GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas– The ILTexas Arlington- Grand Prairie High School (AGPHS) Marine Corps JROTC (MCJROTC) hosted its second annual car show on Saturday, March 25. The event was held in the AGPHS parking lot in front of the school building where residents in the community and local organizations were invited to participate and showcase their classic automobiles for spectators to view. The car show featured a range of vehicles from 1950s classic models and lowriders to high-end luxury vehicles such the lamborghini. 

The event included a bake sale and barbeque, as well as raffle tickets for community-donated prizes, with all the proceeds going towards the AGPHS MCJROTC program.

Master Gunnery Sergeant (MGySgt) Juan Oterro Pizzaro, who serves as the Marine Instructor for ILTexas AGPHS, came up with the idea to bring his love for cars and the community together. 

“One of my side passions has always been building hot rods and motorcycles, and I wanted to incorporate that into some kind of leadership development for the cadets,” he said. “To me personally, the experience of the car show is about the kids interacting with the public, seeing some really cool cars, [and] maybe developing something that they like to do.” 

Attendees were treated to two drill performances from the cadets as well as a Raider challenge demonstration, where cadets showcased their athleticism by flipping tires and doing a series of burpees, pull-ups, and weight lifting under a time constraint. 

The event was also a way for the AGPHS cadets to get hands-on experience with looking after new cars such as learning how to change tires, as well as develop leadership skills with planning and organization.

“Months went into the preparation for this car show,” said Emilia De La Rosa, a senior at AGPHS and MCJROTC Cadet Captain.  “It is a great leadership challenge and it teaches your ability to get in front of people and figure out what you're made of.” 

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