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Wilson JROTC highlights cyber, competition and internship gains as school year ends
Summary
Wilson High School JROTC leaders reported expanded cybersecurity teams, internship placements and competition milestones to the Wilson School Board, and thanked staff and mentors for supporting program growth.
Major Neu, the JROTC senior instructor, told the Wilson School Board on May 19 that the program is wrapping up a successful year and noted broad student participation in leadership, fitness and community service.
The district’s cybersecurity effort was a major focus of the presentation. Sergeant Gonzales, who leads the program’s cyber instruction, said, “The vision of the Army GRC Cyber Education Training Program is to address a national workforce need by preparing students for careers in cybersecurity.” He described hands‑on learning, scholarship and internship pathways and said the district added two middle‑school cyber teams this year that advanced to state‑level competition.
The update outlined competitive milestones and student placements. Sergeant Gonzales said Wilson fielded three high‑school CyberPatriot teams; one team, Code Breaker (Quinn O’Donnell, Dario Cardenas, Gabriel Harmon, Chase Mustipher and Cole Savage), placed 13th among 35 nationally ranked teams. He also said two high‑school teams advanced to the international CyberPatriot semifinals, and that Wilson was invited to the SANS Foundation Tournament of Champions, where its high‑school team placed eighth overall against adult professional teams.
The program also launched a Cyber Internship Program. Sergeant Gonzales identified interns Dario Cardenas and Quinn O’Donnell and said they volunteered more than 160 hours mentoring middle‑school teams. He said the district will host an AFA Cyber Patriot summer camp in partnership with Penn State Berks and is pursuing a robotics/robot‑drone instructor workshop to expand robotics teams and a regional league.
Cadet Albert, an outgoing student leader, told the board the program grew its freshman ranks (she cited “over 40 freshmen joining the program next school year”) and described community activities, including a veterans appreciation dinner that drew more than 750 attendees. She thanked instructors and called the cadets “an outstanding group.”
Board members praised the program’s mentors and students. Mrs. Trautman, the district’s public relations director, and Mr. Case (board member) both expressed appreciation for the program’s community work; Dr. Amy Kennedy (board member) said she was impressed by the timeline the program exceeded.
The report did not include details about recurring annual operating costs or specific grant awards for the cyber program. Sergeant Gonzales said the program is aligning curriculum with external standards and partnering with the Army GRC and other organizations to increase access to certification and college pathways.
The board did not take formal action on the JROTC presentation; the item was presented for information and recognition.
