Manta Rays finish third in national JROTC competition

The Saipan Southern High School Manta Rays once again made their home islands proud after winning third place in last Sunday’s U.S. Army Cadet Command JROTC National Drill Championship.

Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan disclosed to Saipan Tribune that she was made aware of the group’s latest achievement yesterday afternoon.

The SSHS Manta Ray Team was hailed third best team in the armed drill division of the competition where 50 school district teams across the nation competed. The group was among the representatives from the region after it won the title in the regional event held in California last February.

Members of the winning team include Amante Andrada, Jayson Arriola, Kenneth Catillo, Welington David, Derick Dela Cruz, John Hofschneider, Alexander Ito, Mark Kapileo, Ernesto Medina, Kristofer Morales, Arjay Ordonez, Jude Palacios, Nicko Salem, Sheela Saraff, Dan Tumaquip, and Jomalyn Gelacio.

Sablan said this was the first time for PSS to join the national JROTC event and she is overjoyed that the CNMI actually took home the third place trophy.

Sablan said the group will be back tonight from the national competition. “We’re very, very pleased with their participation and outcome,” she said yesterday.

The 16-member group of the SSHS JROTC Team flew to Louisville, Kentucky last Tuesday to represent the CNMI and the region in the U.S. Army Cadet Command JROTC National Drill Championship. The national competition took place on Sunday, Saipan time.

SSHS vice principal Jocelyn Manibusan said Friday that the group was accompanied to Kentucky by principal Jesse Tudela and the school army instructors, Leonardo Rabago and Joaquin Kiyoshi.

The CNMI PSS JROTC held an islandwide competition at Marianas High School on Jan. 14 where the SSHS team won the armed portion of the competition. The team was among the three groups from PSS that participated in the California drill where they earned the slot to the national event.

The JROTC program has rapidly grown into one of the most popular and appreciated programs in the CNMI’s educational system and is offered at its five secondary schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

The Manta Ray Band has also won several accolades for the CNMI and will perform in the 2012 London Olympics this summer.