St. Louis JROTC cadets put their leadership skills to the test in the annual JROTC Academic and Leadership Bowls (JLAB).

The competition is sponsored by the College Options Foundation, whose mission is to enrich “the academic development of high school students.”

In teams of four primary and two alternate members, cadets went head-to-head in the competition’s three levels,“The Challenge,” “Zero Hour Threat” and “The Championship.”  

On Nov. 13, cadets at St. Louis submitted their results for The Challenge. Cadets were split into two teams to complete the academic and leadership tests.

Supported by other cadets, sophomore Maybelle Lee and junior Kailanianna Ablog tackled the academic test while junior Mariko Galton took the lead in the leadership exam.

St. Louis junior Cadet First Lieutenant Eddie Adachi recalled his experience on the leadership team.

“Although my team could not answer all the questions correctly, we did our best and pulled our knowledge together. Being on the same page and coming to a decision made everyone more confident in each answer,” said Adachi.

The first two levels of JLAB are completed online. Teams with the highest test scores at the end of the second level will fly to Washington, D.C. to compete in the championships.

Adachi recognized the benefits of participating in JLAB.

“I benefitted not only from the questions presented in the test but also from the teamwork experience,” Adachi said. “In order to accomplish any mission, you need to utilize all of your resources. In the case of JLAB, cadets from different Leadership, Education and Training (LET) levels must communicate with each other to solve problems.”

Results from the testing will be received at a later date and determine if the St. Louis teams will continue onto the next level.