Over the summer 16 JROTC students attended the Junior Cadet Leadership Course (JCLC) Summer Leadership Camp, which took place in Camp Pendleton, Virginia.

Camp Pendleton is a military reservation in Virginia Beach that is named after Brigadier General William N. Pendleton. He served as Robert E. Lee’s Chief of artillery during the Civil War.

“It just improves leadership and teamwork and basically helps you get to know new people and connect on a higher level and become better friends,” sophomore Erik Stenhouse said.

Before attending the camp, students were selected to participate based on their answers to questions and their results during a physical training test.

Upon arrival, the students were split into two companies and participated in many events together during the week. The most popular event was the LRC.

“I liked the LRC, the leadership reaction course. It was basically an obstacle course that we had to get through with our squad,” sophomore Zach Duguid said.

Along with the physical aspect of this camp, three cadets participated in the JLAB competition. This is a competition which tests academic abilities in specific scenarios.

“It was to make all of us stronger leaders and to challenge us and see how we would act in a real situation as leaders,” Duguid said.

At the end of the week, the two companies went head-to-head in different challenges during the “field day.”
“It’s basically like we are a big family,” Stenhouse said.

On the last day, there was a final ceremony used to celebrate all of the cadets’ accomplishments. Most of the cadets held leadership positions throughout the week.

“It made me a stronger leader, and it gave me better team building skills. It also improved working as a group,” Duguid said.

Next year’s JCLC camp is scheduled to return to Camp Pickett, Virginia at the Virginia National Guard Training Center.

Duguid and Stenhouse have advice for next year’s cadets.

“Be ready to wake up really early and just listen and try to have fun. Make sure you keep an open mind.”