Skyler Chauff Appointed First Captain At St. John's Northwestern Military Academy

DELAFIELD, Wis., October 14, 2019 - Cadet Skyler Chauff, the son of Bertrand and Evelyn Chauff of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, was appointed to the rank of First Captain of the 136th Corps of Cadets at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (SJNMA) in Delafield, Wisconsin. Past SJNMA cadet alumni include Curtis "Buzz" Roosevelt, grandson of Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Martin Torrijos Espino, former president of the Republic of Panama.

For the 2019-2020 academic year, Cadet Chauff was selected for the position of first captain based on his demonstrated leadership ability and academic standing. In this position, 1CPT Chauff is responsible for the discipline, internal administration and supply, training, morale, and general efficiency of the Corps of Cadets.

Currently in his fifth year at SJNMA, 1CPT Chauff has been named to the

Dean's List with Honors every quarter and is a three-year member of the National Honor Society. He has received numerous Best in Class awards including Spanish 5, College Calculus, Honors English 12, and Honors 20th Century History. He has been a member of the Silver Rifles drill team for four years and currently is commander, is a four-year Raider Challenge team member, and was Color Guard commander. In addition, 1CPT Chauff has completed nearly 1,000 hours of community service with a majority of time spent tutoring fellow cadets and volunteering in the community.

"This year, I emphasized two things to our cadet leaders - positive reinforcement and continuous improvement," said 1CPT Skyler Chauff. "Positive reinforcement in the sense that we are pushing, as leaders, to recognize more of the positive in cadets. Continuous improvement is the purpose of the five corps goals, which include GPA improvement, physical fitness improvement, community service increase, keeping rooms to a standard of cleanliness, and maintain squad, platoon and company self-sufficiency. It has been a good start to the year. In my five years at the Academy, I see morale at an all-time high. I have an extremely humble and hardworking group of leaders and I know it will be an awesome year."

"The selection of first captain for the school year is one of the most important decisions," stated LTC Jim Kebisek, senior Army instructor at SJNMA. "This year, we had several well qualified candidates for first captain, but Cadet Skyler Chauff really stood out. He set and enforced the standard in each leadership position held from squad leader through first sergeant. Committed to making the 136th Corps of Cadets the best in years, 1CPT Chauff has effectively put in place new procedures and programs, which have already inspired leaders at all levels to lead by example and in doing so, have set a new standard for future first captains to emulate."

1CPT Chauff recently received a Letter of Acceptance to the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Founded in 1884, St. John's Northwestern Leadership Academies prepares boys and girls to become young adults and increase their potential for lifetime success through excellence in Academics, Leadership Skills, Spiritual and Character Development, and Athletics/Wellness. For more information, visit www.sjnma.org.