Author: RICHARD THOMPSON

Boys’ and Girls’ State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school students between their junior and senior years. American Legion post 318 sponsored Posrt St. Lucie High School cadet First Sergeant Troy Conover and cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Dardon for Boys’ State, while Girls’ State Chairperson for American Legion Post 318 Ladies Auxiliary Ms. Rita Woodburn sponsored Port St. Lucie High School cadet Devynn Rhodes to participate in Girl’s State. The students had the opportunity to go to Florida State University in Tallahassee, where they learned government processes and earned college credits. Pictured, from left, are cadet First … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School JROTC contains many hard-working cadets that go the extra mile on their road to success. One of the most notable cadets is cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson. He recently earned the Good Citizenship Award, sponsored and presented by the Saint Lucie River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution organization. The earning of this award recognizes his outstanding demonstration of honor, service, courage, and everything within those characteristics. In addition to the award, the organizations presented him a $1000 scholarship. Congratulations to cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, and we applaud the excellence he’s … Read More

Teamwork and physical fitness are two of the fundamentals of JROTC training. A year’s worth of training is put the test annually at Field Day hosted by the Jaguar Battalion at Port St. Lucie High School. During Field Day, the three companies battled each other in several different sports and athletic activities to determine the best unit.  Battalion Field day is about saying goodbye to departing seniors. The Booster Club’s parting gift to the year’s seniors was a challenge coin commemorating their years spent with the Jaguar Battalion. Many seniors had several words to say about their experiences in the … Read More

Every year, the  Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion conducts service learning event designed to serve the community and teach the cadets valuable life skills. This year’s Service Learning Project supported the Relay for Life, which is an organization that supports the American Cancer Society in the fight against all cancers. Cadets set up luminaries around the track, which are bags of sand with a single, lit candle inside, recognizing those fighting or those who have fought cancer. Four cadets, pictured from left, cadet First Sergeant Timothy Kroell, cadet Captain Devynn Rhodes, cadet Corporal Chaz Pollino, and cadet Master Sergeant William … Read More

Members of the Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion conducted a color guard for the Young Floridians Scholarship Award Ceremony at the McAlpin Fine Arts Center on the IRSC campus recently. The cadets presenting the colors were, pictured, from left, cadet First Lieutenant Andrew Miller, cadet First Sergeant Timothy Kroell, cadet Master Sergeant William Benagh, and cadet Corporal Chaz Pollino. Many of our community’s leaders such as President of Indian River State College, Dr. Edwin Massey, Superintendent Mike Lannon, Port St. Lucie High School principal Dr. Mark Rendell, and several Chamber of Commerce members were present for the color … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion recently held its fourth Outstanding Cadet Board of the year. The board is a competition between cadets in which they answer many questions on various subjects ranging from the JROTC curriculum and uniform wear to drill and ceremonies. The top cadets from each company are selected compete with two winners overall — one winner from the junior cadets and one from the senior cadets. Every cadet gave it their all in an attempt to win, and the two that came out on top were cadet Corporal Taylor Moore (left) and cadet Corporal Allison … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion once again displayed its prowess for ceremonial color guard events during a ceremony for the annual Caribbean American Festival held at Sportsman’s Park recently. The festival is a friendly competition between Caribbean-American residents in Port St. Lucie.  The color guard, led by cadet 1st Lieutenant Andrew Miller, consisted of cadet Corporal Robert Hopkins, cadet Corporal Chaz Pollino, and cadet Corporal Tyrone Salazar. The Caribbean American Festival’s participants greatly appreciated the excellent performance by the Color Guard and anticipate next year’s event.

Port St. Lucie High School’s Jaguar ROTC Battalion hosted its 16thannual award ceremony where various awards were presented to deserving cadets. The awardees are selected based on exceptional JROTC performance and superior physical fitness, but a prerequisite for each award is academic excellence. The entire battalion gathered in the auditorium, anxious to learn who earned one or more of the various awards presented at the ceremony, such as the Sons of the American Revolution award, presented to cadet Captain Alex Seipel. Following the ceremony, the JROTC Booster Club hosted a reception for cadets who received an award and special guests … Read More

Four cadets from Port St. Lucie High School’s Jaguar Battalion presented the flags for the dedication ceremony of the United States Federal Courthouse in Ft. Pierce. The ceremony was a major event in our community whose audience included prominent public figures like Senator Bill Nelson and various congressmen, including Honorable Thomas Rooney. Participating in the Color Guard were cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, cadet First Lieutenant Andrew Miller, cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Dardon, and cadet Corporal Chaz Pollino.  The cadets spectacularly presented the flags during the ceremony, and they received numerous accolades from the spectators. We appreciate the opportunity to execute … Read More

Port St. Lucie High School’s Jaguar Battalion took an educational, but exciting field trip to Patrick Air Force Base.  The cadets experienced how the men and women of the U.S. Air Force live and work. They were able to view a standard dorm room for an enlisted member of the Air Force. The cadets went to an active fire station, ventured to the education center to learn about some of the programs the Air Force offers, and travelled to an active security forces station where cadets used the firearm simulator to test their skills on different scenarios. We look forward … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion Drill Team recently participated with 15 other schools in the Area III Drill Meet at Fort Pierce Central High School for the opportunity to advance to state level competition, and four Jaguar teams were successful. The Male Armed Platoon, commanded by cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Dardon, and Male Armed Squad, commanded by cadet First Lieutenant Gerard Delgado, placed first in their respective categories. Male Unarmed Squad, commanded by cadet Second Lieutenant Andrew Miller, placed second. Female Armed Squad, commanded by cadet Corporal Ashlee Sepiel, also qualified. Every cadet performed remarkably, and congratulations to the teams … Read More

