From Benjamin Russell High School Public Affairs
PHILADELPHIA, Miss. – Benjamin Russell High School (BRHS) Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) competed in the Area 8 Brain Brawl Championship, Jan. 28.
Brain Brawl is an academic competition where four-person teams answer questions on the NJROTC naval science curriculum.
“Last year, we did not make it past the 2nd round,” said Cadet Courtney Burgess, a BRHS senior and the cadet commanding officer for the school’s NJROTC unit. “This year, we advanced to the quarterfinals with two freshman on our team.”
Although BRHS NJROTC did not advance to the finals, the team hopes their progress is a springboard for future success.
“It was a surreal experience to compete in Brain Brawl,” said Cadet Jada Simmons, a first-year BRHS NJROTC cadet. “I am happy for what our team accomplished this year and I hope to return in 2024.”
The Area 8 Brain Brawl, hosted by Neshoba Central High School NJROTC, had 21 teams from 12 schools competing for two spots at the National Brain Brawl Championship to be held later this year.
“A big congratulations to Pine Forest and Pace, who will be advancing to Brain Brawl Nationals,” said Capt. (ret.) Regan Kieff, senior naval science instructor, Neshoba Central High School NJROTC. “The championship round came down to the last question and the last three seconds. It was about as close a finish as you can have.”
The top three teams included Pine Forest Team 2, Pace Team 1 and Rehobeth Team 1.
NJROTC is a citizenship development program, established in 1964, that instills service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment in students in secondary educational institutions. Today, there are more than 600 units at high schools and military academies across the United States including units in Japan and Guam.
Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, oversees the NJROTC program and 98% of all initial accessions training for the Navy, except the officers produced by the U.S. Naval Academy. This includes the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program with more than 60 units at colleges and universities across the country, Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island, and Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes.
For more information about NJROTC, visit www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/NJROTC.
For more news about NSTC, visit www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC.