Michigan City High School (MCHS) senior Robert Pearce, a Cadet Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) earned the Service Above Self Award from the Michigan City Rotary Club. The award is presented to individuals who have stood out in the community “through volunteerism, humanitarian work, and/or going above and beyond in helping others.”
Major Tom McGrath, the Senior Marine Instructor, who nominated Pearce, said that he is “emblematic of the kind of cadet we seek to develop in the JROTC. Cadet Staff Sergeant Pearce has done over 200 hours of community service in supporting MCHS and other schools in our school district, along with organizations as diverse as the Salvation Army, the Humane Society, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.”
Pearce is a very dedicated cadet. He is also a member of the MCHS MIlitary Drill and Raider teams.
“It really takes an exceptional cadet who is willing to be at the school at 5:45 a.m. for Drill Team practice, and then stay after school for the physically demanding Raider team practice,” said Marine Instructor Master Sergeant Jeff Benak.
The team will be partnering with the MCHS band and choir to conduct a Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11 at 1:30 pm in the school gym. The ceremony is also open to the public, with a special invitation to area veterans. The event will be livestreamed on the MCAS YouTube channel for those who cannot attend in person. Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson Deutich will be the guest speaker.
Pearce and his fellow cadets will be hosting the first Drill Meet of the season on November 15, as schools from throughout Indiana will invade the Wolves Den. The competition will be judged by the midshipmen from the University of Notre Dame Navy/Marine Corps ROTC. It is free and open to the public. The cadets will also be supporting the Salvation Army’s Holiday Food Drive, the Marine Corps League’s Toys for Tots campaign, and the Michigan City Area Schools One City One Sound Holiday Concert, among other community service projects.