Some of the favorite ceremonies for the Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar cadet color guard in which to participate are those that honor veterans. Recently, four Jaguar cadets conducted a color guard ceremony at the Ballantrae Yacht Club in Club Med honoring Staff Sergeant John Quincy Adams, a veteran injured in Iraq. The color guard, led by cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, consisted of cadet Captain Alex Seipel, cadet Captain Ryan Monday, and cadet Colonel Diamond Salazar. The cadets executed flawlessly and received numerous words of encouragement and appreciation from the spectators.

Several Jaguar Battalion cadets conducted an expanded Color Guard for the Honor Flight ceremony, which honors the many veterans in the St. Lucie community. Participating in the Color Guard were cadet Colonel Diamond Salazar, cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, cadet Command Sergeant Major Mason Propst, cadet Captain Amanda Mabry, cadet First Lieutenant Andrew Miller, cadet Staff Sergeant Anthony Fusco, cadet Staff Sergeant Arlene Mabry, cadet Corporal Chaz Pollino, and cadet Private First Class Daulton Macklem. The cadets presented the national and state flags, Prisoners of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) flag, and one for each service branch. Each cadet felt honored … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion Color Guard opened the school baseball team’s first season game, presenting the flags during the National Anthem. The Color Guard was led by cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, accompanied by cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Dardon, cadet First Sergeant Troy Conover, and cadet Corporal Robert Hobkins. A moment of silence was held during the presentation to honor the late Mr. Mike Picano, one of the original Jaguar teachers, who recently passed away. Following the baseball game, the Color Guard presented the colors during the National Anthem for the Jaguar Softball Team. The cadets performed … Read More

 The Port St. Lucie High School Junior ROTC Jaguar Battalion recently held the third Outstanding Cadet Board of the Year. The board is a competition between cadets on two levels. The first consists of junior cadets in their first year of JROTC. The second level contains senior cadets who have been in the program for two to four years. Two winners are selected: one from the junior cadets and one from the senior cadets. Every cadet competed well, but the two that came out on top were cadet Corporal Cole Herndon, right, and cadet Sergeant First Class William Benagh. Congratulations to … Read More

The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion Orienteering Team recently ventured to Woodpecker West, a part of Ocala National Forest, to test their navigation skills against other Orienteering teams from across the state of Florida. This competition was the first real challenge for the Orienteering Team this year. Each team is sent out into the woods with nothing but a map and a compass to find several points and make their way to the finish line as fast as possible. The Port St. Lucie High School’s four teams placed first, second, seventh and eighth overall in the competition. The Jaguars look forward … Read More

What does it mean to be a winner? For the Jaguar Battalion Drill Team, it’s the pride of knowing that hard work and dedication pay off.  Port St. Lucie High School hosted the annual Treasure Coast Drill Meet, with four other schools competing.  There were eight different events, and the Jaguar Battalion took first place in each one. The following is a list of the commanders that led their teams to victory: cadet Corporal Ashlee Seipel, cadet Second Lieutenant Andrew Miller, Cadet First Lieutenant Devynn Rhodes, cadet First Lieutenant Gerard Delgado, cadet Captain Amanda Mabry, cadet Captain Sean Scott, and cadet … Read More

The Port St. Lucie Moose Lodge hosted the annual chili cook-off recently with the help of cadets of Port St. Lucie High School’s JROTC. Cadets labeled the bowls of chili and served them to the voters. Six pots of chili were entered, and five of those six were entered by a cadet or parent from the Jaguar Battalion. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson (middle) and his mother were awarded a first place ribbon and $30. The second place ribbon and $20 were earned by cadet First Lieutenant Albert Farrant and his father (left). Cadet Sergeant First Class William Benagh and his mother … Read More

The Jaguar Battalion of Port St. Lucie High School participated in the recent parade honoring one of America’s greatest civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Jaguar Battalion stretched over two city blocks and received many accolades from the spectators. The Jaguar Battalion was a very notable feature of this parade. The battalion was led by the Battalion Commander, cadet Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Jacobson, followed by the battalion Color Guard, the battalion staff and the three companies. The cadets’ professionalism was undeniable, as they set the standards for all other JROTC units in the area. Through the dedication … Read More

     The Port St. Lucie High School Jaguar Battalion held its annual Military Ball recently. The Military Ball is an event which cadets participate in a formal dining in, followed by an informal dance. Cadets attending were greeted by the cadet leadership in the receiving line, led by cadet Lieutenant Colonel Jacobson and cadet Command Sergeant Major Propst. Many speeches followed, and the grog bowl ceremony took place afterwards.  The informal portion of the event followed the dinner. All of the cadets that attended had an outstanding time. Most cadets say the Military Ball is more enjoyable than prom! Once … Read More