The Snohomish Marine Corps Junior Officer Training Corps Reserve (JROTC) recently held their annual Military Ball on Saturday, November 18th. Members of JROTC, their dates, and their families were all invited to attend. This was a formal event requiring attendees to wear formal attire and cadets to wear uniforms.  

“The ball was held to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday,” Maxwell Samaniego, a JROTC cadet, said. 

The event was hosted in the commons of Snohomish High School, decorated with balloons that represent the Marines and flags. The cadets of the ball included students of Snohomish, Glacier Peak, and Monroe high school. There were a variety of different activities, including dinner, photos, a ceremony, and a presentation given by Marine alumni that detailed the importance of the Marines and all the sacrifices they made. The cadets all took part in the ceremony, displaying their honor to the country. During the ceremony, the Color Guard came in and performed a flag ceremony, honoring the flag and the country.  

“I quite liked the ceremony, it was nice,” Samaniego said.  

After the ceremony, cake was given out to the guests in honor of the birthday of the Marines. The night ended with the cadets and guests letting loose on the dance floor.  

Kai Gorman, also a JROTC cadet, loved the dancing, especially getting to see his superior officers show off their moves. “My favorite part was the dance,” Kai said, “it was a lot of fun, and the music was good. Even the superior officers danced which was fun to see since they’re always so serious.” 

The ball went extremely well; the attendees thoroughly enjoyed themselves and everyone maintained their manners. Gorman said that “Everyone was super respectful, I expected a lot of messing about but that didn’t happen, they all followed directions.” 

Overall, it seems like the Marine Junior Officer Training Corps members had a fun and exciting time at the Military Ball.