Military Ball
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On January 20, 2023, cadets paid and signed up to participate in our annual Military Ball. Cadets gathered in a receiving line with their guests and greeted the event coordinators, cadre, and their guests. Once everyone was in and found their seats, they were directed to the arch so they could have their pictures taken. Afterwards, everyone took their seats and charged their glasses with water as the cadets at the head table and Lt. Col Gilmour welcomed everyone, including distinguished guests who had been invited to the ball, such as the Superintendent Mr. Derek Fisher, Deputy Superintendent Ms. Stacy Williams, Garden City School Board Member Mr. George and his wife Jackie, Garden City high school’s principal Ms. Sharon Kollar. As well as, Lt Col Gilmour’s own guest, Lt Col Grant Geisler. We went through several toasts and the color guard prepared the flags and cadet Plum recited the pledge of allegiance. Cadet Langer had also spoken a prayer for our night, Cadet Bender had honored those who could not be there at the POW/MIA table, and cadet Ingram had recited Old Glory. Afterwards, we had started to call points of order against cadets to send them to the grog bowl which was concocted by Cadet Langer. Cadet Ingram acted as vice and commentated over the whole thing. Some cadets called up did not drink the grog as a substitute they volunteered to do the “I’m a Little tea Pot”, The Chicken Dance, etc. for everyone and it was hilarious! The room was booming with laughter and everybody had fun. Afterwards, cadets were served a banquet-style dinner which was just an appetizer for what came next. After dessert had been served, the 2023 Military Ball king and queen were both announced by Cadet Brandt, those being Cadets Bender and Plotkowski. This marked the beginning of the dances whose songs were all picked by request of cadets. This had lasted until the event had concluded, which was around 10:00. Cadet Lyall had this to say about the event, some time after its conclusion, “It was wonderfully planned out, everything went smoothly and everybody had a great time!”
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Table Setup
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On December 2, 2022, cadets set up tables in the school’s cafeteria and commons for the Saturday’s Craft & Vendor Show. Cadets not only set up tables, but had a chance to form new friendships with each other and the partnering theater program. “It was a little exhausting, but a great way to help out and have some fun with other cadets,” said C/SSgt Daniels. The community service event was successful with a good turnout, and all the tables were put up in the right places. When done, everyone went home, happy with their work, and the craft show went off without a hitch!
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Heartwarmers
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Heartwarmers was a great community service event where our cadets created heartwarming cards for the patients and staff of Garden City Hospital. On December 1, 2022, cadets gathered in the cafeteria to get started on the card making. Hot chocolate was served, Christmas music was playing, and it was a great way to just have fun with each other. “Hot chocolate was delicious and it was a great time making cards for people who needed them!” Says C/Milam.
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Lock-in
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The Lock-In was the largest social event by far, starting on the day of November 18, 2022. Cadets arrived at 6:30 PM, including guests from Howell’s AFJROTC, and stayed until 1:00 in the morning! Once everybody was in, they were introduced to the rules and started the first event: a staff card making community service project. Next was the icebreakers, featuring find your pair and telephone, so cadets could get to know each other and properly introduce themselves to the Howell cadets. After a bunch of happy introductions, cadets got a chance to choose what they wanted to do. They could go to the cafeteria and enjoy some snacks and play board games, or they could continue with the events in the gym such as dodgeball, frisbee, capture the flag, or even some of the attractions that some recruiters had brought specifically for the event. After this, dinner arrived early, and all of the cadets settled in the cafeteria to eat. After a while of eating, mock election rewards were decided which were all different kinds of masks for the cadets to wear as a prize. Class Clown, Major Sass, Shyest Cadet, Captain Positive, Drill Master, and the Cadre’s Worst Nightmare. Afterwards, Cadets Seibert and Ingram performed on their guitars which cadets celebrated and supported strongly. The event ended off with a great finale, a dance, knockout, and then finally, Pie-a-Senior. Cadet names were randomly chosen and everybody was given the chance to pie whatever senior they voted for. An addition to the Pie-a-Senior, Master Sergeant Ragnone volunteered himself to get pied as well! Cadets were allowed to record it all on their phones and everyone had a blast. Cadet Cornelius had said after the event had finished, “The recruiters and special guests such as Howell made the Lock-In experience very unique and has excited me for next year’s experience.”
