April 23, 2026
As the end of the 2025-26 School Year approaches, a signature event of Prince George High School returned for its 42nd year as dozens of cadets with the school's JROTC program were celebrated for excellence during their annual awards ceremony on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
SEE MORE PHOTOS: PGCPS on Flickr
Hosted in the school's gymnasium, JROTC instructors CW4 (Ret.) Cyril D. Clemens II, First Sgt. Clayton Plumley, and Sgt. Major Kevin Artis oversaw the evening's event with an audience of cadets dressed in their formal service uniforms, their friends, families, and members of the Prince George County School Board. While the trio of program leaders supported the event, it was the cadets themselves who executed the logistics of the event, reinforcing their commitment to cadet-led leadership.
During the hour-long event, over two dozen awards and recognitions were given out by a variety of organizations with military ties, including the American Legion, Daughters of the American Revolution, The Korean War Veterans Association, and many others.
Additionally, the event took time to celebrate those cadets who have made the decision to join the armed forces, with some cadets receiving their stole they will have the opportunity to wear during graduation later in May.
This year's 42nd Annual Prince George JROTC Awards Ceremony honorees are as follows:
U.S. Army Recruiting Command - JROTC Achievement Award
Cadet Abigail Koch
Cadet Leeona Grace
U.S. Army Reserve Scholar-Athlete-Leader Award
Cadet Maliah Sprowl
Cadet Tilman Smithbey
Cadet Deladem Potakey
Virginia Army National Guard JROTC Achievement Award
Cadet Isabella Flores
Cadet Christian Bullock
U.S. Air Force Recruiting JROTC Achievement Award
Cadet Alexander Aviles
USMC Scholar, Athlete, Musician Awards
Scholar - Cadet Hayden Hutson
Athlete - Cadets Stokes & Lockhart
Musicians - Cadet Megan Moore
American Legion - Excellence Awards
Military - Cadet Milleyka Dones
Scholastic - Cadet Marlicia Silva
American Veterans (AMVETS) Award
Cadet Sebastian Torres Lopez
Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Award
Cadet Cameron Hamilton
Daedalians Award
Cadet Xolani Johnson
Daughters of 1812 Award
Cadet Abril Alvarez-Herrera
Daughters of the American Colonists (DAC) Award
Cadet Ronique Harris
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)
Citizenship - Cadet Taliyah Jones
JROTC - Cadet Kailey Vaughan
Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA) Award
Cadet Alexzander Kamaludeen
Cadet Katherine Rivas-Santamaria
Cadet Brayden Hohensee
Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Award
Cadet Alexander Aviles
Military Family Support Trust (MFST) Award
Cadet Niya Walker
Military Order of Foreign Wars (MOFW)
Academic - Cadet Joanna Dent
Leadership - Cadet Jayla Jones R.
Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) Award
Cadet Jonathan Butler
Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW) Award
Cadet Alice Robinson
Cadet Alexis Edmunds
Cadet David Washington
Non-Commissioned Officers Association Award (NCOA)
Cadet Sebastian Torres Lopez
Cadet Owen Griggs
Cadet Jaheri White
Reserve Organization of America (ROA) - JROTC Award
Cadet Violet Flowers
Cadet Joanna Dent
Cadet Reianna McDonald
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry - JROTC Award
Cadet Dylan Elliott
Scottish-American Military Society (SAMS) Award
Cadet Leeona Grace
Sojourners Award
Cadet Jada Irons
Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) JROTC Award
Cadet Owen Griggs
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) Award
Cadet Evan Face
Special Forces Association (SFA) Award
Cadet Cyrilyn Clemens
The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA) - JROTC Award
Cadet Darly Pena-Pimentel
United States Army Warrant Officer Association (USAWOA) Awards
Cadets Avery Hernandez-Vieyra, Jayvion Williams, Jamal Robertson, Taliyah Jones
101st Airborne Association Award
Cadet Tamia Roots
555 “Triple Nickles” Award
Cadet Danielle Sims
U.S. Cavalry Association Award
Cadet Jamalri Herring
U.S. Army JROTC Instructor Award
Cadet Jaheri White
Rising Royals Leader Award
Cadet Leoni Kitler Chow
Cadet Amina Bower
Cadet Jayla Jones T.
Superior Cadet Award
Cadets Hohensee, Harris, Smithbey, Reedy, Roots, L.
Academic Excellence
Cadet Brianna Rowland
Distinguished Cadet Award
Cadet Joanna Dent
CPT Jesse Ozbat “Honor Above All Award”
Cadet Taliah Roots
Cadet Tamia Roots
LTC (Ret) AI Chandler Outstanding Leader Award
Cadet Cyrilyn Clemens
Program History
Prince George High School's Army JROTC program was established during the 1983-84 school year, beginning with 25 cadets. Over the subsequent years, the program has grown to over 250 cadets in its 42nd year of operation. Known as the Royals Battalion, the program has achieved many successes, including the successful regaining of its "Honor Unit with Distinction" designation. This honor, bestowed by the U.S. Army Cadet Command, represents the pinnacle of achievement for a JROTC unit, highlighting outstanding leadership, training, and engagement within the community.
The program is currently led by CW4 (Ret.) Cyril D. Clemens II, who arrived at Prince George High School in 2026 to serve as Senior Army Instructor, joining Sgt. Major Kevin Artis, who joined PGHS in 2018, and First Sgt. Clayton Plumley, who came to PGHS in 2016, as Army Instructors.
