UPDATED 1324 January 24, 2012

The 2nd Quarter is coming to an end Its nearing the end of the second quarter. Students dont slack off. Turn in any missing assignments. Try to get your grades up before report cards come out. Make up any missing uniform days. The last day students can turn anything in is Tuesday. Monday and Tuesday are teacher work days. So this will be a four day weekend. Cadet Truese 1/24/12

Patuxent Drill Meet There will be a Drill Meet this Saturday at Patuxent High School. Teams from all over area 5 will be competing. Drill team, make sure you attend practices regualrly. Practice outside of practice. Keep the intensity levels high and leave all the drama at home on Saturday. Meet in front of the school at 0505 for muster, the bus will be departing at no later than 0515. Inspection team, remember to shine your shoes daily to maintain their shine. Good luck Drill Team! Cadet Truese 1/24/12

Elective Fair There was an elective fair today during seminar. Rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors have an opportunity to visit any electives they are thinking about taking next year. It is a great chance for students to ask questions about the electives they have chosen to see whether or not they are right for them. Hopefully students took full advantage of the opportunity present. Cadet Truese 1/24/12

Highway clean up There was supposed to be a highway clean up this monday the 23rd of January, but due to inclimate weather it was cancelled. Stay warm and do homework now that your afternoon has been cleared up. Cadet Truese 1/24/12

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Is a federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third January of each year, which is around the time of King's birthday. King spoke against racism and lead several civil rights movements. Cadet Hansen 1/16/12

Back from Break Time for school. Dust off your backpack and sharpen your pencils. Hopefully your break was relaxing, but its time now for work to begin. Start off the New Year the right way. Do your homework and be on time to school. See you there! Cadet Truese 1/9/12

Calvert Rifle Match This weekend, our rifle team willl be competing against Calvert High School and 15 other schools. Our top 8 shooters will be driven with equipment by Commander Cassara and a parent. Expect strong practing this week and a landslide victory to start the competition season. Good luck Herndon! Remember if you can't make your relay, you need to tell Commander Cassara before your relay. Cadet Jagers 12/15/11

King George Drill Meet Results The drill team went up against some stiff competition on Saturday, December 3rd. Although we didn't place first overall, we tried our hardest. We placed 5th in Armed Standard, 7th in Armed Exhibition, 8th in Color Guard, and 8th in Unarmed Standard. Out of 19 teams we placed 9th overall. Cadet Young recieved a knock-out medal. Great job Herndon, keep up the good work. Remember to go to practices. Check the plan of the week to see when practices are. Cadet Bhandari 12/6/11

NS-3 and NS-4 Meeting There will be an NS-4s and NS-3s meeting after school Thursday, December 1st. All NS-3s and NS-4s must attend this meeting. It will be held in the Green room. The meeting starts at 1500 and will be over at 1530. Cadet Bhandari 12/1/11

Preparations for King George Drill Meet The King George Drill Meet will be held December 3rd, 2011. All cadets participating must report to all practices. Males need to get their haircuts by Friday December 2nd, or else they will NOT be going to the meet. Arrive at 0530 Saturday morning in your naval service uniform. Remember to bring in a change of clothes for after the meet. Females willl be parting their hair on the left. King George is expecting 19 schools. Good luck Herndon! Cadet Bhandari 12/1/11

Thanksgiving Holiday Thanksgiving is this Thursday, November 24th, 2011. Students will be released from school 2 hours early. This holiday is about showing your appreciation for everything you have in life. Don't forget to thank your care givers for all they do for you. May all who have to travel get to their destination safely. Enjoy the weekend! Cadet Truese 11/21/11

Pt practices have started again. Pt team members, the practices have started up again. Be sure that you are checking the plan of the week to see when practices are. The fall season is over, so for all fall athletes who couldn't join due to complications with practice timing, now is the time. Talk to c/Hansen or c/Ratana if you have any questions about joining. Cadet Truese 11/21/11

Annual Military Inspection Wednesday, November 16, 2011 the Herndon High School NJROTC unit will be holding its annual military inspection. Cadets are to report to the main gymnasium as soon as they get to school. Inspection will start at approximately 0720. Cadets will be missing their first period. Commander Cassara and Senior Chief Maness sent out an email to all of the cadet's teachers. Captain Gilliam will be inspecting the unit, he is the professor of Naval science and NROTC unit Commanding Officer at George Washington University. Cadet Truese 11/15/11

Osbourne Park Drill Meet. The drill team had its first Meet of the year Saturday, November 12, 2011 at Osbourne Park High School. The drill team performed beautifully. Cadet Donahue won a knock-out medal, Congratulations! Keep up the good work. Go to the morning practices, and if you're intersted in joining the Drill team contact Senior Chief Maness, c/Frost, or c/Goldin. Cadet Truese 11/15/11

Gear up boys its rifle season. Rifle team try-outs will be held all week long, if you are planning to join the rifle team you must show up for your relay. If you can not show up for your relay time you must pre-arragne it with Commander sometime before your relay. Cadet Bhandari 11/2/11

No Coat left behind at Herndon. Every year Herndon High collects coats to give to the homeless. If you have any coats, scarfs, gloves, hats or winter items that are taking up space in you closet, donate them. They must be in good condition. Help out the communtiy please, Go hornets!! Cadet Bhandari 11/2/11

La Plata Field and Academic Meet. The La Plata field Meet happened this past Saturday, the 29th of October. Cadet Ratana won a 2nd place medal in curl-ups with 178 for females, as did Cadet Bhandari with 310 for males. Great effort Herndon! Keep up the good work. Remember to practice on your own at home. Cadet Bhandari 11/2/11

Homecoming Parade. The uniform day for NJROTC this week is Saturday at the Homecoming Parade. If you are attending the parade but not marching with the unit, then you must wear your uniform this week.

Participation in the parade is a graded event. If you need to be with another parade unit (Step Team, Band, etc.) then you must pre-arrange that with CDR Cassara or Senior Chief Maness. Those who do not attend the parade will be given an alternative assignment to complete for the grade.

Breakfast will be served and paid by unit funds for all cadets (whether or not you are marching with the unit) at the McDonald’s on Elden Street near the start of the parade route (Sterling Road). The McDonalds is next to a Pizza Hut. We will open the food line at 0800 and close it at 0845. Expect to leave McDonalds by 0900 in order to be in place on the parade route by 0915. If you are running late, go straight to our position on the parade route, spot #45. Make sure that you check in with your platoon leader so you are properly mustered. The company will probably start to move down the parade route by 0925 and we will be finish the route (in front of City Hall) by approximately 1015. Cadets will be dismissed from that location after we take a group photo on the steps of City Hall. 10/19/11

The uniform for all cadets in formation will be Navy Service Uniform (khaki shirt, black slacks, etc.), including your black jacket. The Color Guard will wear Service Dress Blue.

GMU Field and Academic Meet. The GMU field Meet happened this past Saturday, the 15th of October. We won 3rd in the Australlian Trolley, and 2nd in the 8x200 relay. Good effort Herndon! Keep up the good work. Remember to practice on your own at home. Cadet Bhandari 10/13/11

PSAT's at Herndon High School The PSAT happened on Wednesday, October 12th; they were taken during 2nd period. The PSAT is designed to help students see where they stand in preparation for college. Their scores will indicate in which subjects they need improvement. Students were dismissed early on Wednesday. Cadet Bhandari 10/10/11

NJROTC fundraising Carwash The unit held its first carwash of the year on Saturday, the 8th of October. It was held at the Sunoco on Elden St. We raised an astonishing 1,283 dollars.... a great achievement. All of the cadets who went did an excellent job. Our thanks go out to the parents who volenteered most of their Saturday to supervise. Cadet Bhandari 10/10/11

Varina Field and Academic Meet. We were one of four schools that attended the Varina Meet on October 1st, 2011. Even though there were not many schools, every school gave 100%. There was high motivation amongst the crowds. Herndon came out on top, with a 1st place overall win! Good job Herndon. Cadet Bhandari 10/5/11

Huntingtown Field and Academic Meet. On Saturday the 24th of September, our first PT and Academic meet will take place at Huntingtown High School, Maryland. There will be 100m and 200m relays, pushups, curlups, and an Academic exam. Permission slips have been distributed to cadets during class. PT warm-ups will be issued to cadets on Friday. Be sure to pick them up on Friday before school, during Stinger, or right after school. Good luck at the meet! Cadet Blouir 9/21/11

First PT team practice of the year. PT team met for their first practice last Wednesday at 05:55 to begin this year's PTseason. Cadets' physical strength and endurance was tested with pushup and curlup tests during which, c/PO3 Bhandari performed an astonishing 250 curl-ups... a completely unheard of number not only for the second year PT team member, but also his fellow teammates. What a great way to start the beginning of the year. This was followed by timed 100m and 200m races to find the fastest cadets. The results indicate a very successful year ahead of us. Great job PT team! Cadet Blouir 9/21/11

CO delivers inspirational address at NCIC graduation. During NCIC Cadet Commander Polk gave an important speech - a speech that inspired many cadets. At the conclusion, he introduced the term SWAG to the unit. Service, Willingness, Acheivement, and Glory ... words that went into the hearts of all who heard it. Cadet Bhandari 9/20/11

Newest Members of VT Corps of Cadets. Former Hornet NJROTC cadets Ian Martin and Kyle Bentley are the newest members of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. All reports are that they are doing well and really like all the new gear they have been issued! I'm sure they will stop by the unit during one of their breaks this year to share their experiences and answer any questions regarding college life in general, the ROTC, or Virginia Tech. 8/22/11

Dream Of A Lifetime Comes True. In September, 2004 then-freshman Cadet Fabio Garcia, a native of Bolivia, declared his intention to attend the United States Naval Academy. Four years of hard work at HHS, two years in the Marine Corps, and a year at the Naval Academy Prep School, during which he gained American Citizenship, paved the way for this fine young man to realize his goal. On a sunny evening on June 30th, CDR Cassara had the honor and privilege of witnessing Fabio take the Oath of Office as a Midshipman at the Naval Academy, followed by - what else - a photo in front of the Herndon Monument. If anyone doesn't believe in the "American Dream," have a chat with Fabio some time! 7/1/11

Leadership Academy Graduates. Our unit now has three new Leadership Academy graduates... Cadets Polk, Brundage, and Young successfully completed the 8 day course in Virginia Beach and are now wearing the coveted Silver Cord. Click here to see photos from the Area Five-sponsored event. Ask them about their experience and let Senior Chief know if you want to go in 2012! 7/1/11

Relay for Life. The Relay for Life event was very successful. The cadet group, led by Cadet Claire Hirschhorn and assisted by Cadet Kathleen Ratana, walked the entire night and braved nearby thunderstorms in the quest to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The team goal was to raise $2500 - they smashed that goal by raising just under $5100! Cadet Commander Polk was the top fundraiser, adding $620 to the team total... that is "leadership by example!" Well Done! 7/1/11

Car Wash Results . The car wash that took place on May 21st was a gre at success, our unit washed cars that helped earn money to support the Relay for Life foundation. There was a total of 59 cars that the cadets washed with a total amout of almost $800. c/SN Bhandari

Awards Night. May 21st was this years Parents Night and formal Change of Command Ceremony. At this ceremony the next year's senior staff offically takes charge of the unit for the upcoming year. The outgoing seniors get piped over the side as a last honor to the service they have provided the unit over their NJROTC career. We thank all the seniors for their help in handing the reigns down to the incoming seniors and for helping prepare them for their term as the heads of the unit.c/SN Bhandari

Shell Car Wash. May 21st a car wash will be held at the shell on Elden Street from 1000-1400. The car wash will be lots of fun for cadets and for parents. We will need help to set up an hour before the car wash starts. If there are any parents who would like to help, please come and join us at the car wash. Please come and get your Car Washed!. c/PO3 Escobar.

Spring Physical Fitness test. During this April 26-29th, the spring physical fitness test will be taken place. During this year's P.F.T, there will be a timed mile run, and will have two minutes to do as many push-ups and sit ups as possible. This year during the P.F.T there will be no V-sit or shuttle run. Cadets will be expected to do their very best!. c/PO2 Hansen.

NS-1 Drill Meet. Saturday April 30th Herndon High School will be hosting the Captain Blakeman NS-1 Drill Meet. At this event there will be Unarmed Standard, Armed Standard, Uniformed Personnel Inspection, and Color Guard. Only NS-1s will be competing at this event, for most cadets this will be their first drilll event. Good luck Herndon!. c/PO2 Coyner.

Senior Uniforms . As the year starts winding down Seniors are required to return all uniforms except the Navy Service Uniform. Uniforms will be due Friday, April 29th. The Navy Service Uniform will be due later in the year. Many thanks to this year's NS-4s for making this year succesful. c/PO3 Blouir.

