News release by Michigan City Area Schools:
The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) recognized cadets for high achievement in a variety of categories at their Awards Night held at the school cafeteria on May 11th. Numerous civic organizations attended to present their awards. These included the local chapters of the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, Sons of the American Revolution, and Daughters of the American Revolution. Awards were presented for academic, extracurricular, community service, public affairs, and athletic achievement.
One of the notable recipients was senior Tristan Sherwood, a National Honor Society student who earned a 4.0 grade point average, and was a starter on the Wolves’ football team. In the JROTC, he was the cadet commanding officer, a starter on the military drill team and a member of the CyberPatriot team. He is enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program at Purdue University in West Lafayette, and plans to pursue a career in the Air Force as a cyber security officer. “Tristan was an exceptional cadet for four years, “ said Senior Marine Instructor Major Tom McGrath. “I predict great things for him in the Air Force where he will excel as an officer.”
Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor, noted the versatility of the cadets that were recognized. “In addition to our own extracurriculars like our Drill, Shooting and Cyberpatriot teams, we have cadets who have had noteworthy performances in athletics, band and choir. We hope that this dispels the myth that if a student does JROTC, they can’t do anything else.”
The cadets will be busy throughout the summer. Among their activities will be marching in the Michigan City Memorial Day and Patriotic parades, conducting a Leadership Camp in Wisconsin for 3 other schools in addition to MCHS cadets, and attending the National Drill Camp in San Antonio, Texas, and the MCJROTC Senior Leadership Camp near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Like all MCJROTC activities, these are done at no cost to the student or MCHS. All costs are covered by the Marine Corps.