Knox County Career Center’s (KCCC) Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) partnered with the City of Mount Vernon and Ariel Foundation Park to bring “Servitus 2024” to Mount Vernon, a day celebrating those who serve others.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, the public joined what had traditionally been a student-only event at Ariel Foundation Park. Families gathered together to celebrate those who serve others. Vendors, food trucks, military booths, and military personnel were on site for families and the public to visit.
KCCC’s JROTC hosted 29 other JROTC teams for a fitness competition in the park. JROTC’s cadets competed against students from across Ohio and Pennsylvania in a tower climb, Army Humvee pull, and several obstacle courses.
KCCC had one of their teams finish second in the One Rope Bridge obstacle course. The overall winners for the for the day were Beavercreek High School (first place), Green High School (second place), and McDowell High School (third place). KCCC’s teams finished 5th and 7th, respectively.
“I am thrilled with the direction we are headed with our competition and our new partnership with the city. We received tremendous support and interest from the community this year and laid the groundwork for future years. As the competition continues to grow, we look forward to connecting those who serve others with the next generation of servant-leaders. With the help of dozens of volunteers, we brought this opportunity to hundreds of students,” said Colonel Chris Salvucci, KCCC”s JROTC Senior Aerospace Science Instructor.
Salvucci added, “It’s tough to find activities where students can lead with little input from coaches and instructors. Adult oversight is important but restricts a student’s ability to learn and develop the soft skills of leadership that can’t be taught in the classroom. Our competition was specifically designed to ensure safe oversight while allowing students to challenge themselves, make decisions, occasionally make mistakes, and learn from them. The students received no adult assistance while on our competition courses, forcing them to deal with unexpected events and situations using their innovation and skills. Our job as adults is to develop the next generation. This competition provided us an avenue to make that happen, and I am exceptionally proud that Mount Vernon, OH, provides this opportunity for students from around the Midwest.”