Field Day. After school April 7th the unit will hold a unit wide after school "spring cleaning" event. There are 20 cadets expeted to participate in this event. During the field day, you clean every nook and cranny of the units spaces. This is an annual tradition and always a fun event to go to. c/PO2 Coyner.

Spring Clean. On April 9th the Herndon NJROTC cadets who have volunteered will be supporting a local church youth group in a spring cleaning event. This will count for community service hours that can go towards a community service ribbon for cadets. Cadets will assist in mulching gardening, raking, cleaning, and other various activities.

Announce The New Leadership. After March 9th, leadership board is over and the senior staff will be creating the new leadership matrix for next year. By the end of March the unit should know their new jobs and senior staff for 2011-2012. c/PO1 Young.

National Academic Postal. On Thursday, March 3rd, the Herndon High School NJROTC took the National Academic Postal Exam. This was a 100 question test that was taken after school in the Green Room. The tests will be sent into Navy Nationals and compared against all NJROTC school nationwide. Well done Hornets! c/PO3 Blouir.

Patuxent Drill Meet. Congratulations to the drill team for winning third overall at the Patuxent Drill Meet. Herndon Drill Team took 2nd in Inspection, 4th in Color Guard, 4th in Academics, and 3rd in Armed Standard. We had a great meet and are now moving up in the rankings for the coveted top 10 teams who will compete in Area 5. Good Luck to the Drill Team this weekend at Gaithersburg! c/PO3 Hirschhorn.

Gaithersburg Frostbite PT Meet. On Saturday, February 5th, the PT Team went to Gaithersburg. During this frostbite meet, only the main events are scheduled, but due to the weather, the running events were changed. The 100 meter dash was replaced by the standing long jump, and the 200 meter dash was replaced by the basketball throw. In the end Herndon won in a sweep with 1st place in all events except push ups, in which we took 2nd. Congratulations to the PT Team! c/PO3 Hirschhorn.

Herndon Middle School Visit. On Thursday, February 4th, three Herndon High School cadets left for Herndon Middle School. Cadets c/PO2 Frost, c/PO1 Young, and c/LTJG Polk performed a drill demonstration for the students while Senior Chief Maness told the rising 9th graders about NJROTC and its functions. In the end it was a success and the NJROTC will be going back for a second visit on February 9th. c/PO1 Young.

College Orientation Trip. At the end of the month there will be a college orientation trip to Norfolk, Virginia. It is an overnight trip planned for the 31st of January, to the 1st of February. We plan to visit several colleges, the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, and possibly have some liberty. The trip willbe a lot of fun and educational! c/PO3 Hirschhorn.

Rifle Meet versus West Potomac. On January 7th, Herndon hosted a rifle match against West Potomac High School. The top four shooters from each school competed. Herndon's team has been practicing constantly and it paid off when we edged West Potomac out to win the match. We scored almost 100 more points than our opponent. Our top shooter was Cadet Taylor, an NS-2. Congratulations Rifle team, keep practicing and keep winning. c/PO1 Young.

A New Year. Welcome back Herndon Hornets! It's the beginning of a new year and after a long break it's time to get back to work. In order to make it to Area 5 we need to have motivation and dedication. Winter Break is over and the competitive season has picked back up. Good luck to our competitive teams and once again happy 2011! c/PO3 Blouir.

Mount Vernon Rifle Meet. Herndon Air Rifle Team competed against Mount Vernon in a one on one meet during the week of December 6th. Cadets Hirschhorn and Taylor had the highest scores for prone, standing, and kneeling which helped Herndon achieve victory. Great job cadets! c/SN Hirschhorn.

Commander Cassara Voted Teacher of the Week. Herndon has a teacher of the week award where students vote for their favorite teacher. The week of December 13th Commander Cassara was voted teacher of the week by his students. Commander received this award because of his dedication to the unit by organizing and running the canned food drive, and running the PT team practices at 0545 and then staying for the rifle team practices at 1900. Be sure to thank Commander and Senior Chief for all the extra hours they put in to make this unit run. c/PO3 Coyner.

Area 5 Orienteering. On December 18, 2010, the new Orienteering team will be going to its Area 5 meet at Patuxent River Park. This is the first time the Orienteering Team will compete in a meet after 10 years. Herndon will have two teams of ten cadets competing are their own. Good luck Orienteering Team. c/PO1 Young.

