While many high school students are still enjoying their summer break, the students in the Buckingham County High School Raider participated in one of the nation’s premier leadership training camps. The camp called JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC) Eagle is located on the campus of Massanutten Military Academy at Woodstock. The mission of the camp is: “To motivate young people to be better citizens” and the staff of the camp does all that it can to challenge these future leaders. The students who graduated from this year’s camp are: Alex Boyles, Luke Sayer, Tyler Selzer, Caroline Browning, Ben Dorrier, Chastity Hernandez, Rylynn Morris, Cole Wells, Christian Mendez, Adele Sayer, Maira Portllio, Charles Bartee and Gabby Mondragon. Ben Dorrier and Caroline Browning would be named top Male and Female Athletes for JCLC Eagle in the Individual Physical Fitness Challenge (IPFC) and Caroline Browning would be placed on the Commandant’s List for placing at the top 10% of her graduating class.

Pictured are, from left, JCLC Camp Commandant, Col.
Roy McChutcheon, Caroline Browning and JCLC Command
Sergeant Major Russell Wilder.

The six-day camp combines hands-on leadership training as the students participate in a series of activities: STEM; orienteering; rappelling; obstacles course; drown-proofing; First Aid; and CPR where students are exposed to new and different experiences outside of the classroom. Every day presents challenges to the students as they rotate through leadership roles as they plan and organize each day’s activities.

The week of activities culminates in a field day where each student group competes for camp honors in athletic and organizational events that test both physical and mental and collaborative skills.

The camp is sponsored by the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and conducted by staff drawn from 22 high schools in the South and Central Virginia Areas and North Carolina. This year Buckingham County High School sent Sergeant First Class (Ret) Bruce Grazier, the Senior Army Instructor. Buckingham County High School also sent three chaperones, Bonnie Breeden, Jamie Moore and Angela Swecker, one school nurse, Barbara Jamerson and one bus driver, D.J. Anderson.