The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, also known as J.R.O.T.C, conducted their end of year ceremony of the Change of Command, on Thursday, April 28th, 2011. “ Were all pretty excited”, Stated Sgt. Shelley, the leader of the JROTC program, who has been with Dimond for over eight years. According to the JROTC’s program for the ceremony, the change of command is a “ traditional ceremony which represents the orderly transition of command and responsibility from one commander to the other”. “This is a good opportunity to honor those who have put a lot into the program over the years” Shelley said. The ceremony will be honoring five graduating senior who held leading positions, and will be recognizing several up-and-coming juniors that will be filling the senior’s positions. To fill the positions, interviews for senior company positions and first Sgt. Or above, are conducted in March, and students are then chosen based on their junior year performance and qualities such as dedication and leadership. Contrary to popular belief, JROTC is solely based on citizenship, leadership skills, and volunteering hours, not getting youth ready to join the military. These skills and characteristics are what are being judged their junior year, and what is honored their senior year. “ There’s a lot of volunteering work and fun summer camps that are held on base”. Says a JROTC student, Melai Carinio, a junior, who has been in the program all of her high school career. She says she hopes to be a company commander next year. Another JROTC student, Mary – Agnes Casica, who is a Squad Leader, and a senior, says her favorite part of the program is helping the freshmen who come into it new. In an interview with Sgt. Shelley, Shelley expressed great excitement for a first in the program. According to Shelley , for the first time in more than a decade, the JROTC program will have a junior as the Battalion Commander, next year, Andres Ogawa. Shelley says he is a young man of dedication, with great leadership skills, which led the JROTC leaders to pick him for a senior leadership role. The change of command ceremony was held on Thursday, April 28 th , and the agenda included a slide show, bios, and senior portfolios.