Any Soldier Letter Campaign. Herndon is once again hosting an "Any Solider" letter campaign. The idea is to write a letter about anything going on and address it to "Any Soldier". The letters are then shipped all around the world in the hopes of raising the spirits of soldiers during the holiday season. Some soldiers may even write back so you can form a friend overseas. We are hoping for 100% participation so take 15 minutes to write a letter and raise a soldier’s spirits this holiday season. c/SN Hirschhorn.

Area 5 Rifle Meet. Saturday January 22nd, the rifle team will go to Calvert High School to shoot the Area 5 Rifle match. This match is part of the Area 5 competition with the drill, academic and PT parts taking place later in the year. The top 4 shooters will be representing us and have been notified of their participation and unless excused must attend this meet. Good luck. c/PO3 Blouir

Parent's Night. On 11/19/10 there will be a Parent's Night; there will be a pot luck dinner at the beginning for everyone to eat and then the cadets will form up into platoons where they will receive their awards from Commander Cassara. These awards are from this year's accomplishment in the unit. The pot luck will start at 1730 and the cadets will form up at 1900. So make sure to come in on time! c/PO2 Young.

Area Manager's Inspection. On Wednesday, 11/17, all cadets will report to the main gym at the beginning of the school day (1st period) in the NJROTC Service Uniform (NSU). Please note: In years past, cadet officers, CPOs, and Color Guard have worn Service Dress Blue for this event… NOT THIS YEAR! It is imperative that these be freshly cleaned and pressed uniforms with highly polished shoes and brass. Fresh haircuts and shaves are mandatory. We have been discussing this in class for some weeks now so it should come as no surprise to your cadet. Most will be released to class sometime during Stinger 1 on that day. Wednesday is the uniform day for ALL cadets that week. Parents and family are welcome to attend this event, but the inspection portion can be somewhat boring. If you do want to watch, I recommend coming in about 8:30AM or a bit earlier. There will be a short drill demonstration, short awards ceremony, remarks, and a Pass-In-Review. Attendance, excellent appearance, and top performance by our cadets is critical to the unit maintaining its status as one of the best programs in the mid-Atlantic region, so anything parents can do to help their cadets prepare will be appreciated. NOTE: There will be no "last minute" issuing of missing uniform items… covers, JBARS, belts, etc. You will be inspected as you are. If you are missing something, get a replacement on Monday or Tuesday.

Parent's Night Award Ceremony. On Friday, 11/19, all cadets must attend a mandatory awards ceremony in the cafeteria in the NJROTC Service Uniform (NSU). (Service Dress Blue for officers, Chief Petty Officers, and Color Guard). This ceremony will include a formal Change of Command, awards to cadets, and a drill exhibition. It will be preceded by a pot-luck dinner (A-L: main dish and salad; M-Z, main dish and dessert… enough to feed your family plus 4). The schedule of events follows:

5:30: Cadets begin eating
6:15: Cadets fall in to formation; parents and guests continue to eat
7:00: Ceremony begins
8:00: Ceremony ends

Attendance at the pot-luck dinner is optional, but cadets will be given an exam grade for attending the ceremony… they must fall in no later than 6:15. Late arrivals must be sure to check in with their platoon leaders to ensure they get credit for attending. Excused absences require pre-notification of your instructor accompanied by a note or email.

Seneca Valley Drill Meet. Drill Season has come again and our first meet of the season is at Seneca Valley. This year we have new freshmen trying out for the different teams, and we have changed all the routines so we hope to do even better in all events. Good luck to the drill team and bring back some trophies! c/PO2 Young

Touching Bases . This Thursday, November 11th, is Touching Bases. There is a 3 hour delay meaning school will start at 1020. This applies to everyone except for cadets that are on drill team, who have to be at school by 0755 for a 2 hour drill practice to prepare for the upcoming meet on Saturday. Cadets will also come in and stand in the hallways helping to direct parents to the classes they need to go to. c/SN Hirschhorn

First Rifle Meet of the Year. On Saturday November 5th we will go to Annapolis for our first rifle meet of the year. The top 8 shooters have been notified of their position and are all required, unless excused, to attend this meet. I wish good luck to them and start off the year with a win! c/SN Hirschhorn

