The Frisco ISD Navy JROTC program has been named a Distinguished Unit with Academic Honors for the second straight year.

This highly regarded distinction is made in recognition of the exceptional achievement of the District’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps unit during the 2025-26 school year, only the second year the program has been an NJROTC.

This award is given annually to schools whose NJROTC program ranks in the top 30% of the programs in each NJROTC area. This selection is based upon the excellence attained in

administration, academic performance, military proficiency and host school support.

“This accomplishment is a direct reflection of the hard work, dedication and commitment our cadets have demonstrated throughout the school year,” said retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Hamartrya Tharpe, lead instructor for NJROTC. “I am extremely proud of their continued excellence and the standard they have set for our program.”

Frisco ISD was approved in late 2020 for a Navy National Defense Cadet Corps, which in fall 2024 earned designation as an NJROTC. This spring, the unit distinguished itself during its annual military inspection, impressing an audience of families, campus staff, city leaders, veterans and Board members.

Congratulations to Lebanon Trail and the dedicated NJROTC instructors and students!

- Rachel McReynolds