Lakes High School Army JROTC December 2018

The Battalion Bulletin

Dining In The Lancer Battalion held its annual Dining In ceremony on 19 December in the Lancer Faire (Lakes Cafeteria). The lengthy night was full of fun, inspiration, games, and of course grog. Cadets arrived through the receiving line, introducing themselves to battalion leadership and guests, then continued on to the dining area (referred to as the Mess). Opening ceremonies consisted of the National Anthem performed by a cadet instrumental ensemble, an opening prayer by C/PVT Sabrina Acevedo, and a POW ceremony by C/PVT Jeneva Malmoe and C/PVT Melanie Hesseltine, among other displays. The Lakes High School Culinary program led by Deanne Gardner C/CPL Riley Lugo contributes to the grog for the Marksmanship team.

provided food for the evening. Lakes JROTC Administrator DeWayne Lindh also took part of the program, known for his endless commitment to the Lancer Battalion. A staple of Dining In ceremonies is the grog. The grog is a concoction of food items that shouldn’t go together (tomato juice, marshmallows, lime juice, just to name a few) used as a punishment for cadets who violate the rules of the Mess. This year, the battalion’s special teams commanders had the (dis)honor of contributing to, and then drinking the grog. The event was headlined by Guest of Honor MSG Keith Bach, whose speech included a keynote element regarding teamwork “...it’s not just about you, but the ones around you. About what you are doing for the team, the person to your left or right. I see that many of you maintain this trait, working alongside your peers to bring the team together.” MSG Bach told cadets. Battalion Commander C/LTC Albert James echoed that message, saying “...if we continue on the path that we have started-working together with a common vision for success-I know we can do anything that is asked of us in the year 2019.”

After the formal program closed, the real fun began. Senior battalion leadership experimented with the entertainment portion of the Dining In festivities this year. Looking to shake things up, leaders introduced “Fun & Games” to the program. Platoons each selected 11 cadets to participate in different games to entertain members of the Mess. Games included “Team Magic Carpet Ride” where cadets would face off as companies racing across the cafeteria floor on bath mats, and “Dizzy Mummy” where platoon teams would attempt to get a cadet covered in tissue paper. Cadets who won their competition got points for their platoon, while cadets who lost were sent to the grog. Of course, individual game results counted up to a final score pitting the Alpha and Bravo companies against each other. In the end Bravo Company was declared the best company in the Lancer Battalion, beating Alpha 12 points to 9. The games also helped send an unprecedented amount of cadets to the grog. The Dining In event was a great way to apply etiquette lessons included in the JROTC Cadet Curriculum. Leading up to the event, all

cadets practiced eating in formal settings and received extensive briefings on how the evening’s events would go.

MSG Keith Bach addresses the Mess.

Cadets from Bravo 3 realize the mess they’ve made during the “Fun & Games” portion of the evening.

Clover Park Competition

Members of the Lancer Battalion’s competition teams embarked on Clover Park High School the morning of 15 December for another Northwest Drill and Rifle Conference (NWDRC) competition. The second competition of the 2018-19 season saw the battalion bring over 50 cadets to participate in events relating to drill, academics, physical fitness, and marksmanship. Building on the success of the November competition at South Kitsap, cadets aimed to improve their individual and team performances. Countless hours of practice after school contributed to cadets’ efforts to compete at Clover Park. The Clover Park Competition also marked the return of a competing Armed Drill Team. The battalion has not sent an Armed Drill team to compete in all phases of a competition event (inspection, regulation, and exhibition) in over 4 years. “...the team has improved tremendously from the beginning of the year.” said C/SSG Justin Bryant, Armed Drill Commander. After the team established a great foundation at Clover Park, they made a commitment to develop themselves with C/SSG Bryant saying “With hard work and extreme focus, we can give the other teams a run for their money.” The next NWDRC competition will be hosted by the Mt. Tahoma Army JROTC on 26 January.

Academic Team cadets reviewing material before competing.

The Battalion Bulletin

Results

Academic Team (Led by C/MAJ Gabriel Cooper-Feldt)………………………...…….3rd Place

Color Guard Team 2 (Led by C/CPL Evie Coulter)……………………………...…….3rd Place

Unarmed Drill Down (C/SGT Hunter Nawrocki)………………………………….…...3rd Place

Dual Armed Exhibition Drill (C/1LT Luke Sewall and C/SSG Nilson Brown)…...…....1st Place

Marksmanship-Precision Team (Led by C/SGT Tyler Grover)……………..…………2nd Place

Read more about our Special Teams at lakeshs-jrotc.weebly.com/specialteams

Photo Gallery

The Battalion Bulletin

Members of the Alpha 3 Color Guard team pose before posting the colors at the Winter Choral Concert.

Cadets look on as Armed Drill commander C/SSG Bryant goes over their exhibition routine.

Senior battalion leadership pose with Guest of Honor MSG Keith Bach and his wife Nancy Bach after the Dining In Ceremony

Stay Connected: lakeshs-jrotc.weebly.com

LTC Corner

We are so excited about the opportunities for building Leadership and Citizenship coming in the second half of our academic year. Every mission and every event we support presents a unique opportunity for cadets to assume a leadership role and practice Planning, Preparing, Executing, and then Assessing results as they work to support Lakes High School and our extended community. Big Rocks in our Ruck Sack for the rest of the year include: Lancer Bowling Challenge and a Competition at Mt T in Jan, Military Ball in March, Daffodil Parade and Cadet Challenge in April, our Principal's Review and JROTC Cadet Leadership Challenge in May, and our Graduation Support mission in June. Priorities remain Academic Performance, Leadership Development, and Getting Involved in our community, in that order. Challenge yourself each day to do your best, with what you've got, from where you are, right now. God Bless America.

-LTC Allen Patty

The Battalion Bulletin Upcoming Events

Patriots Landing Mission 10 January/1100/Patriots Landing Retirement Community 1SG Annual Bowling Challenge 12 January/1200-1400/MWR Bowling MLK Day—NO SCHOOL 21 January Cadet of the Quarter Board 22 January/1430

NCO of the Quarter Board 23 January/1430 End of First Semester 24 January

Semester Break—NO SCHOOL *Snow make Up If Needed* 25 January Drill Competition 26 January/0530 Bus/Mt. Tahoma HS

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LTC Patty briefing PT team cadets before they compete.