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BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Cadet Ryder Livingston, a rising senior at Cane Bay High School, has been named Region 3, Sub-Region 3 Cadet of the Year by Headquarters Air Force Junior ROTC, an honor recognizing him as the top-performing cadet among 30 schools across South Carolina.

The announcement marks a major milestone for the AFJROTC program at Cane Bay and highlights the growing influence of student leadership in military preparatory programs.

Livingston, who moved to Cane Bay from Japan and comes from a military family, said he was “honored” by the recognition. “I never thought I’d end up getting something at that level,” he told the school.

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In addition to the regional title, Livingston also received the Military Officer’s Association of America Award, given to top cadets in their junior year who demonstrate academic and leadership excellence.

Livingston’s résumé speaks for itself: He helped organize a 14-mile Bataan Death March Memorial Hike, led the Raider Team to multiple top finishes, and guided the JROTC unit to a 97 “exceeds standards” score on its evaluation. He has logged over 150 combined hours in leadership development and community service, maintains a 4.57 GPA, and ranks in the top 10 percent of his class.

“Cadet Livingston exemplifies the highest standards of leadership, service, and academic excellence,” said Maj. Christopher D. Perham, a retired U.S. Air Force officer and senior instructor at the school, who also received regional honors as Instructor of the Year.

The AFJROTC program at Cane Bay High is riding a wave of success. It was recently named the state’s most outstanding unit by the South Carolina Air Force Association, earning the prestigious “Sword of Excellence.” The program also secured the Distinguished Unit with Merit award and the national Silver Star Community Service with Excellence Award—one of only two schools in South Carolina to do so.

Livingston, who hopes to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy after graduation, credits the program’s community atmosphere for its impact. “It’s meant to be a leadership workshop,” he said. “It’s amazing to see how certain kids are able to take these projects or assignments and turn them into something great.”

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Cane Bay’s AFJROTC program continues to set a high bar for excellence in youth military training and leadership development across the state and beyond.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - Some students and faculty in the Berkeley County School District are celebrating quite an accomplishment.

The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Cane Bay High School in Summerville has won a statewide honor.

It has received the South Carolina Air Force Association’s “Sword of Excellence.”

Students say Air Force JROTC at Cane Bay High School isn’t just another class. For the student cadets, JROTC is a commitment.

“It definitely is one of the most challenging classes we have in the school. But I mean you’re taught everything you need to know by the first day you step foot in the door,” Cadet Maj. Amelia Bald Eagle said.

This cadet-run program puts students in charge of their peers.

“So, it really drew me in through the ability to lead and get in positions of leadership so I can learn those life skills as I’m in high school,” Cadet Col. Mya McColl said.

McColl is a senior and is in charge of the entire unit of almost 200 students.

She, along with Bald Eagle and Cadet Maj. Ethan King, were some of the student leaders who played a major role in helping the unit win the “Sword of Excellence.”

The award goes to the most outstanding Air Force JROTC unit in the state based on achievements.

“Well, we sent in the events and other things that we’ve planned throughout the year, the different competitions we went to, and it all just adds up,” Bald Eagle said.

One of the community service events that set the unit apart from its competitors was the “Seasons of Giving.” It was an idea of King’s to help people in the Cane Bay community during the holidays.

“So, I coordinated with our school administration and our school secretary, and we um put together an event called season of giving. It took place here at the school and we provided all kinds of Thanksgiving food, clothing, toys to children, shoes, and it helped hundreds of people through over 150 families,” King said.

These students devote hours of time each week, both during school and after, drilling to become one unit. The core values of JROTC are service, integrity and excellence.

Two Cane Bay High School graduates have received scholarships from the Berkeley Soil and Water Conservation District in recognition of their dedication to environmental conservation and natural resource management.

Khamiiah Alameda and Allison Gard were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship through the district’s annual program, which has supported local students pursuing careers in conservation since 2015.

Alameda, daughter of Summerville resident Shreka Collins, is set to attend the University of South Carolina–Beaufort this fall, where she plans to major in biology with a focus on coastal ecology and conservation. A National Honor Society and Beta Club member, Alameda also served as an Explorer Firefighter with the Goose Creek Rural Fire Department from August 2024 to January 2025, completing 100 hours of community service.

“Pursuing a career in conservation and natural resource management has been an aspiration of mine since the start of my high school education,” Alameda said. “I have gathered diverse insights through various in-field opportunities since job shadowing with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. I’ve also worked alongside biologists, stewards, environmental organizations and the local community, with these experiences highlighting the variety and the significance of an interdisciplinary field like environmental science. Advocating for the natural environment means advocating for historically and culturally intertwined communities within it. I want to promote appreciation for the natural environment by working with people of all ages and cultural backgrounds to share the importance of learning about our environment and how to best protect it.”

Gard, daughter of Mikel and Katherine Gard, of Summerville, will attend Clemson University to study biosystems engineering. She plans to work with Darling Ingredients, a company that uses biological waste to produce sustainable products such as food, animal feed, fertilizer and low-emission biofuels.

Gard served as president of the Cane Bay FFA chapter and was nominated as a CTE Presidential Scholar for South Carolina.

“If I could change one thing in the world, it would be the amount of food waste in our landfills,” Gard said. “From within our homes, food waste often ends up in landfills where the waste rots and produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that traps heat within our atmosphere, accelerating global warming. I hope to one day change the materials and substances we use every day to improve environmental sustainability.”

The Berkeley Soil and Water Conservation District scholarships are awarded to Berkeley County residents who plan to attend an accredited college or university within South Carolina.