DATE: Friday, June 6, 1997                  TAG: 9706050254

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 15   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   46 lines

PRINCESS ANNE NJROTC HAS CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY

The Princess Anne High School NJROTC said goodbye to one student leader and hello to another in a change of command ceremony in the school gym recently.

Flanked by the school's 174 NJROTC cadets, Daniel Mitchell took control of the unit from soon-to-graduate Nathaniel Clark. The event is similar to changing the command of a Navy ship, said guest speaker Capt. Keith Larson, commanding officer for NROTC Hampton Roads, and included ``piping aboard'' the day's guests, drilling performances and the actual change of command.

``The new commander becomes responsible for the accomplishments or failures of the unit,'' Larson said.

Clark had some advice for his replacement. As the new leader of the largest NJROTC unit in Virginia Beach, Clark said Mitchell should be prepared to completely dedicate himself to the unit.

``Put every ounce of effort you have into it, because that's all you can do,'' Clark said. ``This is probably one of the greatest programs that high school has to offer. It took me from being a juvenile delinquent in middle school to being in the top 10 percent of my class with a 1300 score on my SATs. And I owe a lot of it to this program,'' said the teen, who was a member all through high school and is headed for Old Dominion University in the fall.

``This ceremony is the payoff for the past four years of hard work,'' he said.

``I learned a lot about interaction with people. It is not always easy but it's rewarding once you put the effort into it. A lot people don't understand how hard it is to take 174 people and get them to do a certain task. But once you do it, it's a very rewarding experience.''

He said being named a Naval Honorable Unit for the second year in a row was the unit's biggest accomplishment under his command. Only the top 5 percent of NJROTC units across the country are designated a Naval Honorable Unit.

Mitchell said he hopes to continue that competitive spirit in the unit.

``I want us to aim for first place in everything we do like drill, athletic and academic competitions,'' Mitchell said. ``I also want to make sure are first-year cadets are ready and trained properly so the unit looks good.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DOUG BEIZER

Capt. Thomas McNicholas, left, shakes hands with the outgoing cadet

commander, Nathanial ``Nate'' Clark, while the incoming commander,

Daniel Mitchell, stands at attention.

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