Schools

Viewfinder: Eighth Annual BHS NJROTC Military Ball

Information and pictures courtesy of the BHS NJROTC Program.

By Cadet Ariel Ligowski, Public Affairs Officer

On Saturday, March 5, Bethel NJROTC held its annual Military Ball at the modern and sophisticated Matrix Corporate Center in Danbury.

This year’s ball theme was “We the People." The theme was dramatized by cadets Julia Buzak and Stephanie Caruso who performed a patriotic parsing of the Pledge of Allegiance. They were followed by cadets Griffin Teed and Chandler Gray, who were dressed in revolutionary era uniforms and performed a recitation of the Bill of Rights, and a corresponding Bill of Responsibilities. In keeping with tradition, cadets performed a moving POW/MIA Commemoration, as well as the ceremonial parading of the beef and the cake.   

Find out what's happening in Bethelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The cake cutting ceremoniously symbolizes the passing of wisdom through the ages.  The senior veterans of the night were honored by participating in the cake cutting.  The cake was cut with a Naval Officers Sword, and the first piece was handed from the senior veterans to the youngest cadet.  This year the youngest cadet was Michael San Giacomo, born December 7, 1996.  The veterans were all the grandparents of cadets and included William Mowat, a U.S. Army veteran, Fredrick Kaechele, a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, and Thomas Kelly, also a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. All other veterans were asked to stand and be recognized during the official ceremony.

The POW/MIA commemoration was performed by Cadets Yajaira Anaya, Rachel Dennerlein and Honor Cadet Michael Kaluta. A table set with symbolic objects crucial to the commemoration was placed to the left of the head table. The cadets explained the symbolism of each object, and upon initiating a moment of silence, Cadet Kaluta lit a candle in honor.

Find out what's happening in Bethelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Our guest of honor was Sergeant Major Michele Jones who traveled to the ball from Washington DC and gave a truly memorable speech.  The Sgt. Major served as the 9th Command Sergeant Major of the Army Reserve from October 2002 to August 2006. She retired in 2007 after 25 years of service in both the active and reserve component.  She currently serves on the staff of the Secretary of Defense as the White House Liaison for Veterans Affairs.  During her speech Sergeant Major Jones captured the attention of every person in the room.

The final portion of the evening’s formalities was the Commanders Waltz. Thirteen couples joined Lt. Commander and Mrs. Dwinells in a beautiful synchronized three-minute American style waltz to the song Fascination by Al Martino.  That was followed by all cadets dancing a waltz, foxtrot, rhumba, salsa and merengue, which they learned in their NJROTC classes. 

It was a wonderful night and the cadets would like to thank the citizens of Bethel for their continued support.  We are also especially thankful to the parents in the NJROTC Booster Club who worked hard to make the ball a great success.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here