“Left. Left. Left, right, left!” echoed the gym as NC Harrison’s JROTC performed their Annual Military Inspection on Wednesday, September 19. The Annual Military Inspection (AMI) ensures the JROTC program runs properly, complies with navy contracts, receives school district support, and engrains leadership characteristics into its cadets.

As opposed to the previous mid-October evaluation date, this year AMI came just over a month into the school year. With reduced AMI preparation time, cadets crammed intensive practices over the summer and after school.

“It’s ridiculous how hard it actually was to get everything perfect, but I think we did a good job,” senior and Commanding Officer Jacob Chmelecki said.

As the Commanding Officer, Chmelecki holds the highest cadet rank and oversees the program’s efficiency at its peak performance. Chmelecki ensured NC-Harrison’s JROTC excelled when completing their AMI.

“They did excellent all day; it was outstanding—this early in the year…[and] they had a great personnel inspection and an excellent drill team. You can tell they’ve been practicing over the summer [and] working hard,” Area 12 NJROTC manager Rustie Hibbard said.

Accompanying Hibbard, 42-year Coast Guard retiree Captain Chuck Polk attended NC-Harrison’s AMI. Polk enjoys watching the prosperous cadets live his legacy. By involving himself in the American Legion and encouraging students to pursue their dreams, Polk passes down his passions to future generations.

As JROTC ran drills in the front, NC’s symphonic band mastered military marches in the back. The symphonic band ranks as the highest class at NC, comprised of approximately 60 students.

“Our band is just one really big family. It’s a lot of fun. If you’re struggling with your instrument, it’s not hard to find someone to help you. Everyone is so willing to help one another so we can all get better,” senior flute player Coleman Dupuis said.

Contrasted with their typical pieces, the military style music challenged the talented students.

“Bravura [was my favorite AMI piece]. It’s a different style military march that shows off the musical ability of those who are playing it” Dupuis said.

Last weekend, the JROTC competed in their Area Drill Meet competition, ranking first in the overall drill meet, and third in overall athletics, on September 15. At the Area Drill Meet, NC-Harrison’s JROTC’s armed basic drill team, armed exhibition drill team, unarmed basic drill team, unarmed exhibition team, and a competition color guard team, performed their routines in front of judges for critiquing.

“You could tell having [the Area Drill Meet] win under our belt proved to people [that] things that seem impossible definitely are possible. We can most definitely do [what] once seem[ed] hard,” Harrison High School freshman class leader Ben Baumann said.

Just two months into the school year and two triumphs secured, this year’s JROTC starts off with a striking success.