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Veteran's Day Ceremony
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The Veterans Day ceremony was hosted in the O'Leary Auditorium on November 11, 2022. Cadets were ushering and handing out programs to all the attendees. Our color guard and flag bearers had a great performance, with colors presented for the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, and The Armed Forces Song. In our audience, we had more than twenty cadets supporting our Veterans and honoring this day. “This was a great ceremony, I would totally do this again!” says C/Lewis. This Veterans day was one to remember for sure.
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Fort Custer
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The Fort Custer Field Trip was a curriculum in action event at a National Guard base in Augusta, demonstrating to Cadets orienteering and land navigation skills. Cadets gathered outside the ROTC classroom around 0800 hours, or 8:00 AM, when the bus arrived at the school. The bus ride was a couple of hours long, but when cadets finally arrived they got to prepare their own field rations, or MREs, a fun and especially delicious experience for all! As people got their food ready and had their meals, they were split into groups, all led by one of the many National Guardsmen there. For land navigation, cadets were taught how to count their paces, how to learn to read a map, and use a compass. After some knockout drilling while waiting for the supplies to arrive, along with a good amount of tree branch twirling, cadets plotted points on their maps before finally setting off into nature. Overcoming the challenges of forest navigation, the Cadets were proud of what they had accomplished, with C/Seibert noting, “It was a fun outdoor adventure!” The fun couldn’t last forever though, and cadets boarded the bus back home, stopping for a pizza party courtesy of the National Guard. There was singing and laughing while the phones were being passed back to each cadet. By the time the bus had returned to the school, many cadets were asleep and quick to hop off the bus so they could get home and get lots of rest.
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Halloween Party
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On October 31, 2022, we had the AFJROTC Halloween party! A handful of cadets from the Corps were brought together to have fun and celebrate Halloween after school. We had pizza, candy bags, board games, music, and even a couple of contests! It was hosted in the JROTC room where everyone hung out with one another and got involved in all of the activities. The costume contest featured three categories, funny, scary, and creative, with Mrs. Kollar and Mr. Herman being the judges. The cadets who won received a coupon for free cookies at the school store! Another contest was the classic guess the candy in the jar, which was won by C/1st Lt Wangler. Cadet Langer said that she loved it and had a great time at the party!
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Anchor Bay Drill Meet
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Each year our MI-861 Drill Team goes to Anchor Bay High School to compete in their annual drill meet. This year was no different, with our cadets going above and beyond to prepare. Our hard work and dedication paid off, especially for the first years. We placed 3rd in JV Unarmed, led by C/SSgt Daniels, and 3rd in JV Color Guard, led by C/AB Mercer 2. Our Varsity drillers had some small victories too, with C/Maj Bender placing 10th in Armed Knockout, and C/2Lt Ingram placing 11th. “All of the cadets did amazing this year! Especially the first years, who put in extra work to win their trophies.” said C/2Lt Baier. Overall this drill meet was a great learning experience for everybody, and a great start to the future successes of our team!
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Trunk or Treat
Cider Mill
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On October 25, 2022, cadets went off to Blake’s Cider Mill in South Lyon right after school! When all the cadets arrived, they were able to go on a tractor ride, pick apples, go through a corn maze, have cider and donuts, and even jump on top of the haystacks. “This is the best event yet!” C/AB Daniels loudly exclaimed. This year's Cider Mill was an enjoyable success!
