Written by Cadet 1LT Lennon Spakousky
Last Thursday showed another very successful outing for the Wiesbaden High School JROTC as the Warrior Battalion, along with WHS’s principal, Dr. Ramaglia, led this year’s homecoming parade. Once a year, in the spirit of homecoming, the Warrior Battalion leads a school march through the Clay Kaserne military base and christened the Homecoming Parade. However, in the Homecoming parade, not just the WHS JROTC Battalion is included, as all of the school’s clubs, teams, and organizations are invited to attend the parade.
One such organization is the Wiesbaden High School band as they attended last Thursday, unwilling to miss a chance to display their skill through several different musical pieces.
This year’s homecoming Parade took place September 22nd, 2022, at 1730 on the main road of Clay Kaserne. Battalion commander Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Kasey Jacobs and the wonderful WHS JROTC color guard had the honor of being at the front of the battalion staff and 130 or so cadets present last Thursday, making it a truly memorable homecoming parade for WHS JROTC as one of the largest outings. This is helped by the addition of 8th-grade cadets, incorporated last year, the number of middle schooler cadets has more than doubled to 39 from last year which is very impressive to see the dedication in so many young cadets.
his annual event is not only a special time for the cadets and organizations of WHS, but also for the parents of these students. Many of whom attended the parade as spectators, last Thursday’s parade was accompanied by a large number of parents and onlookers who support the High School and the students attending. A break away from the years of COVID-19 has seen a huge increase in student morale and school spirit which is unhampered by the restrictions caused by the virus. Cadets this year were able to lead the parade for the first time without masks since 2019, let’s hope it stays that way.
The annual Homecoming Parade is always a great time of year for the cadets as it is always an honor to lead such a parade with so many students and onlookers attending every year, however, as time progresses, so will this school and it is the wish of many that every year will be better than the last. Cheers! And here’s hope for an even better parade next year.