The St. Paul’s Air Force Jr. ROTC unit took a road trip to Florida in April to learn about the U.S. space program and enjoy a day in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme park.

A total of 54 cadets and 12 chaperones visited Cape Canaveral Air Force Base outside Orlando, Fla. They got a chance to tour the grounds and various launch sites, and learned the history behind each launch site and the space program as a whole.

“I believe the cadets had a very good learning experience at Cape Canaveral. They were able to tour some very historical sites of some of our country’s greatest launches. They were also able to get to know each other on a more personal basis other than the school setting,” explained ROTC commander MSgt. A.J. East.

Following the tour, the ROTC unit dined at Hard Rock Café in Universal Studios CityWalk and got a chance to share their putting skills at CityWalk’s miniature golf course. The next day, they had a fun-filled day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

“I got a lot of joy out of seeing the cadets have fun,” said East.

The cadets enjoyed bonding with their unit on a more in-depth level then just at school functions and in the classroom.

“It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a school field trip. We learned a lot, but the best was going to Universal afterwards,” explains sophomore cadet Mitch Richard.

AFJROTC offers classroom and extracurricular opportunities, looks great on high school transcripts, and is an alternative to taking P.E. class. For more information on joining the SPS AFJROTC program, contact MSgt. East at msgteast@stpauls.com.