Gaffney High JROTC cadets will attend aerospace honors camp

Gaffney High JROTC cadets April Howard (left) and Kaelee Ivy have been selected to attend an aerospace honors camp in June sponsored by the U.S. Air Force. (Ledger photo / SCOTT POWELL) April Howard and Kaelee Ivy will experience the thrill of piloting an airplane this summer while attending an aerospace honors camp hosted by the U.S. Air Force.

The two Gaffney High JROTC cadets will handle the controls of a plane for 45 minutes. It's one of several activities aimed at convincing the nation's best and brightest high school students to pursue a career in the Air Force.

Howard and Ivy are among 402 cadets nationally selected to spend a week learning about science, technology and career opportunities in the Air Force. Howard will attend the aerospace honors camp June 7-12 while Ivy will attend the camp from June 21-26.

Each session will feature 40 cadets hand-picked from JROTC programs nationwide. Cadets selected by Air Force instructors represent the top 1 percent of 100,000 cadets enrolled in Air Force JROTC programs.

Howard and Ivy will stay in residential halls at Oklahoma University and work on an engineering project under the direction of a college professor. The students filled out an online application in December at the recommendation of Gaffney High JROTC instructors Lt. Col. Morris Miller and Col. Randall Byars.

They learned about their selections when they were unexpectedly called to Gaffney High Principal Marlene Davis' office last Thursday.

"I thought for a minute I was in trouble. Then I found out Mrs. Davis had just called us to the office to let us know we had been selected for the camp," Howard said. "I'm really excited about it. I have been to England, but this will be the first time I have been this far west in the United States."

The Air Force is covering all expenses for the aerospace honors camp. Activities will include visits to operational Air Force units, research labs, historical sites, and academic classes where students will learn more about aerospace.

The honors camp is being held at Oklahoma University due to its location near the Tinker Air Force Base.

Camp sessions will be held over a 10-week period this summer. Only 40 cadets will attend each camp so the students can receive more attention from instructors.

Both Howard and Ivy said they currently plan to apply for JROTC Army scholarships at Wofford College.

The students are keeping on open mind, though, while looking to the aerospace honors camp.

"It will be interesting to meet other cadets from around the country," Ivy said. "I can't wait to go."