| As school year 2007-2008 draws to a close, so do the JROTC careers of Master Sergeant (Ret.) Julian L. “Larry” Smith and Sergeant First Class (Ret.) William K. “Bill” Keuhn. Master Sergeant Smith came to Cretin High School in 1984 after 22 years of active service in the United States Army Infantry. He served as our administrative and logistical expert and advised the Crack Drill Team, Color Guard and Regulation Drill Team. Sergeant First Class Keuhn retired from a career in the Minnesota National Guard and began his JROTC position in 2000. He taught the freshmen and sophomore classes and advised the Rifle and Air Rifle Teams and the Honor Guard. We will all miss these two very important members of the faculty and wish them the very best in their well-deserved retirements. The members of the Raider Brigade can be very proud of their many accomplishments this year. Our cadets and co-curricular organizations participated in 173 separate activities. Honor Guard service accounted for seventy-three of these activities. Under the leadership of Cadet Colonel Ryan Miller and the senior class, the JROTC achieved a lot – a successful JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge (JCLC) for 82 students at Camp Ripley and the first JROTC Lock-in, when weather forced cancellation of the Afton State Park Encampment. The Fall Review and Twilight Parade, Dining-In, Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge (hosted), Cadet Formal Inspection, Military Ball, the North Central Challenge (Fargo), the Greater Twin Cities JROTC Orienteering Conference competition, Crack Drill and Color Guard performances, Flight Club flights, Regulation Drill Team competition, Mississippi Magnet school service learning project, JROTC Activities Day, two Memorial Day Observances, and so much more filled the calendar. The most important event every three years is the Cadet Formal Inspection and this year was a formal inspection year. On April 9 a team of inspectors from Fort Carson Colorado, augmented by a team from the University of Minnesota Army ROTC Program led by Major Mark Weber, CDH ’89, spent the day at CDH. This comprehensive inspection focuses on student performance measured in the following events: Cadet Briefing, Curriculum Knowledge, In-ranks Inspection, Cadet Attendance/Participation, Personnel/Administration, Public Affairs, Training, Supply/Logistics, Security, Marching Proficiency and Color Guard Proficiency. Juniors Ian McQuillan and Greg Schuneman led the two evaluated marching units. Veronica Lentsch led the Color Guard evaluated performance. When the dust settled, our cadets had earned 978 points out a possible 1000 to earn Honor Unit with Distinction designation for the 80th consecutive year. During a late April Leadership Laboratory seniors administered the Best Platoon Competition. Juniors RJ Kreyer and Joe Morgan led the winning platoons in the 1st and 2nd Battalions, respectively. Sixty-two students spent an April Friday and Saturday at CDH in the first JROTC Lock-in after adverse weather forced the cancellation of the Afton State Park Encampment. The Annual Twilight Parade/Awards Ceremony was held on Carondelet Field on May 14. The Corps of Cadets is deeply indebted to the CDH Band which performed to the delight of the hundreds of guests who attended. The cadets who were honored at this ceremony are listed separately in this edition of the Communicator. Lieutenant Colonel Terrence Hoye, CHS Class of 1981, served as the Reviewing Officer. Lieutenant Colonel Hoye has spent much of his military career as a member of the United States Army Reserve, which includes service in Iraq. Following the ceremony, Master Sergeant Larry Smith and Sergeant First Class Bill Keuhn were honored at a reception hosted by parents. Leadership of the Raider Brigade passed to the Class of 2008 in a change of command ceremony immediately following the Twilight Parade and Awards Ceremony. Acting Brigade Commander Carlitos Valero received the Brigade Colors from outgoing Cadet Colonel Ryan Miller. Each year the JROTC conducts a service learning project at Mississippi Magnet, a creative arts charter school in the St. Paul Public School System. This year’s project was the most ambitious yet. Eighty-nine JROTC seniors, juniors and sophomores in teams of three and four spent the day presenting classes from the Junior Achievement curriculum to all 22 K-6 classrooms. Our cadets are very well received by the administration, faculty and staff, and especially the elementary school children who enjoyed taking their high school guests to lunch and recess. Cadet support of the NHS Banquet, Founders’ Day Breakfast, the Presidents' Advisory Council Breakfast, Grandparents’ Mass, Jazz Band Concert, CDH Honors Night, Spring Band Concert, Baccalaureate and Graduation fulfilled the final service requirements of the school year. Two Color Guards led by Samantha Lentsch and Ian McQuillan, and two Crack Drill Team Firing Squads led by Carlitos Valero and Greg Schuneman performed service for the Memorial Day Observances at Elmhurst and St. Mary's Cemeteries. Scheduled summer service activities include the Greg Marzolf, Jr. Dark Socks Classic Golf Tournament on June 16, the 4th of July Patriotic Mass at the Church of St. Michaels in Stillwater, and the St. Paul Irish Festival Mass. The Honor Guard (Michael Pelletier and Kaitlin Veentstra) has never been busier than this school year, accumulating 73 group service activities. The new leadership for the Honor Guard for '07-'08 will be RJ Kreyer and Andrew Hanson. Both the Honor Guard and the Color Guard are prepared to serve the needs of the CDH community over the summer months. The CDH Rifle Team's Outstanding Shooters for the 2007-2008 competition season are Ryan Miller, David Wimmer, Nick Orfei, Carlitos Valero and Nate Woessner. The Rifle Team letter award recipients are Ryan Miller, Mike Pelletier, David Wimmer, Nick Orfei, Carlitos Valero, Nate Woessner, Steve Gitzen, Mariana Katsiotis and Samantha Lentsch. Our Orienteering Team completed its thirteenth season in the Greater Twin Cities JROTC Orienteering Conference. Letter award winners are: Seniors – Natasha Fuentes (Captain) and Tom Hoye; Juniors - Pat Bendel and Jeff Winsor; Sophomores – Steve Gitzen, Andy Kempe and Adriana Pohl; Freshmen – Jimmy Dimmick, Cat Kennedy, Andrew Nickelson and Eric Young. