The Fayette County School System’s first ever Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) program has graduated its first four-year cadets.

When the program began at Sandy Creek High in 2002, 108 students enrolled in the charter class. Forty-four freshmen were among those first students, 12 of which stayed with the program through all four years of high school.

These 12 charter students became the backbone of the program, providing the needed leadership and continuity for a growing unit. The first four-year cadets are Korey Barnes, Justin Hope, Maxwell Hill, Clifford Pickard, Tabitha Hammett, Richard Wright, Jacquelyn Bracco, Patrick McCarthy, James Tomlin, Jhaneel Thompson, Joshua Preston and Christopher Heinisch.

“These 12 students put forth an extraordinary effort over four years and deserve special recognition for their dedication, perseverance, hard work and support to the ideals of this program,” says Colonel Doug Pearson, senior aerospace science instructor, as he reflected on the accomplishments of the cadets. “Each of these cadets will forever hold an honored and unique position in the tradition of the AFJROTC program at Sandy Creek High School. I applaud them, wish each of them the best in their future endeavors and will never forget them.”

Over the past four years the AFJROTC program has had some significant accomplishments. During this period, the program has averaged 107 students per semester. The students have received instruction in leadership education, aerospace science and physical training. The physical fitness ribbon was awarded 77 times for students who passed the college level AFROTC physical fitness test. The unit’s color guard represented the excellence of the AFJROTC program at a variety of community and school functions. The cadets in the color guard volunteered their time and excelled in 135 color guard performances.

Over the past two years the unit has had five cadets attend the AFJROTC Aerospace and Technology Honors Camp. This is a very competitive selection process involving only about .5 percent of the AFJROTC cadets worldwide. The unit has been involved in hundreds of hours of community service to include local parades, visits to veterans in assisted living facilities, conducting canned food drives, helping with Special Olympics and supporting other community events.

The AFJROTC program is also a youth partner in the Veterans History Project and cadets have conducted 23 interviews of local veterans. Each interview was recorded, documented and mailed to the Library of Congress for archival. Excellence in academics and leadership led to individual recognition and scholarship offers. Over four years, 16 cadets received some form of military scholarship valued at over $1.6 million.

At a school where the motto is “Success is a Choice,” the cadets of GA-20024 have made success their choice. The AFJROTC Headquarters at Maxwell AFB Alabama has recognized their efforts, for in each of the past three years the unit has earned the prestigious AFJROTC Distinguished Unit Award.

The AFJROTC program at Sandy Creek is open to any Fayette County high school student. More information about the program can be obtained by contacting Colonel Doug Pearson at Sandy Creek High (770) 969-2840, Ext. 278.

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