By DAVID CLOUSTON

Salina Journal

It was a proud moment Wednesday for Maj. George Stelljes as he watched the corps of cadets at St. John's Military School march by in pass-in-review formation.

It would be the last time Stelljes would do so as the school's senior Army instructor.

The 132 boys enrolled at the high school stepped briskly through their routines on the school's football field for two U.S. Army Inspectors from the 11th Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo.

The cadets Wednesday achieved a score of 997. The retired Army NCO inspectors don't give scores of 1,000, so 999 is the highest possible. Each year, the brigade inspectors judge public and private school Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs across the Midwest.

The difference is that public school Junior ROTC programs are judged on the skills of a single company, not the entire corps of cadets, as is St. John's.

"We're the only school that does this for them. Everyone else does a company review where they have just one company and they march in a gym," Stelljes said. "This is a lot harder. The degree of difficulty jumps up. We have to have precision from everyone in the corps."

It was Stelljes's last annual formal inspection as instructor, because in December he was appointed school commandant by the military school's governing board. The school is searching for a new Army instructor to replace him. As instructor, he prepared cadets year-round for the inspection with the help of two first sergeants.

The inspection takes into account not only marching and formation ability but appearance and knowledge.

Cadets have to be perfect

Cadets have to be perfect in their appearance, from their haircuts to uniforms and shined shoes. Ribbons and insignias have to be in the right place.

Selected cadets also are called upon to answer questions ranging from Junior ROTC knowledge, customs and courtesies, chain of command, first aid, map reading and current events.

"We're absolutely 100 percent prepared. We spend our whole year preparing for this one day," said cadet Col. Nathan Dixon, Great Bend, who serves as battalion commander.

The cadets' 997 score was significant in part because the brigade changed its inspection formula not long after St. John's achieved its record fourth straight 999 four years ago. That mark made Junior ROTC history.

The inspectors Wednesday told school officials and cadets that 40 percent of schools inspected, under the new formula, had scores that went down this year.

Many of those whose scores dipped, similarly dropped from "honor unit with distinction" to just "honor unit" status. St. John's achieved a score one point higher than last year's 996 and kept its "with distinction" status.

Schools in the honor unit with distinction category are allowed to nominate three cadets to each of the five military academies.

"Our status stayed the same and we had a higher score this year with the new formula, which was excellent," St. John's band instructor, Wendy Stein, said.

n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.