ANNUAL EVENTS OF AK-33
SUMMER CAMP: Our
annual summer camp is the first major event of the school year, held near Gun
Sight Mountain. At summer
camp, cadets learn the basics to surviving in the wilderness, basic drill,
orienteering, and so much more. The cadets stay in M.A.S.H like tents with two cadets
per tent. This 6 day
course is loads of fun and adventure for new and old high school students that
are interested in the AFJROTC program.
FUND RAISERS: Due to the amount of activities our corps participates in we constantly do fundraisers. Our first fundraiser this year
is selling
Car Wash tickets for our Saturday car washes. They are five dollars a piece and
the cadets are often given a prize for selling the most. We have a coffee/mocha shop that is open every morning from 0700 to 0730,
as well as during lunch, where students and faculty can purchase
lattés, mochas and hot cocoa, as well as a few snacks.
COLOR GUARDS:
Our first Color Guard of the year is at the Homecoming football game, for which our cadets also provide a saber arch for the homecoming
court. We do color guards for all home basketball games. We
also provide the colors for any organization who needs a sharp group of cadets to provide flag honors. Throughout the year our corps averages about
50-60 color guards.
SCHOOL SERVICE: In addition to the color guards, we lend a hand to our school by setting up rooms for events such as registration, SATs and PSATs, ASVAB testing,
parent's night and anything else where objects need to be moved. Furthermore, we prepare the school newsletter for mailing every month, and at the end of the school year, we provide a large amount of support for Graduation.
DRILL MEETS: Our competition drill team competes in all local drill meets during the drill season.
With a lot of hard, early morning practices, the teams will be able to win
trophies in each event. This year we had a
Regulation Unarmed team and a Color Guard
team. Last year, a group of 22 cadets went down
to Daytona Beach, Florida for the National High School Drill Team Competition.
We came back as national champions, with two first place trophies in Color Guard
and Exhibition, as well as getting a 6th in Unarmed Regulation, and 14th in
Inspection. One cadet earned a scholarship from Texas A&M, and another cadet who
got second in a mass formation unarmed knock out.
HOLIDAY RECEPTION: The first dance of the school year for our Corps is the Holiday Reception.
It is an opportunity for the cadets to meet the Senior Staff, Flight Commanders,
and the Division Chief's. Last year, it was held at
Aladdin's, which cadets decorated with all sorts of Christmas trimmings. There was dancing, food, and Santa to hand out presents. Also, the cadets were awarded with superlatives such as Best Body, Prettiest Eyes, Smartest cadet, Best Attitude
etc... This year it it was held at La Cabana, where we had a great showing of
our cadets, guests, and even Parents! This year was a great success, and we hope
to host future Holiday Reception's there. Again this is often a lot of fun for the Cadets, as well as any
chaperones present.
FUR RONDY PARADE:
During the week of the Fur Rondy celebration there is a huge parade in which several corps, including our own,
participate in. A formation of around 30 cadets marches on icy streets behind a
color guard, the Sweetheart and Cavalier, and cadets carrying our banner. Its
definitely an impressive sight to see, as well as be in!
MILITARY BALL: This is the our second dance of the school year and to which all the
JROTC's in the local area attend. The Sweetheart and Cavalier are crowned, as
well as the Princess and her Prince. Everyone has a chance to dress up and meet cadets from other
corps. Imitating prom, the event is usually accompanied by several limousines, bare shoulders, and a lot of sore feet.
This last year, the event was held at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
DINING OUT:
This is one of the last multi-school events of the year. Nearly 600 cadets and
guests filled the Egan center for a chance to participate in the customs and
courtesies of the military mess. There is "Flags over Alaska" and POW/MIA ceremony at the beginning, then dinner, and finally the cadets receive National, State and Local Unit awards
as well as medals. Award categories range from academics to leadership,
as well as dedication and military bearing. The event is always amazing to
watch, and is different in some way every year. West High's AK-033 has had the
pleasure of hosting this event for the past 11 years in a row.
AWARDS BANQUET: Not nearly as big as the Dining Out, the Awards Banquet is our Corps personal awards ceremony. Cadets are awarded ribbons such as superior performance, academics, and achievement. The hardest award to receive is the
JROTC letter, for which cadets have to do many flag raisings, have no unexcused absences, wear the uniform each week, and earn 2000 letter points based on participation in Corps events.
This is a lot of fun for the cadets because it offers a chance for the humor in
everyone to show.
