MADISON – Cadets in Air Force Junior ROTC at Bob Jones High School are pledging to a new, national honor society.

The Elite Knights – Kitty Hawk Air Society is the academic honor society affiliated with the National Air Force JROTC. “Kitty Hawk encourages and recognizes academic excellence and is the military’s equivalent to the high school’s National Honor Society,” Maj. Dr. Melissa M. Lacey said. As Senior Aerospace Science Instructor at Bob Jones, Lacey coaches the Elite Knight recruits and CyberPatriots teams.

“We provide active service to our school and community. We promote self-confidence and initiative, while building the cadets’ leadership abilities,” Lacey said. “Conjointly, we further members’ knowledge of the Air Force role in aerospace, as well as educational development in the post high-school years.”

“With such a high caliber of cadets in AFJROTC, I decided to form a KHAS at Bob Jones to recognize and promote our outstanding students. This inaugural class consists of four juniors and seven seniors. Our chapter is proudly named the ‘Elite Knights,’ in relation to the cadet corps’ moniker, ‘Blue Knights,’” Lacey said.

The pledge period includes memorization of KHAS’ key components and “providing an opportunity for cadets to complete activities that demonstrate the cadets’ character and dedication to the core values,” Lacey said.

The induction ceremony for Elite Knights – Kitty Hawk Air Society will be held on Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. in Zompa Auditorium at Bob Jones.

After induction into KHAS, each cadet will wear the KHAS ribbon on his or her uniform, along with a blue rope. Membership in KHAS requires a 3.0 unweighted grade point average and a 3.5 weighted GPA. In addition, cadets must have completed two semesters of AFJROTC and currently participate in either the program or stay on reserve status.

The Elite Knights KHAS staff includes Shaniya Lanier, who will serve as KHAS Commander; Jackson Ford, KHAS Vice Commander; Quincy Amacher, Administrative Officer; and Caleb Johnson, Financial Officer. The other nine members include Sydney Baumbach, Brandon Clark, John Digges, Ethan Fury, Hannah Hazelwood, Ethan Horne, Nick Kim, Melody Spivey and Abigail Warren.

“These cadets will be known as the charter members of the Elite Knights and will become a part of Bob Jones High School AFJROTC history,” Lacey said.