DELRAY BEACH — The cadets in the Atlantic Community High School’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps Program Academic Team took eighth place among nearly 1,500 schools in a recent nationwide Academic bowl sponsored by the College Options Foundation.

Team members Jacob Beck, Rachael Asbury, Eric Garcia and Erik Littlefield began practicing in August 2010 and entered the level one competition, a competitive computer based online program that tests the cadets in areas such as mathematics, science, English, social studies, and leadership skills, in late September.

After placing in the top 700 teams in level one, Atlantic High cadets went on to level two in January and won a spot among 24 teams picked to travel to Washington, D.C., for the finals held at George Mason University.

The final round of the competition comprised of nine matches against different schools; the schools placing in the top 12 went on to the finals. The Atlantic cadets won five of those matches and placed among the  top 12. They made it to the quarter finals and when total points scored were factored into standings, they came out as number 8.

Throughout the duration of the competition, the cadets collaborated on peer-to-peer mission projects, building educational software to assist more than one million high school JROTC students annually on standardized testing and general high school curriculum.

Partnering with Marvel comics and Disney MGM Studios, those programs will assist JROTC kids around the world in their academic pursuits, according to a statement from the School District of Palm Beach County.

“The school district’s goal is to prepare all students for academic success. Events such as these strengthen our organization and advance student achievement,” said retired Lt. Col. James L. Rodriguez, who coached the team.