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Tuesday Dedication Ceremony Held for New Outdoor Exercise Area for WHS JROTC Program

From left to right: Master Sergeant David Hernandez, Marine instructor for the high school's JROTC, Larsen Lowenberg, Will Soule Austin Phillips, and John Tobin
From left to right: Master Sergeant David Hernandez, Marine instructor for the high school’s JROTC, Larsen Lowenberg, Will Soule, Austin Phillips, and John Tobin

Watauga High School held a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting for the recently installed outdoor exercise area for the JROTC program on the high school campus on Tuesday morning.

Senior Marine Instructor Gerald Harper (Lt. Col., USMC, ret) started the dedication ceremony by stating,  “When I first came to this part of the campus, I noticed something was missing.  We needed an outdoor exercise area for our cadets and didn’t have one.”

Harper put together plans for a few exercise stations and turned them over to Jason Matthews, a construction trades teacher in the high school’s career and technical education program.

Matthews and his students built the exercise area using materials furnished through the assistance of the High Country Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).

The High Country MOAA raised and donated funding for the materials. Harper noted that the organization is “helping us out as they so often do.”

High Country MOAA President Bob Gibbard (Major, U.S. Army, ret.) spoke at the dedication and encouraged cadets to put the facilities to good use and to always work on staying in shape and taking care of their health.

High Country MOAA President Bob Gibbard (Major, U.S. Army, ret.) is on the left and Senior Marine Instructor Gerald Harper (Lt. Col., USMC, ret) on right.
High Country MOAA President Bob Gibbard (Major, U.S. Army, ret.) is on the left and Senior Marine Instructor Gerald Harper (Lt. Col., USMC, ret) on right.
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant John Grooms for ribbon cutting.
Cadet Gunnery Sergeant John Grooms for ribbon cutting.

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