CCSD Teams Earn National, State JROTC Championship Titles

Cherokee County School District teams have earned national and state Junior ROTC Raiders championship titles!

Cherokee, Etowah and Sequoyah High School Air Force JROTC teams competed at the Raider National Championships, with Etowah’s teams winning national honors!  The Etowah male team won the national All-Service (Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard) title and national Air Force title for the third time in the past four years; the school’s female team – competing for the first time – won the national Air Force title and was named runner-up for national All-Service.  The Cherokee male team finished sixth overall and the female team finished seventh overall, with both teams winning challenge and individual Top 10 honors.  The Sequoyah male team improved its results in four of the five challenges.

The Cherokee and Etowah Raiders female teams then competed at the 6th Brigade Army Raider State Championships, with the Etowah team winning the state title!  The Cherokee team placed third overall in the competition at the Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.  Both teams qualified to advance to the Ft. Knox Nationals in the spring.

Congratulations to our students and their teachers and thank you to our School Board for its laser focus on ensuring our students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in our classrooms than they could anywhere else!

Raiders team multi-event military style athletic competitions include a 4K run, half-mile physical fitness test, rope bridge test and the gauntlet, a half-mile obstacle course.  Winning top honors requires not only excellent physical fitness and military skills mastery, but also strong teamwork and leadership.  

The Etowah male team members are: Jacob Abdula-Amer, Jose Alvarado, Aaron Audia, Kane Barnard, Westin Coleman, Aiden Halstead, Oliver Hartz, Hayden Jennings, Kohen Kirkley, Mateo Munevar, Kekoa Neuhart, Calib Rogers, Josiah Thompson, and John Vian.  The Etowah female team members are: Katia Chavez, Callie Creamer, Emory Davis, Ashlyn Dean, Ava Gaines, Zoe Harston, Campbell Lonsway, Elisa Morales, JoAnna O’Laughlin, Maddie O’Neal, Lily Rountree, Leah Schmid, Samantha Valencia, and Olivia Vanderpool.  Their AFJROTC instructors are Lt. Col. (Ret.) Stephen Bergey and Technical Sgt. (Ret.) Ciarra Malto.

The Cherokee female team members are: Soraya Adeka, Doris Arenas, Joana Carreto, Francisca Diego, Kimberly Gaspar, Annie Gonzalas, Arianna Hall, Shay Henry, Lily Hood, Noel Huetig, Francisca Lopez, and Ayva Matiak.  Their AFJROTC instructors are Senior Master Sgt. (Ret.) Jeffrey Bise and Technical Sgt. (Ret.) Jody Van Ostrand. 
#CCSDElevateTheExcellence