SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo ISD announced in a press release that Central High School and Lakeview High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps were awarded the “Distinguished Unit with Merit” ribbon after earning the highest overall unit assessment rating of Exceeds Standards during the JROTC Headquarters Unit Inspections which took place last month.

Taking place every three years, an official from the Air Force headquarters visits JROTC units to perform a three-part compliance inspection which consists of a briefing, unit formation and inspection. This is to insure the unit is maintaining its regulations and standards.

“I love the fact the cadets get to brief the inspector and the multiple guests we invite to this
event. It affords them the opportunity to learn vital communications skills they will use after
graduation as the cadets handle nearly all aspects of the inspection with the inspector,” said
Central High School Senior Aerospace Instructor Major Christopher Carney. “They answer all
the inspectors’ questions and go through the checklist with them during the day. I believe
this is an awesome learning opportunity for all the cadets.”

Four SAISD cadets earned the distinguished honor of receiving the “Top Performer Award,”
which is presented to 2% of students during Unit Inspections and recognizes high-performing
cadets in areas such as leadership and job performance, leadership qualities, academic
achievement, self-improvement, and community involvement. The awards were given to the following students:
● Central High School Senior Veronica Ross,
● Central High School Senior Christopher Banks,
● Lake View High School Senior Amalia Alvarado, and
● Lake View High School Senior Damien Davis.

“Our inspection culminated months of hard work preparing the mission briefing, reviewing
checklist items, fixing any discrepancies, and showcasing our cadet-led teams,” said Lake
View High School Aerospace Instructor Major Jason Esquell. “With the last Headquarters
JROTC visit being in 2017 for both units, I think it’s actually been a cumulative effort of cadets
from over the last 5 years preparing for this big day. With COVID and other challenges that
the SAISD kids have faced over the years, their performance during the Unit Evaluations was
a testament to the quality of cadets in both JROTC programs.”