A Gloucester High School student recently received the highest award available to a NJROTC cadet—the Meritorious Achievement award.

Cadet Hunter Hostetler, a GHS freshman, was presented the ribbon and its accompanying certificate by LCDR Justin Whitt, the senior naval science instructor at GHS, during the Jan. 12 meeting of the Gloucester County School Board.

The Meritorious Achievement ribbon is at the top of 25 ribbons cadets may receive and is awarded on a case-by-case basis by the NJROTC area manager to any cadet “who distinguishes him/herself by outstanding meritorious achievement or performance of a meritorious act.”

Senior Chief Al Grant, also a GHS naval science instructor, said he reviewed 20 years of GHS ROTC records and could not find reference to any other GHS cadet ever receiving the award. “This is a huge award,” he said.

On a cloudy day with on-and-off rain in early November, Hostetler was one of 12 GHS cadets competing with other area R...