Butler High School senior JROTC Cadet Jacob Palmer receives his $5,000 scholarship award from Lyndora American Legion post commander William McNutt

BUTLER TWP — While seniors' swords and scholarships are normally presented to Butler High School's JROTC seniors at their annual ball, a more informal ceremony to honor the students was necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Lt. Col. Mark Pappal, Butler JROTC senior Army instructor, said the JROTC Ball typically draws about 200 JROTC students and their guests at the end of each school year.

When it was canceled due to the pandemic, Pappal decided that seniors — particularly two receiving scholarships — should still be honored for their achievement in completing the JROTC program.

So, Thursday morning, the sabers bestowed on JROTC graduates and two $5,000 scholarships were presented to the students after they turned in their uniforms in front of the intermediate high school.

This is an excerpt from a story that appears in Friday's Butler Eagle.