ALABASTER CITY SCHOOLS - Champions of Our Future

Thompson High School's Air Force JROTC cadets have dominated leadership roles with the Alabama CTSO (Career & Technical Student Organizations) for more than a decade, having either the Air Force/Space Force State President or State Vice President. These leadership roles are earned through a two-step process, according to THS AFJROT Instructor CMsg Keith Long (Ret). The first component comprises a written resume/application submitted and reviewed by current state officers. The second phase, if selected, is an in-person interview with the current five-person state leadership team. At the recent 2025 Alabama JROTC State Leadership Conference, both Cadets Lane Mitchell and Alexandra Acata received a call back for the in-person interview with Cadet Mitchell taking the Air Force/Space position. Cadet Acata came one person short; however, she did a fantastic job finishing in the top 16 of all service JROTC units and the top two for Air Force candidates. For Cadet Mitchell, this means he will be the Group Commander for Thompson's AL-932 Air Warriors - the top cadet leader for the organization. Due to her exceptional performance at the state level, Cadet Acata will also serve in a top leadership position with the Cadet Corps.