Midway MCJROTC Earns No. 1 Ranking, Named Naval Honor School for Third Consecutive Year

Midway High School’s Marine Corps Junior ROTC has been named the No. 1 program in its school-population category and recognized among approximately the top three percent of all 244 Marine Corps JROTC units nationwide.

The Marine Corps Reserve Association (MCRA) Award is reserved for just one Naval Honor School in each of seven enrollment-based categories. Midway earned the distinction after first being named a Naval Honor School for the third consecutive year, a designation recognizing Marine Corps JROTC programs that rank among the nation’s finest.

Together, the honors mark the highest level of recognition yet for a Midway program that has undergone a remarkable transformation in just a few years.

“The MCRA Unit Award recognition represents another step forward for a Midway High School program: national recognition of the entire unit,” MHS Principal Alison Smith said. “I am so very proud of our cadets and the elite Midway standard they have risen to.”

A Program Built Around Students

While trophies, streamers, ribbons, and national rankings provide visible evidence of the program's success, the heart of Midway MCJROTC is its cadets.

“Throughout the year, cadets take responsibility for planning, leading, competing, serving, teaching, mentoring, and representing Midway High School throughout Central Texas and beyond,” MHS MCJROTC Senior Marine Instructor, Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret.) Jake Urban said.

Cadets participate in drill, physical fitness and Raider competitions, academic and leadership competitions, CyberPatriot cybersecurity competition, JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl, drone activities, color guards, and other competitive and leadership events.

Midway cadets have competed successfully at increasingly high levels. The program's JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl team earned a national runner-up finish, cadets have advanced beyond the state level in CyberPatriot, and teams regularly represent Midway in drill, physical fitness, Raider, and other competitions.

“An achievement of this caliber does not happen by accident,” Director, Regions 3 and 7, MCJROTC Major, USMC (Ret.) Cody D. Stewart said. “It results from dedicated instructors, motivated cadets, strong school leadership, and an administration committed to supporting the program and its mission.”

Serving Their School and Community

Service is central to the Midway MCJROTC experience. Cadets routinely provide color guards and ceremonial support for school, district, athletic, veterans, and community events while participating in service projects throughout the year.

Among the program's signature activities are 9/11 Unity Day and Veterans Day observances, along with numerous opportunities to honor veterans, support their school, assist community organizations, and represent Midway ISD.

“These experiences give students something that cannot be replicated solely in a classroom: the opportunity to be trusted with real responsibility,” Urban said. “Cadets organize events, lead their peers, speak publicly, solve problems, manage teams, meet deadlines, interact with community leaders, and learn that leadership means accepting responsibility for others.”

Preparing Cadets for Life After High School

Midway MCJROTC is designed to prepare students for success regardless of whether they have any interest in military service.

Cadets receive instruction and practical experience in leadership, citizenship, government, economics, geography, communication, career preparation, physical fitness, personal responsibility, and teamwork.

The program also offers career-readiness opportunities including Professional Communications, the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program, Youth Leadership Seminars at universities across Texas and Oklahoma, city governance and public-service awareness, drone education, and college and career preparation.

“The emphasis is on helping every cadet develop a realistic plan for what comes next — college, technical education, the workforce, public service, or the military,” Urban said.

Midway MCJROTC cadets have earned or received assistance pursuing numerous college and military scholarship opportunities, including multiple full-ride scholarships.  Graduating cadets have received more than $1.1 million in scholarship money over the last five years.

Those outcomes reflect the program's broader philosophy: success is not measured simply by how many trophies cadets bring home, but by how well prepared they are when they leave Midway High School.

The Recognition Belongs to the Cadets

Most importantly, both honors recognize what Midway students have accomplished together.

The MCRA recognition is a unit award, reflecting the performance of the organization as a whole. Likewise, earning Naval Honor School designation for three consecutive years demonstrates sustained excellence across successive groups of cadets.

“Earning Naval Honor School designation is itself a significant national achievement,” Stewart said. “Being selected as the MCRA Award recipient makes this recognition even more exceptional, and the entire Midway High School community should be proud to celebrate it.”

Every formation, competition, community-service project, color guard, early-morning practice, classroom lesson, physical training session, and leadership challenge contributes to that success. The ribbons and streamers accompanying these honors represent hundreds of Midway students who helped rebuild their program and establish a culture in which each new group of cadets is expected to reach even higher.

“From a program that spent more than a decade on probation to one now recognized among the nation's best, the story of Midway MCJROTC is ultimately not about an award,” Smith said. “It is about what young people can accomplish when they are given responsibility, held to high standards, encouraged to serve others, and given the opportunity to lead.”

About Midway High School MCJROTC

The Midway High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC program develops leadership, citizenship, character, personal responsibility, physical fitness, and career readiness through classroom instruction and experiential learning.  Cadets participate in academic, athletic, leadership, ceremonial, competitive, and community-service activities throughout the school year.

Participation in MCJROTC does not obligate students to military service.  The program's primary mission is to develop responsible citizens and prepare students to succeed in whichever path they choose after graduation.