Pell City High School JROTC has been selected to participate in the Cadet Command Army National Drill Championship. PCHS was the only high school in the state that was invited to participate.

“We have great leaders in this program, who set high standards for the cadets,” Pell City Schools Superintendent Michael Barber said. “Our students work hard for promotions and I am very proud of them for all they have accomplished.”

JROTC is a federal partnership between the school and the U.S. Army. It allows military members to come into the school and work with students, in hopes that by being involved in the program, students will become better leaders and citizens.

The PCHS program is led by Major Savage, Command Sergeant Major Bryant and Sergeant First Class Agnew. The program at PCHS currently has over 150 students involved and faculty only expects those numbers to grow in the future.

“Most of the recruiting for the program is done by graduated students,” PCHS principal Tony Dowdy said. “We get a lot of younger siblings and friends of those who have completed the program and found it beneficial.”

According to Dowdy, the program benefits students whether they go into the military or not. Dowdy claims that the graduation rate is substantially higher for students that are involved in the program than those that are not.

“This program teaches them career skills,” Dowdy said. “It teaches them how to be good citizens, but also how to be good employees, and it instills a strong work ethic in their lives.”

The Cadet Command Army National Drill Championship will take place in April of 2016, in Kentucky. According to the event’s webpage, this event is designed to bring together many of the finest Army JROTC drill and ceremony JROTC programs to crown the best in both Armed and Unarmed Drill in numerous disciplines.