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Painting Ms. Lopez's and Mr. Kreiner's Rooms
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On Monday, October 24, 2022, Cadets painted both Mr. Hillert’s and Señora Lopez's rooms as part of a larger community service project. They painted from 2:30 to 4:30 while listening to music. “This is such a relaxing and fun project!” C/Mercer exclaimed. This project was very successful, leaving both teachers and students with smiling faces!
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Goodbye Litter/Flower Garden Cleanup
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On October 19, Cadets gathered in the ROTC classroom where they were given garbage bags, gloves, and community service jackets. The event started right after school around 1PM and the cadets split into three different groups; two went around opposite ends of the school, including the soccer field and tennis courts. The third group worked on the main office garden, pulling weeds and cleaning up around the area. Cadets cleaned the school grounds and took a couple group pictures, including a good few silly ones! “This event was exciting, especially working with new cadets” C/AB Mays exclaimed. All in all, this event will lead to many more exciting goodbye litters!
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Oath Ceremony
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Aligned in two neat formations stood our cadets, new and old in their respective columns, each and every one of them eager for the clock to hit go time. October 11, 2022, MI-861’s annual Oath Ceremony; this was the time for first year cadets to truly join the Corps. Months of preparation and hours of setup have all led up to this moment.
The clock hit 1805 hours, each column marched into the cafeteria. Each new cadet announced as they took their places in front of an excited crowd of parents and honored guests. The color guard, made up of 4 of our first year cadets, prepared and executed the presentation of the colors. With the presentation of our cadets, the chain of command, the flags and our core values complete, it was then time to take our oath: one to uphold the ideals of integrity, service, patriotism, and an undying strive for excellence. A wonderful way to kick off a new era for our Corps, our school, and our community. It was a very special evening and enjoyed by the cadets as well as their parents and guests. “It was extremely fun finally joining the corps and being a part of color guard”, C/Mercer 1 happily exclaimed. It is not only a nice way to welcome our new cadets into the Corps, but also a great way for them to show off to their parents and guests in their dress blues. |
Homecoming Parade
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On October 7, 2022 at 6:30 PM, our cadets had the honor of leading the Homecoming Parade. We had a varsity color guard in front with this year's group of cadets that were mainly first years. We marched from the gym to the track where we went around the track one time. “It was a fun time supporting our football team along with the AFJROTC”, exclaimed c/Johnson It was a very successful event.
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Theater Storage Cleanup
Goodbye Litter
Field Day
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On September 23, 2022, the AFJROTC had its annual Field Day! Cadets got to play kickball and soccer, did fun relays like wheelbarrow and hula hoop, and got a chance to participate in inventive team-building activities! Cadets arrived at the football field around 7:40 AM and got to do a fun ice breaker, organized by c/Maj Bender, then were led off to the softball and baseball fields for kickball, led by c/2nd Lt Ingram. Once the winners’ and losers’ rounds were done, cadets participated in wheelbarrow relays, three legged races (led by c/SSgt Baier and c/SSgt Matthes), Buddy Carry, and Hula Hoop! Once those were done, cadets were fed a delicious meal of hotdogs, chips, and cookies and got their team building exercise: building the most stable and tallest tower. Along with the games were Dizzy Izzy, Tug-Of-War, and soccer. At the end, there was a warrior cry contest, and this year’s winner was announced: 5th Hour; Echo Executioners! “This event was so much fun, especially with helping my team try to win!”, c/AB Mercer 2 happily recalls. All in all, this year was a success!
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Ice Cream Social
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Kicking off our first restriction-free year was the annual Ice Cream Social! Taking place on September 15th, Cadets were able to sign-in to an hour of food, music, and other fun activities to break the monotony of going back to school. As always, our unit’s signature dance, the Love Shack, was done and taught to our First Years. Among them, c/SSgt Mercer said that “The dancing looked really fun.” Returning cadets had plenty of fun as well, playing frisbee and teaching new cadets how to drill. With the unique food choices and cadets getting to know each other, the Ice Cream Social was a true start to an awesome year!
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