Orientation Trip. On Saturday Ocotober 30th, our unit will be going to South Carolina for this year's orientation trip. We will depart HHS at 0600 for Charleston, South Carolina on a posh charter bus. Once in Charleston we will check in to our hotel and relax. The next 2 days will be jam packed with trips to various historic sites in and around the city such as Fort Sumter, the first battle of the Civil War, and the South Battery where the cannons were placed for the attack on the Union Fort. We will depart the hotel at 0630 and arrive back at HHS in time for parents to vote at the midterm election. c/PO2 Young

AMI Practices. There will be AMI practices coming up next week for all cadets on Thursday. Make sure to put the practice in your plans, because it counts as a grade. c/PO3 Oakley

Homecoming Day. It's that time of year again! Homecoming is here. To kick off the spirit week leading up to the parade and dance on Saturday we have Nerd Day Monday, Super Hero Day Tuesday, Safari Wednesday, then Decade Day; Freshman will dress in 60's gear, Sophomore's will wear 20's, Junior's will wear 70's, and Seniors will wear 80's. To finish the week off, Friday will be class color day, and all the classes will wear the colors of Herndon. Saturday will be the parade; the Unit will be led through Herndon by c/CDR Lowry and later in the afternoon will be the football game. The color guard will be there for the National Anthem. Then Homecoming will end with a dance into the night. Everybody have a great week and fun! c/PO2 Young

Chalk Talk . Thursday the 21st of October will be inspection and Chalk Talk for all Key Members at 1430 for the Homecoming Parade. If there are any questions talk to c/CDR Lowry. c/PO3 Oakley

Key Players Meeting. There will be a key players meeting for the Homecoming parade on Tuesday the 19th at 1430. Key players are the Commanding Officer, Excecutive Officer, COmmand Master Cheif, Operations Officer, Admin Officer, E&R Officer, Supply Officer, 3M Officer, Platoon Leaders and Inexperienced Guidons. All key players MUST attend this meeting, it is mandatory. c/SA Hirschhorn

Homecoming. Homecoming will be next Saturday on the 23rd of October, so keep posted on information on practices and what you need to bring.

Car Wash. Saturday, October 9th, there will be the Unit's first carwash. This car wash, cadets will earn "Hornet Bucks" for how many hours they work for. "Hornet Bucks" are credits that you earn so that you can use them to buy uniform parts, pay for trips, and any other things in ROTC you have to pay for. The time and location will be at the Sunoco Gas Station on Centerville Road and Percher Avenue across from the Worldgate. To sign up, sign your name on one of the sign up sheets in the Blue and Gold or Green room. c/PO3 Oakley

Columbus Day . Monday, October the 11th is Columbus Day, it is a day off for students. Columbus Day celebrates the day that Columbus discovered the new world His three ships, the Pinta, Nina and the Santa Maria landed in 1492, remember to take a second and think what our world would be like if Columbus hadn't been such a daring and adventerous man! c/SA Hirschhorn

George Washinton Academic Exam. This Wednesday October 6th will be the academic portion of our home field meet, the George Washington University Field Meet. Cadets on the Academic team must stay after to complete this test. Good Luck cadets! c/PO2 Young

Back to School Night. On Wednesday, September 29th, the school opened its doors to students and their parents around the school so they can meet with their children's teachers. Our cadets volunteered to escort parents around the school so they can go to their proper rooms. This is a nice job that the cadets are doing so keep up the good work! c/PO3 Oakley

New Year Objectives. Our New Year Objectives are very different from past years. This year we plan to focus more on cadets, and their service to their community. This will help cadets bond together to work better as a team, and it will help help win competitions. Good luck to the cadets and their competition. c/PO2 Young

Tag Day . Saturday September 25th was our unit's 2nd Tag Day this year. 26 Cadets came to support the unit raising over $3,000! The cadets arrived by 0845 and embarked on a full day of fundraising. Everyone enjoyed their lunch at around 1130, we then regrouped and headed back out for another 2 hours. Thank you to all the parent drivers and cadet volunteers for helping us to achieve a successful Tag Day!. c/SN Hirschhorn

