Special to the Enquirer

Special to the Enquirer

AP Brewer Army JROTC of the Morgan County Technology Park, the Patriot Battalion, has qualified for the Army JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl national championships to be held in Washington, D.C., from July 19-27.

This is the third year in a row the Patriot Battalion has qualified for the championships and the second in a row that both their leadership and academic teams qualified.

Every year more than 1,450 schools compete in a six-month academic and leadership challenge in the hopes of qualifying for the national championship. Thirty-two schools qualify for academics, and 40 qualify for leadership. Few schools qualify both teams.

Each team consists of four cadets, who will compete against the other finalists over three days of competition. Teams will also have the opportunity to visit the capital and explore various historical sites, such as Arlington National Cemetery, the National Archives and numerous monuments.

The College Options Foundations sponsors the entire competition, and there is no cost to the teams. This year’s teams are:

· Academics – junior Faith Wilson, team captain; freshman Tiana Bailey; junior Zachary Joiner; and junior Wilfred Richards

· Leadership – junior Trevan Bailey, team captain; junior Andrew Ballinger; junior Shannon Johnsey; and sophomore Leona Lipscomb

· Cadet Faith Wilson is academic team captain and Cadet Trevan Bailey is leadership team captain.