Most high school dances don’t have the steps for the songs planned out a month before. They usually just play a random song and whoever knows the steps, dances, and whoever doesn’t just follows. The Military Ball, on the other hand, does plan things out before the ball.

   JROTC Cadets are taught how to do everything, how to dance, how to eat, how to behave, and how to dress appropriately, which is a good thing for everyone. 

   Affording the ball takes a while. All the donations from car washes, fundraisers and everything else is used for the ball including the money from the Royalty votes. 

    Kaydance Hagerstrand, a PVHS JROTC Cadet said “I loved the Military Ball. I found it fun because of the dancing, conversations, and food.” It’s good that we have the dance to enjoy ourselves away from the school. 

   Another JROTC Cadet, Battalion Commander Modena Maycong, senior said “I think the Military Ball is a good way to learn formality and proper etiquette. It is fun because we have dancing and it is basically Military Prom.” She’s also running for Royalty so people can vote Modena Maycong for Queen. 

   About a month before the actual dance, cadets are taught etiquette, such a proper eating skills, the names of different types of eating utensils and its uses, he dance moves to the songs that they will be dancing. Most songs are country songs and slow songs because they are the most formal.

   Some of the songs from last year include “Footloose”, “Wobble”, “Step in the Name of Love”, and others. This year, a new song most Latinos love to dance will be added to the playlist. “El Caballo Dorado” isn’t only enjoyed by Latinos but by many. 

   The dancing competitions are between the three companies, Alpha, Bravo, and Headquarters. The whole battalion consists of three companies, and each company of two platoons, and each platoon of about 45 people. The Commander of each company chooses a song that most of their company knows or is good at so they can win. 

   Having MSG Smith teach us how to dance is great because he always lightens the mood by teasing his students a bit. No one gets hurt because everyone knows it’s just a joke. He is one of the very few instructors kids can go to for any type of advice no matter what it is. 

   The Military Ball Royalty is really fun as well, having everyone run and compete for the Queen, King, Princess, Prince, Dutchess, and Duke. Voting was supposed to start late January but a few girls were eager to start early so we did. 

   So far, the top 5 people running are Modena Maycong, Yocelyn Aguilar, Kate Narciso, Natali Gonzalez, and Isabella Castro for the girls, and Ronaldo Flores, Eric Miranda, Blake Oviedo, Ivan Crisler and James Ratliff for the guys. It is quite competitive between us since they all want to win, but only three of each gender will. 

   Some girls are working together to win Queen, Princess, and dutchess. Creating posters for each other, spreading the word so people can vote for them

   Ronaldo Flores, one of the Company Commanders and the leading king said, “These girls wylin. I’m taking it easy though. I don’t care that much.” He’s right, all of the girls keep trying to win, but the guys are more easy on the voting. 

   Maycong, also said, “It is very competitive. Everybody wants to be queen, princess, or dutchess so the competition is rough.” Honestly, the competitions are quite a lot, but in the end everyone has fun. 

   You can vote for Royalty in MSG Smith’s room, 133 in the second building. Each vote is only 10 cents, so if you pay a dollar, that’s 10 votes towards the person you want to vote for. You can also vote for whomever you want as many times as you want. Voting for more than one person also works. 

   The overall dance is fun and all, but the food, the food might be the best part for most people. Ana Alvarez-Rodriguez, the S2, which is the person who takes care of doing risk assessments and making sure everything is in its place said, “The food was bomb! Even the U.S. President would love the Military Ball food.” She’s right though, the fine dining facility includes food like salads, bread, and the main course being either chicken, beef, or fish. Along with desserts and drinks like, water and punch.

   Flores also mentioned “I spilled water on the table last year. It wasn’t and accident. I just thought the table looked dehydrated.” You could say Military Ball was a blast last year, and hopefully this year too.