Four South View High School JROTC cadets recently represented Cumberland County Schools at the 2026 JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl (JLAB) Championship, held June 12–16 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Cadet Major Nehemiah Frith, Cadet Master Sergeant Aliya Hall, Cadet Master Sergeant Raylee Aguas and Cadet Staff Sergeant Graeme Dinwiddie earned their place at the national championship after advancing through two highly competitive online rounds. Out of more than 5,000 teams worldwide, the South View team advanced to compete among 108 teams, representing 98 high schools across 43 states, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Department of Defense Education Activity schools in Japan.

"It took months of preparation for these students to get to this point. They drove off from each other's heartbeat in order to become successful," said Sergeant Major (Retired) Ruby Murray, JROTC instructor at South View High School.

Throughout the competition, cadets were challenged in academics, leadership, citizenship and critical-thinking skills. Participants also demonstrated their knowledge of current events and financial literacy while competing against some of the nation's top JROTC programs.

The JLAB Championship is one of the country's premier academic and leadership competitions for JROTC cadets, emphasizing scholarship, teamwork, service and leadership development.

SGM (Ret.) Ruby Murray celebrates with Cadets