April 19th, 2010
Leadership training camp proves to be learning experience

Leadership Training Camp awardees left to right: Jeb Yearwood,  Zoe Ruiz and Daniel Sexton.

STAFF REPORT

San Marcos Baptist Academy (SMBA) recently welcomed the return of 51 Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students after their completion of a leadership camp in San Antonio. The cadre of 45 cadets and six cadet officers spent  five days at Camp Bullis honing their skills.

“I’m excited that we had such a large turnout this year for Leadership Camp,” said Larry Revell, SMBA’s Leadership Training Camp senior army instructor. “This is the most cadets we’ve taken to leadership camp since we became a voluntary military program here about six years ago. It was a great exercise for the cadets.”

Leading the trainees at the camp were senior cadets Battalion Commander Chloe Rocha,  Battalion Executive Officer Alex Vletas, Staff Personnel Officer Maggie Boylan, Staff Security Officer Nolan Rutland, Bravo Company Commander Patrick Gibson and Company First Sergeant Alyssa Shallenberger.

Selected as the camp’s outstanding cadet was a junior at SMBA, Jeb Yearwood of Georgetown, who served this year as the Battalion Command Sergeant Major. Sophomore Daniel Sexton of Buda received the “Hooah Award” for being the most motivated cadet of the group and junior Zoe Ruiz of Concan was awarded the Personal Courage Award, for overcoming obstacles and challenges.

The curriculum at the camp consisted of  a variety of leadership training and confidence building exercises including orienteering practice, a leadership reaction course, a confidence/obstacle course, physical fitness tests, drill and ceremony training and evaluation, classroom sessions on leadership topics and a Sunday devotional service.