I held a Parents Night Parade (PNP) on Wednesday, December 7 for the army cadets of 3045 Cadet Corps. They accomplished quite a bit since the October parade, so it was only fairly to publicly acknowledge and reward their efforts. The cadets were given advance warning, and worked hard on their drill & uniforms. I recruited the Grade 6 teacher to be the Guest Reviewing Officer (GRO).
The hour before the parade followed the same routines from the previous PNP. The cadets and I turned the gym into a parade square by assembling chairs, tables, flags, banners, sound system, and a reception table. I placed the badges and awards on the main table last. The cadets changed into their dress uniforms and anxiously awaited the arrival of their families & friends. The senior cadet formed up the cadets and took attendance. While this was happening, I spoke to the GRO about parade duties. They were: inspect the cadets, observe the March Past, give a brief speech, and assist me in handing out badges and awards.
The parade began at 6:30pm. I marched into the gym with the GRO following behind. We received the General Salute and the GRO inspected the cadets on parade. I did a brief welcome speech to the audience while this happened. The cadets then did a March Past to showcase their platoon drill. The GRO then gave a brief speech, commending the cadets for their dress, drill, and deportment.
Level 1 Marksmanship.
Level 3 Marksmanship.
The GRO & I continued the parade by handing out awards. We started with the usual two: marksmanship and physical training (PT). Three cadets achieved Level 1 Marksmanship and one cadet achieved Level 3 Marksmanship. (Level 1 is the lowest & Level 4 is the highest). Three cadets achieved Bronze PT, two cadets achieved Silver PT, and one cadet achieved Excellence PT.
Next,
I announced the three winners of the Fall Biathlon competition in late October. To ensure fairness, I divided the competing
cadets into three groups: First Years, Second Years, and Seniors. The winners received military-themed t-shirts
and bragging rights.
Two senior cadets attended a Year 5 leadership workshop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in November. I called them to the front to be publicly recognized for successfully completing the course.
Cadet being promoted to Lance-Corporal.
The last presentation the GRO & I did was promoting a cadet to the rank of Lance-Corporal. The rank badge is one chevron.
The
parade concluded with an Advance-In-Review-Order and a General Salute. The GRO & I exited the gym. The cadets were dismissed and the parade officially
came to an end. I thanked the Grade 6
teacher for volunteering his time to be the GRO.
The cadets & I posed for a group photograph and then attended the reception. The reception lasted about 20 minutes. The cadets & I needed another 15 minutes to clean the gym. I congratulated the cadets for another successful PNP and dismissed for the night.
Saturday,
December 10, was the last day for cadets before the Christmas Break. The cadets played sports & games in the
gym, and I finished the day with a candy toss.
I started doing candy tosses in 2017 when I had leftover Halloween candy
and wanted to get rid of it. It’s more
of a candy dump than a toss.
Prior
to the event, I have the cadets assemble the gym mattresses to form a large
square. They take their shoes off and
receive a large Ziploc bag. They stand
along the perimeter of the square while I go up to the second level and fill a
large cardboard box with candy. Once I
receive an all-ready from the cadets below, I pour all the candy onto the gym
mats. The cadets rush into the centre
and try to grab as much candy as they can.
It’s gone in a matter of seconds.
The cadets help me put all the mattresses away after the candy has been
claimed.
The
cadets formed up so that I could wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year. They wished me the same. I let the senior cadet in charge dismiss the
cadets for the final time in the year 2022.
We would reform in early January 2023.
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