ROGERSVILLE — The Cherokee High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) has been named a Distinguished Unit with Academic Honors for the 17th consecutive year.
The distinction is a significant achievement, which allows the senior naval science instructor to nominate up to three cadets annually for any of the nation’s service academies.
Cadets accepted for enlistment who have completed three years of NJROTC are eligible for advanced promotion to pay grade E-3 in the Navy or Air Force and pay grade E-2 in the Army or Marine Corps. Cadets with two years of NJROTC participation are entitled to E-2 in the Navy.
The Cherokee program averages around 130 cadets per semester. This year the group completed 2,935 community support hours and 1,563 school support hours for a total of 4,498 community service hours.
The unit’s orienteering team just competed in the Navy National Orienteering Championship in Atlanta, where the junior varsity team finished 20th and the varsity team finished 24th in the nation.
Cherokee Career and Technical Education Principal Seth Rhoton said it is a great accomplishment for the NJROTC to receive the distinction for so many years.
The unit will hold its annual awards and change of command ceremony on May 9.