Parents Night - October 2016

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its first Parents Night of the 2016-17 training year on October 26.  A Parents Night is similar to a Commanding Officer's Parade that cadet corps down south organize, except the emphasis here is on the parents to come and see what their children have been learning since August.  The parade is also a good opportunity to give out promotions, awards, and to acknowledge the hard work of staff & volunteers.  This parade was also special for me because it was the first Parents Night where I would be commanding.  That's quite a big parade position for an Officer Cadet (OCdt).

            

Cadets on parade.

The cadets arrived at Inuujaq School's gym to set up chairs, flags, the awards table, and the coffee table.  Parents, children, and elders started to arrive after 6:00pm.  There was a sizeable audience when the parade started at 6:30pm.

            

The parade started with two cadets marching on the flags of Canada and the cadet movement to the front of the gym and planting them on both sides of the Dias.  (The Dias was really imaginary in front of the awards table).  The two flag bearers then became markers and marched to their assigned positions in the middle of the gym.  The remaining cadets marched on as a platoon and halted next to the markers.  The cadet platoon commander dressed the platoon before ordering the cadets to stand at ease.  When he faced forward, that was the cue for me to march in.

            

Cadets on parade. 

Me inspecting a cadet on parade.

The cadets came to attention when I marched in as the Inspecting Officer.  Lt. May & OCdt Swoboda followed closely behind me.  The audience stood as we marched to the front of the gym.  A General Salute and the playing of O Canada followed.  The cadet platoon commander escorted and followed me as I inspected each cadet on parade.  I did my best to look good for the people taking pictures.  When the inspection was completed, I gave the platoon commander permission to carry on with the March Past.

            

The cadets stood at ease and the parade continued with the awards.  Cadets were called up to receive marksmanship & fitness badges, and to be recognized for their participation in the Army Cadet Challenge that occurred in late September down in Manitoba.  I presented most of the awards to the lucky cadets and posed with them for photographs.  The pictures were taken by long time Arctic Bay resident, Clare Kines.  (The golden rule for accepting awards is, "Grab with the left, shake with the right"). 

            

I also had the honour of announcing the chosen members for the 2017 formed Biathlon Team.  The cadets had been asking the adult staff for the last several weeks about who would be on the team, and we did our best not to say who until Parents Night.  The Biathlon Team is one, if not, the most popular team that the cadets of 3045 want to be chosen for.  I think it's because the sport combines cross country skiing with shooting, and the annual competition takes place in mid-February in Whitehorse, Yukon.  A corps can only send six cadets, three males & three females, to Whitehorse.  We also pick two substitutes in case of emergencies.  I called out the eight cadets who were chosen:

Female

·         Attagutaluk, J.

·         Ejangiaq, S.

·         Paniaq-Knuk, S.

·         Pauloosie, S.

Male

·         Qaqqasiq-Taqtu, K.

·         Tilley, C.

·         Tilley, D.

·         Willie, L.

2017 Biathlon Team. 

The audience applauded the chosen cadets.  The adult staff now had to discuss who would be the two substitutes (1 male, 1 female).

            

A parent receives a Thank You letter from Lt. May. 

A parent receives a Thank You letter
from Lt. May. 

Lt. May continued the parade by acknowledging the parents who "came to the rescue" during the brief crisis that occurred at the end of the Army Cadet Challenge in September.  The chartered aircraft was unable to land in Naujaat (Repulse Bay), thus forcing the Naujaat cadets and their escorting officer to stay in Arctic Bay for one night.  The majority stayed at the community hall, but some were taken in by local parents.  Lt. May called these parents to the front to receive thank you letters written by the cadets of 3055 Naujaat corps.  The cadets of 3055 ended up having to spend a night in Rankin Inlet before the weather cleared in Naujaat.

Cadet Tilley C. (left) - Best Male Athlete.

Four cadets were called up to the front to place their name plates on the trophies they received at last year's ACR.  Their name plates had finally arrived in the mail.  Cadets Tilley C. & Pauloosie, S. were last year's top male & female athletes.  Cadet Tilley, D. had the best boots & deportment, while cadet Kines, T. was the most improved.

            

Cadet Pauloosie, S. (left) - Best Female Athlete. 

Cadet Tilley, D. (left) - Best Boots & Deportment. 

Cadet Kines, T. (left) - Most Improved. 

Cadet Natanine, E. (right).  

The last award of the night was the 4-Year Service Award, presented to cadet Sergeant E. Natanine.  I had the honour of presenting & pinning the medal on her red sash.  Congratulations!

            

The parade ended with a General Salute and the playing of God Save the Queen.  The cadets were dismissed after I led the officers out of the gym.  While parents, children, and elders lined up at the refreshments table, the corps had its picture taken in front of the NEAS flag.  NEAS is a sealift company that operates in Nunavut & Nunavik, delivering supplies to the communities during the brief summer months when the waterways are not blocked by thick ice.  The company is the corps's newest sponsor and they provided us with their flag for advertising purposes. 

   

*The majority of the photos that are posted on this blog were taken by Arctic Bay resident, Clare Kines.  Thank you.