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Conference Female competitors are Natasha Fuentes, Katelyn Conroy and Adriana Pohl. The 2nd and 3rd Place Conference Male competitors are Andy Kempe and Steve Gitzen. All-Conference selections are Andy Kempe, Steve Gitzen and Pat Bendel. All-Conference Honorable Mention selections are Natasha Fuentes, Jeff Winsor, Nick Souther, Mike Pelletier, Tom Hoye, Jimmy Dimmick and Andrew Nickelson. New commanders (and executive officers) installed in the JROTC co-curricular activities include – Ian McQuillan, Color Guard; Carlitos Valero (Greg Schuneman), Crack Drill Team; RJ Kreyer (Andrew Hanson), Honor Guard; Pat Bendel (Jeff Winsor), Orienteering Team; Greg Schuneman (Josh St. George), Regulation Drill Team; Nick Orfei (Nate Woessner), Air Rifle Team. The Flight Club commander will be announced when school resumes. Congratulations to Jack Godfrey, Andrew Hanson and RJ Kreyer, who will represent CDH at the American Legion's Minnesota Boy's State scheduled for June 15-21 at Southwest Minnesota State University. And, congratulations to freshman James Zastrow who is the JROTC Student of the Month for April/May. James was selected for his strong commitment to excellence in all aspects of the JROTC at CDH. Five graduating cadets received $800,000 in ROTC Scholarships. Veronica Lentsch received a 4-Year Army ROTC Scholarship to Iowa State University. Ryan Miller was awarded a 4-Year Army ROTC Scholarship to St. John's University. Mike Pelletier received a 4-Year Air Force ROTC Scholarship to the University of St. Thomas. Claire Smith was awarded four 4-Year Army ROTC Scholarships to Tufts University, the University of Colorado, the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin. ROTC scholarships pay for tuition, fees, books and a $16,000 subsistence allowance. Some schools add additional incentives, such as room and/or board, to attract these high quality scholarship recipients. RJ Speidel received an Offer of Admission to attend the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School. The offer provides a full-ride scholarship for one year followed by the likely admission to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Juniors are in the application window for Service Academy appointments and ROTC scholarships. Early application means earlier consideration and notification of results. ROTC scholarships for college are among the most lucrative available; however, applicants must understand that four years of active military service as a commissioned officer usually follows graduation from college. Websites with information, including the applications, are easy to find via a keyword search or through the JROTC webpage in the CDH website at www.cretin-derhamhall.org. Access these sites by clicking on Current Students, then Course/Teacher Websites, then JROTC which is under Interdisciplinary & JROTC, and finally, Student Resources. LTC (Ret.) Steve Dahlgren, 651-696-3350, from the JROTC Office is also available to answer questions and assist with the application process. Many wonderful parent volunteers help chaperone overnight JROTC activities each year. This year was no exception. Thank you for your selfless commitment to assuring our field trips are possible. Mr. George Pfoser, our volunteer Air Rifle Team Coach, completed his fifth year of providing the technical competitive shooting expertise that only a National Match competitor can provide. We are indebted to George for his generous and invaluable service. Next year will be another exciting one. We will welcome two new JROTC faculty members, Sergeants Major (Ret.) Dave Berrisford, CHS ’81, and Master Sergeant (Ret.) Ken Peloski. Both of these outstanding NCOs have been patiently waiting for an opportunity to join our unique, tradition-based program. We're really excited about the leadership talent in the Class of 2008 and our pre-registered enrollment. Each year upper class students add JROTC to their schedules. Check our calendar of activities on the JROTC webpage. Among the first trimester highlights are the Camp Ripley Encampment and the Fall Review. If you are interested, or if you know of someone who might benefit from the JROTC program, please call us this summer at the JROTC Office at 651-696-3350/3351. Or, call our Registrar, Kathy Quitter, at 651-696-3325 to have the JROTC class added to your schedule. It's never too late for students of any class to join. The early uniform issue days are Tuesday, August 19, for boys and Wednesday, August 20, for girls. The hours will be from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Students may also pick up their uniforms at Orientation. Have a great summer! |
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