Approximately 250 students attended the event in the auditorium, including students from history, English, and creative writing classes. Cameron discussed the research behind her novel, her experience meeting the family connected to the true story, and her writing process. Students also participated in a question-and-answer session before Cameron signed pre-purchased books or bought them during the book signing.

Cameron shared the true story of a young couple who met at the Sobibor extermination camp during the Holocaust. Selma Wijnberg and Chaim Engel did not speak the same language, but they found hope and love in one of history’s darkest settings. Cameron’s presentation included photos from primary and secondary sources and applauded the wealth of oral histories of Holocaust survivors archived by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Mrs. Brandy Panagos, a Bob Jones creative writing teacher and sponsor of The Eclectic literary magazine, said, “In creative writing, we researched Cameron’s background, her body of work, the plot of Up from the Ashes, and the language of the first chapter. We discussed the genre of historical fiction, and creative writing students will now explore one of their own historical interests as inspiration for their short stories.”

Blue Apple Books owner and former Bob Jones AP Language teacher Robin Dauma shared her personal experiences teaching at the school and reflected on how a visit from Holocaust survivor Stan Minkinow impacted her former students.

Students can learn more about Sharon Cameron and her other works by visiting her official website. Copies of Up from the Ashes by Sharon Cameron are available for purchase HERE.

During the first event, Physical Team Test, the cadets pushed through a series of athletic challenges navigating through a narrow tunnel, hopping over short, low, and high walls all while carrying five-gallon water cans and two ammunition cans to the designated area. The next challenge continuing the PTT was an agility tire twice, followed by pushing a weighted sled about ⅓ of a yard. Putting the coed team in first place with a time of 3:57.8 and the male team in eighth place with a time of 3:59.6.

The next event, Cross Country Rescue, required persistence, stamina, and communication skills. The coed team had to carry thirty-five pound rucksacks with a seventy-five pound litter while the male team carried hundred pound litters along with the thirty five pound rucksacks. The whole run was about ¾ of a mile, putting the coed team in eighth place with the time of 10:35.5 and the male team in twelfth place with the time of 10:59.0.

The third event, Humvee Load and Push, was a shorter event which included pushing humvees, carrying heavy objects, and teamwork. During the event the raider cadets had to load many heavy objects as a team and load them into a humvee. After loading the humvee they were instructed to push that humvee to a designated line as fast as they could. The moment they got to the designated line, they had to push a slightly heavier humvee back to the starting line. After the cadets dedication and perseverance the coed team finished in sixth place with a time of 1:32.0 while the male team got eleventh place with a time of 1:42.8.

In the fourth event, Ropebridge, the cadets had to set up a rope that must be secure for the remainder of the cadets to pull themselves across. This causes each cadet to have to use a very large amount of upper-body strength and to do their designated role on the team correctly and fast. This gave our coed team a remarkable score of third place with the time of 2:18.8 and our all male team a place of twelfth and the time of 2:18.9.

This whole competition was an eye opener for the new cadets of the Raiders team to get a feel of what a competition environment would be like. Overall, these cadets got to test many skills that strengthened the team as a whole. These cadets now know what to expect at a raiders meet and also what they need to work on. As our cadets won a few trophies, they still train almost every other day to be even better for the next competition.

Leading the charge was an honor guard of four standout cadets—C/Grace Mehta, C/Cindy Halter holding the American flag, C/Max Ott holding the Unit flag, and C/Pedro Henriquez Cortez Jr. Together, they set a sharp pace for everyone marching behind them. 

Right on their heels was the banner detail, proudly carried by C/Korbin Bourgeois and C/Henry Johnson. The banner is way more than just a piece of fabric, it represents the heart of who the Blue Knights are, showcasing the unit’s name, insignia, and school colors to the cheering crowds on the sidelines. 

Behind the banner stood the main formation, the true powerhouse of the unit. Marching in perfect synchronization, these cadets waited for the spark from the Jodie Line. Composed of cadets C/Caroline Barcomb, C/Neil Mehta, C/Sanai Armstead, C/Theresa He, and C/Shey Hayes, the Jodie Line boomed out marching chants that echoed through the streets, with the main formation roaring back their responses in near-deafening unison. Reflecting on the intensity of the moment, C/Neil Mehta recalled, “… the HOCO parade was great. We really got to show off our school spirit and it was a great start for our parade season,” perfectly capturing just how loud and proud the formation was.

As the formation cleared the streets, the ringing echoes of their final cadence left a lasting impression on the crowd. Through flawless execution and unmatched volume, the 60-cadet contingent did more than just lead a parade, they perfectly demonstrated the pride, precision, and enduring spirit of the Blue Knights.

On Tuesdays, students in ninth and tenth grade meet with a senior mentor to discuss personal development outside the classroom. Meanwhile, eleventh graders partake in ACT practice sessions, and twelfth graders who aren’t mentoring participate in “adulting sessions” where they learn more about life after graduating.

