JROTC (Junior Reserves Officers’ Training Corps) is a program geared towards high school students who want to have a military career. They compete in various competitions and prepare for leadership roles in the military. Here at Heritage, we do not have our own JROTC program; however, there are students who leave school everyday to go to either Ringgold High School or LFO to take part in JROTC. It is made up of seniors Mason Heinrich, Cole Householder, Evan Keim, and Jace Turner, juniors, Nick Cook and Jacob Grant, sophomores, Emalee Grant, August Henderson, Michael Hughs, Noah Terry, and Glenn Williamson, and freshman, Mason Grant. Members of JROTC take part in challenging activities that will help teach them valuable life lessons, such as climbing Stone Mountain in the rain or walking 15 miles—feeling hungry and sore. JROTC has different teams within the club, such as a color guard, a drill team, and others. Both Ringgold and LFO teams have done very well in their competitions this season, and they were both promoted from Division Two to Division One, which is the top division out of three. Bhodi Hendricks was second commander and came in second for regulation. JROTC came in first for Color Guard and mixed dual, fourth in inspection, and second overall. They also made it through Regionals and State, all the way to Nationals, with Turner placing second in the Army National’s Solo Exhibition. All in all, JROTC has had yet another successful year.
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Heritage JROTC Members Win at National Competition
Heritage students involved in the JROTC program had a fantastic year of competitions and growth.
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About the Contributors
Caleb Peponis, Newspaper Editor
Caleb Peponis is a 17-year-old junior going into his third semester of Journalism, and he is the current editor of The General Journal. Aside from Journalism, Caleb is involved in many other activities around the school; he is the current junior class president, as well as a HOSA officer and NEHS officer. This year he has also taken up Beta Club, Choir, and Theatre and is a part of the ensemble in both Seussical and Big Fish. When he’s not at school, or participating in school activities, he is usually at Chick-fil-a, where he has worked since September. In the little free time he has, you can find him on his phone, listening to music, reading, shopping, or praying that conformity gate is real. The mall is one of Caleb’s favorite places to be, and he loves shopping at stores like American Eagle and Barnes & Noble. He enjoys listening to artists like Taylor Swift, Conan Grey, Chappell Roan, Olivia Rodrigo, and Adele. He doesn’t watch much tv, but Glee, How I Met Your Mother, and Stranger Things are some of his favorite shows. (Side note: he is still patiently waiting for the release of episode nine). He couldn’t tell you what his favorite movie is, but he enjoys watching musicals (Les Misérables, Into the Woods, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, The Last 5 Years, and Mamma Mia) and romcoms (She’s the Man, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed, and What Happens in Vegas).
Garrett Peace, Sponsor
Mr. Garrett Peace is in his fourth year as a teacher at Heritage High School, where he teaches 9th Grade English, Honors British Literature, and Journalism. A 2010 alum of Heritage High School, Mr. Peace went on to graduate summa cum laude from Berry College in 2014, receiving his B.A. in English and returning to Ringgold soon after. Mr. Peace greatly enjoys reading and writing but is widely known for his passion for music, traveling throughout the year to music festivals like Big Ears and Shaky Knees and attending live shows whenever possible. His favorite novel is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, and his favorite musical artist is, at the moment, Pinegrove. He can be reached at [email protected].