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Army and Navy Academy Host Teen Leadership Camp
Army and Navy Academy Host Teen Leadership Camp
California’s Army and Navy Academy hosted their first annual Camp Challenge; a five-week leadership camp for JROTC students that not only teaches leadership principles, but also provides the opportunity for students to earn High School credit hours.
Carlsbad,
CA,
United States
(pr4links.com)
26/11/2010
The pilot session of the Army and Navy Academy's Camp Challenge proved to be one of great success. On June 28, twenty individuals reported to Miller Hall for an an intensive five-week training program for Junior ROTC students. This program consisted of 180 hours devoted to leadership training, where students also we able to gain comprehensive high school elective credits.
A normal day for a cadet attending Camp Challenge usually begins at 6:00AM with Reveille and ends around 10:00PM. Each day typically opens with physical training in preparation for the Cadet Endurance Challenge. The sixteen hour day of a cadet is full of outstanding instruction and exercises for a building a strong team. One of the most significant parts of the program is team work training. Students study the importance of being part of a team and how to achieve their set goals by working together.
The main conceptual focus of the Camp Challenge program is leadership. Cadets learn a lot of valuable information about leadership, from basic theory to practical application. Leadership cultivation is also furthered by other areas of training that are both useful and practical, such as CPR certification and first aid training. There are other certification opportunities for students in life-guarding and even SCUBA diving.
This outstanding training program was created by Major Mike Basista, Senior Military Instructor at Army and Navy Academy ( http://www.armyandnavyacademy.org ). In terms of the program, Major Basista says, “it has far exceeded my expectations in all areas; more cadets took part in the training, the calibre of cadets is outstanding and have met the academic challenges.” The LET I program, normally a two semester program, was redesigned into a fully credited five-week program. “I had a terrific group of young men and one woman of good character who performed outstandingly during the training,” added Barista.
Emily Sach, a 15 year old Sophomore and the lone female cadet at Camp Challenge, enrolled in the training course to gain experience before joining the JROTC program at Fallbrook High School. She is no stranger to military pride however, as her personal role model is none other than her 22-year old cousin who was recently deported to Afghanistan. Among the 19 male cadets, Emily is the first female cadet to ever receive training from the Army Navy Academy ( http://www.armyandnavyacademy.org ) and since completing the program, Emily's goal is to become a United States Marine. The next set of training for the cadets of Camp Challenge took place on Thursday, July 29th at Camp Pendleton. The cadets took part in the “Leadership Reaction Course,” where they faced challenges to test their personal leadership and their ability to work as a team.
The evening before graduation, Camp Challenge cadets, along with their parents, attended dinner at the home of Academy President, Brigadier General Stephen Bliss. The next morning, graduation took place at the school's ocean front chapel at 9:00 am where all the proud cadets gathered to celebrate their notable completion. With such a great opening session, Camp Challenge is sure to be a strong program that is offered in summers to come.
The Army and Navy Academy ( http://www.armyandnavyacademy.org ) is a private non-profit institution located on 16 beautiful seaside acres in southern California. The Academy enhances not only academic knowledge, but also the moral character of young men in the 7th-12th grade. The Academy is the only private boarding school in San Diego County and the sole Military School for high school students in not only California, but also its neighboring states. Small classrooms, personal attention and academic devotion motivate each cadet to reach their optimum potential. Beyond academics, the Academy promotes discipline and leadership through character development training. Cadets are required to take leadership training (LET) classes, which include the U.S. Army of Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) program. Founded by Thomas A. Davis, on the 23rd of November in 1910, the mission of the Academy is to train and educate cadets to be men of good character. Currently, the Academy has about 300 cadets from 14 states and 13 countries.
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About
Mr. Hengesbach is married and he and his wife Bonnie are the parents of two sons and one daughter. “Jeff Hengesbach is an outstanding educator and leader of young men,” said Academy President BG Steve Bliss. “We are fortunate to have him join the Army Navy team.”
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