"Oh my gosh, I made it!" said Anthony Smith after descending the rope tower obstacle at Malvesti Field Tuesday.

Smith, a ninth-grader and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet at North Atlanta High School, was one of 359 cadets from 26 schools who participated in the 2009 JROTC Leadership Challenge at Fort Benning. During the weeklong camp, students participated in land navigation, marching, obstacle courses, rappelling and served in leadership positions.

The goal of the week was to prepare cadets to be better leaders when they return to school, said COL(R) Arthur L. Holmes Jr., director of Army instruction for JROTC in Atlanta.

"I told the kids they will do things here they did not believe they would be able to do," Holmes said. "When they finish, they'll feel better about themselves and that builds self esteem. When they go back (to school), they'll tell their stories and become better leaders as a result, because they can share what they did."

Cadre evaluated the cadets' leadership abilities, enthusiasm and performance at each event. To graduate, cadets had to appear before a board and answer questions about basic soldiering skills. Thirty-eight cadets received awards for their performance.

To encourage bonding, cadets were placed in companies with cadets from other schools. Hannah Williamson, a sophomore at South Cobb High School, said they began coming together soon after arriving.

"At first I was like, 'Oh well, I'll be by myself,'" she said. "But then everyone started talking and opened up. I think everyone's here for the same purpose - to have fun, learn and become better leaders. And when you have a common interest, it brings you together. Now, it's just like a big family."

Quintessa Solomon, a junior at Northeast High School in Macon, Ga., credited her fellow cadets' support with helping her successfully rappel 34 feet down Eagle Tower Wednesday.

"It's really nice for people you've only known a couple days to support you the way they do," she said. "It felt really good. I feel like I can do anything now."

Jessica DeLong, a junior at Miller Grove High School, said completing the tower gave her confidence.

"I'm really scared of heights and now I'm proud of myself that I conquered my fears," she said. "I know I can push myself the extra mile because I accomplished this."

Williamson said completing the challenge inspired her to work harder to achieve her goals in the future.

"It made me tougher and able to endure more," she said. "I won't give up as easily as I would have before because I've been through all this. I can do it."

Many cadets who meet during the challenge form lasting friendships, Holmes said.

"There are students I know who went to summer camp here (years ago) and are still visiting each other, still going on vacation together and still communicating," he said. "It's a bonding process. I don't care if they're going to be a milkman or a lawyer, they learn to respect one another for who they are and they learn this thing called teamwork. It's a win, win, win situation."

"I hope I'll remember it for the rest of my life - how much fun I had, and the people I met," Williamson said.