February 15 was the fourth annual Blue Streak Battalion Ball for the JROTC program at the Holiday Inn hotel. The event took months to prepare and cost an estimated  $5,500. Colonel Roy McCutcheon helped with the event.

“We started talking about it in November. In December we [the Ball committee] had a meeting, then after winter break we started having weekly meetings,” McCutcheon said.

Of the 157 guests in attendance 132 were cadets. Dress code for the ball was strictly formal. Men were required to wear their JROTC uniforms and a bow tie while women wore formal dresses that could not be strapless. Not only was the attire of the event formal but the dancing was as well.

“There was to be no dancing like there is at homecoming. The kids had dance classes,” Colonel Wilder said.

The JROTC program had professional ballroom dancing lessons from a woman from “Dancing with The Stars: Harrisonburg.”

“We have 4 lessons per year, two a semester. She [the instructor] would come over and teach the kids ballroom dance, the waltz and usually a Latin dance,” Wilder said.

The event also hosted a guest speaker: Miss Wheelchair Virginia 2004 Pam Cobbler. Cobbler spoke to the cadets about honor, education, and commended them on being a part of the JROTC program.

The event also had a few jokes. 15 members of the ball committee came two at a time in front of the rest of the crowd to make impressions of their colonels.

“I loved it when the kids did that,” McCutcheon said.

The ball was for all the cadets in the program but they also dedicated time for the seniors graduating to share what they planned on doing after high school, recollecting on their time in JROTC, and wise words for the underclassmen.

“Just do what you’re supposed to and you’ll get further than you ever could,” Senior Thomas Honke said.

“Remember that what you do represents yourself, your family, and our country,” Senior Antonio Tienda said.

The common theme for the speeches were having a ‘never give up’ attitude, especially senior Eric Colon’s who speech was full of anecdotes about his time in the program and to the underclassmen to “Let yourself be helped.”

Following the speeches came superlatives done by the higher ranked cadets. The superlatives were not your typical ones; ranging from “Creeper”, “Biggest Flirt”, “Cutest Couples”, and “Most Likely to Hurt Your Feelings.”

“I loved seeing the kids going up there and making fun of each other with the awards,” McCutcheon said.

The dancing started promptly after dinner and the event lasted from 6pm to 11pm. When asked if the night was a success, both Coronel McCutcheon and Wilder answered yes. The ball is a tradition for the JROTC program and will be around for years to come.