achievements, Nease also won first place in athletics, academics, air rifle and orienteering competitions across Florida and the state of Georgia. Cadets completed 5800 community service hours. And nine seniors received service academy appointments or ROTC scholarships.
Photo courtesy Scott LaRochelle
Nease’s drill team celebrates with RADM Peter Garvin following the Navy National Academic, Athletic and Drill Championships in Pensacola.
