Community Education

Peninsula NJROTC Academic Team earns trip to national championship in D.C.

In a competition that began with more than 5,000 teams from around the world, four cadets from Peninsula School District’s NJROTC Tidehawk Company rose to the top.

The team earned a coveted place at the 2026 JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl Championship in Washington, D.C. It was the only team from Washington state to advance.

The JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl (JLAB) is a nationally recognized competition sponsored by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. It is organized by The College Options Foundation, which supports the academic growth of JROTC cadets through competitions, college readiness resources, exam preparation tools, and admissions guidance.

Fast thinking, deep knowledge

After surviving two fast-paced and highly competitive online rounds, the Peninsula NJROTC Academic Team secured its place among the top JROTC Academic Bowl teams in the nation. The team members are John McDaniel, Enrico Shein, Sydney Gardner and Derek Liu.

The Peninsula NJROTC Academic Team. Photo courtesy of Command Master Chief Robert Stockton

Their performance earned them a trip to the national competition June 12 through 16 at The Catholic University of America. Out of 5,163 JROTC teams worldwide, only a select few advanced to the national stage.

“This accomplishment reflects months of disciplined preparation, intellectual rigor, and true teamwork,” said Command Master Chief Robert Stockton, Naval Science Instructor at Peninsula High School. “Our cadets competed against thousands of teams across the globe and demonstrated that Peninsula students can perform at the highest level. We could not be more proud of their work ethic and commitment to excellence.”

The academic competition tested cadets on core subjects including math, science and language arts. Teams answered rapid-fire questions on current events, financial literacy and critical thinking. The knowledge required goes far beyond classroom instruction, Stockton said. 

Questions focused on financial literacy, sponsored by the USAA Educational Foundation, were integrated directly into the competition, reinforcing real-world skills alongside academic knowledge. 

Among nation’s elite

The JLAB Championship is one of the most prestigious academic competitions exclusively for NJROTC cadets, Stockton said. The event is designed to promote scholarship, teamwork, service and leadership excellence. Each year, the championship brings together the nation’s most driven student leaders.

In total, 108 teams from 98 high schools across 43 states, as well as programs in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Department of Defense schools in Japan, advanced to the 2025–2026 JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl (JLAB) Championship. Texas led the nation with 21 advancing teams, followed by California with 10. Florida and Tennessee each advanced eight teams, while Alabama and Georgia contributed six each, highlighting the depth and competitiveness of this year’s competition.

“For Peninsula High School and the Tidehawk Company, this achievement represents more than a trip to Washington. It reflects months of preparation, discipline, collaboration, and the kind of leadership development that defines the NJROTC program in the Peninsula School District,” Stockton said.