Department of Defense Educational Program Reaches Around the World

PEACHTREE CITY, GA (04/01/2009)(readMedia)-- Hundreds of students from all over the world will travel to Washington, DC to compete in College Options Foundation's 2009 JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl. With support from the Air Force and Army, College Options Foundation will bring over 300 Air Force and Army Leadership and Academic Bowl Finalists with expenses paid to Washington DC to compete in the live Jeopardy style events. The Air Force Academic Bowl, which will host the top 12 teams, will be held at Bolling Air Force Base, April 24-26, 2009. The Army Leadership and Academic Challenge, which will include the Academic Bowl Finals as well as a Leadership Symposium, will bring 72 JROTC teams to the Campus of George Mason University June 26-30, 2009. These events are the end result of the Air Force and Army contests, which both included two competitive rounds of online play.

The nationally recognized academic competition, which is the largest in the country, was created exclusively for JROTC students. By participating, cadets learn the values of citizenship, academic competition, and college opportunity. The competition creates tremendous opportunities for JROTC and its cadets by demonstrating the academic abilities of JROTC students. JROTC curriculum is reinforced through the content of the questions, but general high school math, science and language arts are also included. During this year's competition, over 2400 Air Force, Army and Navy JROTC teams participated in two rounds of online competition; Level I, The Challenge and Level II, Zero Hour Threat. The top 16 Navy Academic Bowl Finalist teams competed this month in an online Championship. South Aiken High School NJROTC, Aiken, SC, was named the winner. All cadets on finalist teams from this competition will receive a certificate of achievement. The three top place teams will receive prizes, including team plaques and a package of College Success materials including SAT/ACT study guides and a DVD containing valuable information on college admissions, financing and preparations for success in school.

This unique event offers students from all socioeconomic backgrounds a chance to compete in an academic competition, which in the past focused primarily on students in affluent neighborhoods. This diverse event will bring students from cities across United States, from Inner City, NY to the outskirts of MN as well as students from Dept. of Defense schools in Japan, Germany, Tinian Island in the North Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico. In addition to the opportunity to interact with other students, these students will have a chance to tour Washington, DC's historic monuments and compete for the top honors of being named 2008-2009 JROTC Academic Bowl Champions.

The College Options Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education. Using academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials and personalized counseling, College Options Foundation has assisted the nation's 1.1 million Department of Defense - JROTC cadets worldwide.

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