VALDOSTA, Ga. — After advancing through two phases of online competition, the Lowndes High School JROTC Academic Team will compete at the 2018 U.S. Air Force JROTC Academic Bowl Championship.

The team consists of David Redish, Kiara Taylor, Cayla Rowland and Tiffany Jones and will travel in late June to the campus of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., according to JROTC officials.

The event is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force JROTC and is conducted by College Options Foundation.

Lowndes High School JROTC team earned top scores out of the 330 AF JROTC teams that competed from around the world, according to county school officials. The team is one of only 16 AF JROTC Academic Bowl teams in the nation to advance to the National Academic Bowl competition, which includes an all-expense paid trip to the championship event in D.C.

During the two fast-paced preliminary rounds, students were tested on their knowledge of JROTC curriculum, English, math and science. One of the main goals of the JROTC Academic Bowl is to prepare students for state exit/graduation exams as well as college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT.

The winner of the U.S. Air Force JROTC Academic Championship will compete against the winners of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and Navy JROTC academic bowls in the JROTC Joint Service Academic Bowl Championship.

The JROTC Leadership & Academic Bowl is a nationally recognized academic competition created exclusively for JROTC students. By participating, cadets learn the values of citizenship, academic competition and college opportunity, according to school officials.

The competition creates tremendous opportunities for JROTC cadets by allowing them to demonstrate leadership and academic abilities.

College Options Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the academic development of high school students and assisting them in their preparation for higher education.

Using academic competitions, college exam study guides, college admissions tutorials and personalized counseling, College Options Foundation has assisted the nation’s JROTC cadets worldwide for more than a decade.