Honor Guard Cadets Perform Flag Folding at Alabama Power Luncheon

This past Monday cadets joined the Energizers, a fundraising committee of retired Alabama Power employees, at the Energizer Christmas Luncheon. Our cadets performed the color guard and flag folding accompanied by the saber team in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. The cadets were treated to brunch and stayed to sing Christmas carols with the Energizers.

Check out the cadets getting into the Christmas spirit! (Link to Video)

Cadets Rally for Quarterly PALS Campus Cleanup

Cadets Bailey Compton, Sarahi & Ivan Aguilera, Roger Castro, Frankie Robledo, Joseph Ingram, Alex Matthews and Ethan Sherman from 1st Period JROTC "rallied" to cleanup Armory Road on a rather chilly (30 degree) Friday December 4th morning.  This effort is part of the corps' quarterly & annual goals to partner with the HHS Environment Club as teammates supporting the State of Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) campaign.

In the course of just 45 minutes, they accumulated 2+ full bags of debris along the 1 mile route connecting Homewood High with Old Montgomery Highway.  Disappointingly, most of the debris picked up was undoubtedly tossed out of the vehicles of their fellow Patriot students on their way to and from the high school.  By tidying up the road, these 8 cadets clearly made a significant contribution toward beautifying the environment for the local plants and animals.
  
Small, selfless efforts such as this can make a BIG difference if everyone at Homewood High were to follow these cadets' lead on a more regular basis.  WELL DONE LADIES & GENTLEMEN...way to demonstrate excellent leadership and citizenship by personal example!!!

Cadets Castro & Elizalde Earn Orienteering Ribbon

On this sunny, cool Saturday at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City, HHS cadets Roger Castro and Leo Elizalde endured a 3+ hour hike in the woods which earned them the right to wear the coveted AFJROTC Orienteering Ribbon.  Both cadets braved "attack trees", water hazards, small vermin, and each other to navigate a grueling intermediate-level course.

Despite being the first land navigation competition for both of them, they successfully navigated the course and completed it well within the 4-hour maximum time limit. Although, there appeared to be periods of resting and reflection while they were hiking (see pic)

Several fellow rivals who are decade-long orienteering competitors commented how impressed they were by both Roger and Leo who in their words "performed exceptionally on a particularly tough course."  In fact, the second place winner took time after the competition during a chili bowl snack to instruct both of them on how to do better next go-around...in hopes they'll continue this athletic endeavor throughout this season and beyond.


KUDOS TO LEO & ROGER for highlighting the athletic and intellectual ability of our cadet corps at this outdoor event.  For those wishing to follow in their footsteps, the next Alabama-hosted orienteering competition is slated for 19 December 2015 at Oak Mountain State Park.  If interested in attending, contact Col Paul or MSgt Simmons for details or view info on the local orienteering club's web site @ http://vulcanorienteering.org. Orienteering is loads of fun, hard work but it pays off with reward of a ribbon and a lifelong memory!!

November 7, 2015 Field Trip to Pensacola Airshow

HHS AFJROTC 7 NOVEMBER TRIP TO PENSACOLA AIRSHOW

   On Saturday, November 7th, approximately 70 cadets accompanied by 5 adult supervisors traveled to Pensacola, Florida for the annual Blue Angels "Homecoming" Airshow.   In addition to touring multiple static display aircraft from multiple Services and civilian agencies, the cadets had a "ring side" seat to view the Blue Angels, the premier demonstration team from the U.S Navy.  The Blue Angels fly the F-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, the same aircraft currently deployed overseas in support of U.S. vital interests.  The drive to and back to Pensacola from Homewood was long but well worth the effort.  Below are but a few of the pictures taken by cadets during the event.  We look forward to participating in future airshows in 2016! 

Blue Angels "Diamond Formation" low-level pass 

Blue Angels in a two-ship "dirty pass"

Below, Cadets Daralyn Raspberry& David Barco enjoy the F-18D static display

Cadet Rasberry pirched below a USN F-18F two-seat fighter

Cadets Jorge Villanueva & Bianca Juarez pose alongside a USN Blue Angel demonstration plane

Overall--it was a GREAT TIME and a GREAT SHOW!

1st 9-Weeks, Cadets of the Quarter

Congratulations First Annual Cadet of the Quarter Winners!

Alpha Flt: Leo Elizalde  

 Bravo Flt: Luciano Villa

Charlie Flt: Joseph Tucker

Delta Flt: Rene Elizalde

*All cadets listed are now nominees for The Cadet of the Semester Award and will compete head-to- head later on this year for the prize*

AFJROTC Events Update

The cadets at Homewood High School (HHS) AFJROTC have been working hard through the summer and the first nine weeks this school year.  In June, 9 cadets attended the JCLC JROTC at Fort McClellan. This camp was a 5 day mini-camp where cadets got to experience a mock military boot camp. Cadets learned valuable leadership skills as well as built friendships with other JROTC cadets around the state of Alabama. Pictured below is Cadet Michael Barber crossing a rope bridge in a ropes course class at the JCLC camp.

Later in the Summer, 6 of our cadets on the Honor Guard performed a flag folding ceremony for Oliver Robinson's Alabama Black Achievers Awards Gala. Featured below are HHS Cadets Ivan Aguilera, Jorge Aguilera, Bianca Juarez, Mike Hawkins, Mikaela Harris, and Killian Faulk with Jessica Tolbert.

HHS AFJROTC Cadets also performed a Color Guard ceremony for a Samford University home football game!  Below is Cadet Roger Castro with the University's Mascot and the Color Guard that performed at the game.

Approximately 50 total Senior and Freshmen cadets went to the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center for a field trip in September 2015. Cadets got to tour the museum and learn about the NASA space program.

On September 26th, several of our cadets partnered up with the HHS Environmental Club to clean up Shades Creek.  Below is a picture of the cadets after the cleanup...we made a HUGE impact!

   

HHS AFJROTC Cadet Michael Barber Takes Flight!!

      Select cadets have the opportunity to fly with local Alabama Civil Air Patrol (CAP) units as members of Homewood High School's AFJROTC program.

      In accordance with Headquarters AFJROTC guidance, as relayed from Maxwell Air Force Base, cadets can actually fly the aircraft in-flight but are limited to hands-on control manipulation above 1000' above ground level. This unique flying experience complements the JROTC Aerospace Science curriculum and provides cadets an incentive if they are considering a career as an aviator--be it as a military member or as a civilian pilot.

     The pictures you see were taken on May 23, 2015 when Cadet Michael Barber flew with our local Shelby County CAP unit.  Mike participated in pre-flight, flight and post-flight duties, aided by his CAP Instructor Lt Col (Retired) Austin Landry.  In the end, he learned a great deal about what it takes to be a pilot in today's society.  The flight was approximately 1 hour in length, where he performed slow-flight maneuvers, flew over downtown Birmingham and was able to participate in touch-and-go landings.

    The Cadet Orientation Flight Program’s primary goal is to introduce youth to general aviation through hands-on orientation flights in single engine aircraft and gliders.  Colonel Paul, Homewood's AFJROTC Senior Aerospace Science Instructor, anticipates that there will be more opportunities to fly with Civil Air Patrol next academic year, starting in Fall 2015 and into Spring 2016.