Shadow Ridge High School’s AFJROTC cadets recently demonstrated their commitment to service and leadership by organizing and executing a campus-wide cleanup. The event brought together more than 220 cadets, who collected over 100 bags of garbage in a single day, leaving the campus cleaner and reinforcing the program’s mission to serve.
According to Colonel Argie Moore, the motivation behind the cleanup was deeply connected to the AFJROTC mission.
“Our AFJROTC mission is to develop citizens of character, and a fundamental component of character is service,” she said. “This event was a perfect opportunity for our cadets to put that value into action and visibly give back to the Shadow Ridge community that supports us every day.”
The cleanup highlighted the large scale of participation within the program. With more than 220 cadets involved, the effort was one of the largest coordinated student-led service activities on campus this year. Cadets spread out across school grounds to cover as much area as possible, ensuring the entire campus was part of the initiative.
Planning and execution were led primarily by students. One of the program’s upper-level cadets took charge of coordinating logistics, working with instructors and school administration to secure necessary supplies such as gloves and trash bags. Colonel Moore explained that this was not only a service activity but also a leadership exercise.
“This was a great example of cadet leadership in action. Since community service is a required leadership development component, one of our key cadet leaders took ownership. They managed the mission from start to finish, ensuring we had everything needed for a safe and successful event.”
The activity also underscored the program’s dual focus on service and leadership. Cadets gave their time and energy to improve the campus environment without expecting recognition, demonstrating service in its purest form. At the same time, upper-level cadets guided their peers, showing leadership by motivating their teams and ensuring the mission was carried out effectively.
The program has no plans to let this be a one-time event. Colonel Moore confirmed that the JROTC intends to make campus cleanups a recurring, quarterly activity. This will allow cadets to consistently take pride in their environment while reinforcing the habit of service as part of their development.
Through this large-scale effort, Shadow Ridge JROTC cadets showcased the strength of their program: character, service, and leadership in action.
