William Floyd student wins prestigious ROTC award

Xander Shirley, a senior at William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach, receives the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement ROTC Award from U.S. Navy Capt. David Wright. Credit: William Floyd School District
A William Floyd High School student has received a prestigious national award for excellence in military and academic subjects.
Xander Shirley, 17, a senior at the Mastic Beach school, is one of 22 recipients nationwide of the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement ROTC Award, given by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America.
The recipients are selected by a committee of veterans who have received such military awards as the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross and Air Force Cross.
Shirley, a platoon commander in William Floyd’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC), is the third cadet in the school’s 61-year history to receive the award, school officials said.
“NJROTC has taught me important skills like teamwork and being a productive member of the community,” Shirley said.
Nominees are judged on qualifications including leadership ability and extracurricular activities. Shirley is ranked in the top 10 percent of his graduating class, plays cello in the schoolorchestra and was on the junior varsity lacrosse team during his sophomore and junior years.
He has excelled in his naval science studies and regularly volunteers with fellow cadets to help the nonprofit Boots on the Ground NY.
“Cadet Shirley sets an outstanding example for his peers of doing the right thing the right way,” said Jay Tweed, William Floyd’s naval science instructor.
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