Thursdays are a bit different. Students from all grades sign up to go to a classroom of their choice to join in on club meetings, make-up work, study sessions, and more.

However, several students have expressed concerns about the new schedule. A survey of 80 Bob Jones students, representing all grade levels, revealed a range of opinions.

Around 21% of the freshmen who responded were unhappy with Tuesday’s Advisory. Many simply said they did not like it, while others went into greater detail, describing the lessons as ineffective. In contrast, 100% of the freshmen respondents said they liked Thursday’s Advisory.

Around 45% of sophomores, however, did not like Tuesday’s Advisory, describing it as boring or pointless. Meanwhile, 85% said they enjoyed Thursday’s Advisory, while the remaining 15% said they preferred the old Patriot Prep schedule.

Juniors, who have ACT prep during Tuesday’s Advisory, had similar results, with 50% expressing dissatisfaction. Several respondents commented on how much they missed the Patriot Prep schedule. As for Thursday’s Advisory, 75% of juniors said they were satisfied with it, continuing the overall pattern across each grade level.

Lastly, among the seniors who responded to the survey, 63% were unhappy with Tuesday’s Advisory, while only 13% were dissatisfied with Thursday’s Advisory. Once again, several respondents mentioned missing Patriot Prep and described Tuesday’s Advisory as largely unhelpful.

These results speak for themselves, as do the students who shared these opinions in the survey. While almost every grade had similar results, the freshmen were more content with Tuesday’s advisory than most.  Would their feedback have been different if they had experienced Patriot Prep like the other grades? In a past article on Patriot Pages titled “Patriot Path or Patriot Prep?” students from last year talked about their new schedule (Patriot Prep) and its pros and cons, saying, “But with Patriot Prep you have a lot more freedom, you can go where you want, it’s a longer amount of time for lunch…” Because the freshmen of 2026-2027 never got to experience Patriot Prep, how can they honestly rate the current advisory schedule without having witnessed the past one?

In conclusion, while the advisory schedule is not perfect, students also commented on how they saw some aspect of Tuesday as necessary, even if they didn’t like it. It is impossible to please everyone, but overall, students were at least happy with Thursday advisory.

Here is a sampling of responses:

“I like them. They bring school spirit to everyone;  it’s a fun time and cool to see the teachers dress up. The band is pretty cool to wacth also. They get to play some of their best music for the school to hear. I think they are a great idea, and we should keep doing them.”

“I honestly only ever went to one; however, we used to do one every home game at Enterprise. It generated a lot more hype. They were very interactive, and people genuinely enjoyed being there. I can’t really comment on BJ, but I know they are not fulfilling the standard I’m used to.”

“I personally enjoy pep rallies. If I could change them at all, I would make them longer. I feel like we should have pep rallies for more sports, since Bob Jones has so many sports to offer. As a result from that, there should be more pep rallies that occur more often.”

“They need more time. Everyone has to rush and usually they cut out some of the things that they were going to do. I think we should have them for any major sporting events.”

“The pep rallies at this school are really good and fun for the kids here. We should definitely have more pep rallies for more sports like flag football and volleyball and basketball because they are just fun and a great part of high school year experiences.”

“They are pretty fun and definitely loud. I like them, but I wish there were different games. I would have more crowd involvement like chants, Q&A’s and more. I also like when we used to turn off the lights and do the flashlights on phones. I want to bring that back and do that part for the entrance of the football team and especially when we introduce the seniors kind of like at the basketball games. I feel like we should have pep rallies for the kickoff for the season, Homecoming, JC, maybe Sparkman, and the playoffs. We should also do it for other sports, for sure.”

“I like the pep rallies, but I think they should make sure all of the students have seats because I had to to sit on the stairs. I also think we should have them for basketball and soccer.”

“I think they are only really targeted towards a very small percentage of the school. The only people that seem to actually enjoy them are kids in football, baseball, and volleyball. If there were more things that involved the crowd or played on grade rivalries, such as the cheering and the races, that would connect and excite our whole school more. Additionally, the majority of the people I talk to about the pep rallies say that they are really overstimulating. If there were more activites that didn’t involve screaming or blaring speakers, even if it was just a minute or two of speaking at a normal volume into the microphone instead of yelling, that would allow those people to feel less exhausted and more excited by pep rallies.”

“My friends and I never really cared for pep rallies because of how loud they are. It can actually get overwhelming at times, and I usually tend not to use my accommodations because I want to hang out with some good friends. I will admit that I don’t know if this is already the case, but having the ability to spend time within the library either to read or do make up work would be very nice. If this already exists, then please send an email detailing such. In fact… The library would definitely be nice. Maybe even give others more room at the pep rally to sit.”

“I hate pep rallies. They don’t bring me school spirit; they bring me ringing ears and headaches. The band is loud, everyone is screaming right next to you, they have these games you probably won’t even compete in anyways, and they still won’t let you get your phone out and then tell you to use it for the light thing. Please, make them optional.”

Thanks to all the students who participated in the Patriot Pages survey!