PT Meet at Huntingtown. Saturday the 18th was the PT team's first field meet of the season in Huntingtown, Maryland. When the team arrived, they immediately got to work preparing for the meet. The first event was the Aardvark Relay, where you have to look through a small end of a cone and kick a tennis ball to the other side of the field where you pass off the cone to the next person on your team. The next event for Herndon was the Australian Trolley, a team building game where you have a team of 10 standing on parallel two by fours and march around a cone, and come back to the starting point in the fastest time you can manage. Next were the Curl-ups and Push-ups to cadence. In these events cadets Barahona and Lowry were awarded first place for individual Push-Ups. After that we had our 16x100m relay race, with Cadet Amira Juma "power walking" her leg of the race due to an ankle injury. Our 8x200m relay race went well with great starts and good finishes by cadets Truong and Martin. We placed third in this event against very tough competition. During the award ceremony, three cadet 1st place awards were given. One for highest individual academic test with a score of 82 went to cadet Leshock and two MVP awards were given to c/Bentley and c/Juma. All together we had a good first PT meet. Our next meet will be the George Washington field meet on our home turf. Good job PT Team, keep up the excellent work! c/PO2 Young

Team Interest Meeting. The team interest meeting is September 30th, next Thursday for all interested cadets. Teams include Rifle, PT, Drill, Orienteering, Color Guard, Inspection, and Academic. Come out and show your unit spirit! c/SA Hirschorn

First Day of School. On September 7th the school doors opened and every student was welcomed back to the school. This year will be an exciting year packed with drill, rifle, academic, and PT meets. Good luck cadets and try your best to make this year shine to inpress colleges! c/PO3 Oakley

NCIC. The New Cadet Introductory Course (NCIC) is an event that takes place every August. Twenty of our new first-year class of cadets learned drill, naval customs, and courtesies, and uniform wear and care. In NCIC there were three squads -1st squad was led by c/PO2 Majano and c/PO2 Young. 2nd squad was led by c/PO3 Frost and c/PO3 Ratana. Finally, 3rd squad was led by c/Senior Chief Goldin and c/PO3 Truese. In the middle of NCIC we had volleycross tournaments, and in the end 3rd squad won 1st place. We also had a community service day where we went around Herndon and cleaned the highway on Sunrise Valley Drive. Then we had an excellent BBQ which led to a Staff vs. Recruits game, which the staff won. On the 27th, we had our inspection where c/Commander Martin inspects the squads to see what they have learned over NCIC. After and before inspection, the squads went out into the parking lot for a drill performance in front of c/Lieutenant Commander Bentley and were graded on their drill skills. After all the points were tallied up from the week, the recruits went through graduation and they were able to get their participation ribbons for going through NCIC, and also their Seaman Apprentice ranks if they passed the test. Additional awards were given to cadets for distinguishing themselves in NCIC. The Master Chief Award was given to cadet Langtry and the Gold Lamp Award, an award for passing all the tests with high scores were given to cadet Latcher. This year's NCIC was very successful and everybody had a great time. c/PO2 Young

Senior Chief BBQ On the 10th and 11th, a BBQ was held by Seior Chief, and the Unit helped served the teachers and students. Cadets could volunteer if they have a C or higher in their 5th period class. The BBQ went well and the teachers and students had a good time with the food.

Highway clean-up The highway clean-up took place on June 14th on Monday, and many students from the Unit had a good time picking up trash from the adopted Highway on Sunrise Valley Drive. After the students cleaned up the highway, they got the chance to eat at Mcdonalds.

Honor Flights . Last fall, some of Herndon's cadets got a chance to meet some of America's veterans at the Dulles International Airport. The Honor Flights took place during school, and the cadets who participated in them had many stories to tell afterwards. The Honor Flights were not just an emotional experience for the veterans, but also for the Cadets who attended the event. This was a great opportunity and we hope it made a lasting impression. Mr. Cooper, HHS Principal, received the following letter:

To the Principal, Herndon H.S.

I just want to compliment the young men and women of the Herndon High School Junior ROTC unit who stood Flag and Honor Guard at the welcoming ceremony for the World War II veterans arriving at Dulles Airport yesterday. They were a credit to their school and community and gave honor and dignity to the occasion.

I was very impressed with their pride and professionalism in welcoming our WWII heroes and wish them much success and fulfillment in their future lives and endeavors.

Sincerely, Mrs. Gwen Wyttenbach, Annandale, VA

It just goes to show you that you never know who's watching you, so good job Cadets! c/ PO3 Polk and c/PO2 Thomas 11/5/09

Herndon Armed Exhibition On Youtube : The Armed Exhibition drill routine from the Gaithersburg drill meet can be viewed from this link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfoZDZw4fLU c/LT Pinillos 3/13/09