The Michigan City High School (MCHS) Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (MCJROTC) hosted a Raider Meet on Oct 26th. The competition took place around the school’s soccer, baseball, and practice football fields, along with the track. Indianapolis Ben Davis, Minneapolis Como Park, and Chicago Leadership Academy high schools competed, along with MCHS. MCHS earned a first place in the tug of war event, and was competitive in the other events. Ben Davis, a school of approximately 4,000 students, won the meet.

            “We were missing some key cadets,” said Senior Marine Instructor Major Tom McGrath. “We probably would have placed higher if they had been here, but the way the rest of the team came together to compensate is worth way more than any trophy. This typifies the ‘can-do’ spirit of Michigan City High School students.”

            Master Sergeant Jeff Benak, the Marine Instructor, also commented on the effort put forth by the MCHS cadets. “Our cadets didn’t allow the fact of going up against schools with much larger teams intimidate them. They still gave it everything they had, and it showed, winning the last event.”

The cadets have no time to rest. They are preparing for the MCHS Veterans Day ceremony on November 11th at 1:30pm in the school gym, which will be conducted with the MCHS Choir and Band. The guest speaker is State Senator Rodney Pol. The ceremony is open to the public, with veterans being particularly encouraged to attend. MCHS will host a Military Drill competition on November 16th in the school gym. That event is also open to the public. There is no admission charge. Cadets will continue to support social service groups like the Salvation Army’s Bell Ringing campaign, which starts November 8.