TINIAN — It’s been years since the last JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge or JCLC was hosted, and this year they’ve finally brought it back again.
The Tinian JROTC Stallion Battalion, along with other battalions from KHS, MHS, RHS, and SSHS, participated in the first annual JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge since the year 2018.
All met up at the Saipan Southern High School campus, where the event took place.
On the first day of JCLC, the cadets arrived in the designated area and all worked together in setting up their tents. As everyone finished up unpacking and wore their gear, all cadets were called into the first formation of the event.
SSHS’s Battalion Commander was the first to lead the brigade, guiding the cadets to follow the schedule they had planned. Cadets were given rules and protocols to make the program run smoothly then proceeded to have an entertainment night which was also designed for the cadets to become more familiar with each other and build camaraderie.
On the second day, as the cadets woke up to the morning call, they all gathered for their first formation of the day. Our Battalion Commander, C/LTC Cielo Long, took charge of the brigade and announced the first activity of the day — Round Robin.
All cadets then headed toward the entrance and waited for the bus to head to the Carolinian Utt in Garapan, where the activity was held at. Round Robin consists of many stations that taught life-saving skills and leadership skills as the cadets participated in their designated station.
The Stallion Battalion was in charge of the Knot Tying and Rope Bridge Station where they explained how to tie different knots, and how to utilize a rope bridge.
Sadly, it was announced that the leadership program had to be cut short due to weather conditions worsening. Both the Stallion Battalion and the Chamorro Buck Battalion had to leave early to catch flights back home the next day.
C/CPT Malinao Palacios commented, “I felt that it was needed. People were anticipating a storm, so the event changes were reasonable. I did not really mind as long as I was with my friends and new friends.”
To make up for the days lost, it was decided to hold the next events on the same day before leaving the Carolinian Utt, cadets from all schools were challenged to a game of Tap-Out with four of the Top 5 students being from Tinian. They were cadets Isa Long, Edward Tirona, Matt Soliva, and Malinao Palacios. Edward ended up winning first place in “Tap-Out.”
Once back on the SSHS campus, cadets held their very athletic competition to be on the same day, right after Round Robin. The cadets were separated into two groups, one played volleyball and the other played basketball. Going against the other schools, RHS won first place in volleyball, leaving THS second. For basketball, the Stallion Battalion won third place for Co-Ed.
At the end of the leadership challenge, we interviewed some cadets from the Stallion Battalion about their experiences in JCLC.
When we asked about what the most memorable part about the trip was, C/LTC Cielo Long stated, “Definitely the night activities. It was a way to bond with each battalion and I believe it boosted our morale.”
For the seniors, this would be the last time they would participate in JCLC.
We asked C/CPT Malinao Palacios about his thoughts on the event, he stated, “Absolutely! It was an amazing experience. What a way to cap off my senior year!”
C/CPT Matt Soliva commented, “For the future cadets, I would like to say that it’s definitely an experience that will be new to you and it may seem intimidating at first because of the new people you will potentially meet but I promise you it is a place for memories.”
We asked them of what their advice are for the next group of students that will participate in JCLC next year, and C/CPT Matt Soliva said, “My advice to the future JCLC cadets is, first and foremost, BE VERY RESPECTFUL. JCLC is a place of strangers and the only thing that would make the trip bearable is your comfort. You develop that by being comfortable with other people. Another is to make sure you put in maximum effort. Lastly, make the school and JROTC proud of you.”
As it is our Battalion Commander’s final year of commanding the Stallion Battalion, we asked her what JCLC taught her.
She stated, “As battalion commander, I had to work in close relation with the other commanders and organize the training schedule. It was a lot of stress, but I learned how to lead cadets that weren’t just my own. You have a lot of responsibility when you travel with your team, and JCLC pushed me to be the best role model I could be.”
Although the JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge was cut short these cadets were able to improve their leadership skills, meet new cadets, and many more. They got to learn about life-saving skills and made so many memories. The Stallion Battalion is ready for the next JCLC and hopes to host it on Tinian next year.
