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Stories in this issue:
- 2023 Alumni Weekend Recap
- The Band Shines at the Apple Blossom Parade
- Mother's Day Weekend Parade
- Cadets Hear Sermon from Howe Rice
- Fork Union Holds Second Annual Fine Arts Festival
- Fork Union's FCA Volunteer to Clean Route 15
- Happy Birthday to the Summer Babies!
- Bravo Zulu Awards
- Upcoming Admissions Events
- Do you want to be a part of our Cadet Corps?
A Successful Alumni Weekend
Fork Union Military Academy held its annual Alumni Weekend on Friday, May 5 through Sunday, May 7. It's always an exciting weekend, seeing all the familiar faces of our past Cadet Corps.
"Alumni Weekend 2023 was a success due to the support of our faculty and staff, the involvement and spirit of our alumni community, and the outstanding performances by our Corps of Cadets during Friday’s Retreat, Saturday’s Alumni Dinner, and Sunday’s Parade," said Director of Advancement Tripp Billingsley.
The weekend kicked off with the Alumni BBQ at Pruitt Lake on Friday night. It was a beautiful evening with faculty, staff, alumni and a special retreat from the Corps of Cadets.
Saturday was an eventful day, packed with back-to-back events. The day started with a Cornhole Tournament, followed by the Motorcycle Poker Run, the annual Golf Tournament and finally the Alumni Dinner at the Westin Hotel.
The weekend ended on Sunday with an alumni veterans ceremony, registration and class photos, and the annual Alumni Parade where the Reunion Class of 1973 marched in the pass and review.
"We are especially grateful to all of our Reunion classes," added Billingsley. "All were well-represented, and the Class of 1973 marched strong and proud to cap off the Parade, as well as the weekend."
The Band Shines at the Apple Blossom Parade
On Saturday, May 6, 69 members of the Fork Union Military Academy Band and Retan Rifles competed at the 96th Annual Apple Blossom Grand Feature Parade in Winchester, Virginia. The Academy came home with two awards, the Most Outstanding Military School Band and the Most Outstanding Drum Major for the second-straight year in a row.
“This is an exhausting parade for any participant, but our cadets are a cut above the rest,” said Music Director John Warren. “Our cadets have spent multiple days over the last month and a half at three-hour practices to prepare. After an insane amount of hard work on each cadet’s part, we were able to repeat the results for the second year in a row. This shows just how far each of our cadets have come, both for our drill team and our musicians.”
The parade is a grueling two-mile march where both units march together to represent the Academy. Schools from all over the East Coast were in attendance to perform. During the parade route, the cadets must always maintain forward motion, continuously playing and spinning rifles.
Fork Union’s Drum Major this year is senior Matthew Moore. Moore is in his sixth year at the Academy and is attending the University of Lynchburg next fall to study art.
“As the Band Director and his TAC officer, I have seen Moore grow up into the amazing leader that he has become today,” said Warren. “His leadership has been instrumental in the development of each student in the band this year. On Saturday, he was able to impress the judges, resulting in bringing home the Outstanding Drum Major award, outperforming countless public and private school bands that also performed in the Grand Feature Parade. To say I am proud would be an understatement when looking at all he has accomplished over the past six years. His dedication to the Academy and to this band has pushed our reputation to a level higher than it has been in decades.”
During the weekend, not only did the Academy Band and Retan Rifles participate in this parade and win, but they were also included in the Queen Shenandoah Coronation escorting the princesses in all events and participated in the 2023 Alumni Weekend at the Academy.
“As the Director of the Band and Retan Rifles, I never imagined when I started directing last year that they would have come this far in such a short time,” added Warren. “Both groups had shrunk to almost nothing when I came back to work as a TAC officer three years ago. As an alumnus, it broke my heart. Together with every department on campus, we have given the cadets time, resources, and opportunities to perform that have nurtured each one of the cadets to achieve greatness. I’m so proud of every one of the cadets and I am excited to see what they have in store next year. If their tireless efforts have brought them this far, where can we go next? The cadets will have to answer that question.”
Fork Union Holds Mother's Day Weekend Parade
Last Friday, Fork Union Military Academy held its annual Mother's Day Weekend Parade, the fourth parade of the academic year. Friday's parade marked the first cadet narrated parade in our memory, as senior Jackson Pretus handled all of the narrative script and introductions of units throughout the parade... and did a stellar job!
Joining LTC Tony Moss, Commandant of Cadets, and COL Stephen Macek, Chief of Staff, to take the pass and review was Mrs. Tina DeMorro. DeMorro is a member of the Parent Association Board and represented all FUMA mothers as part of the reviewing party. She is also the mother of Battalion Commander Grant DeMorro.
Following the parade, the Corps of Cadets had the option to go on leave for the weekend.
Cadets Hear Sermon from Howe Rice
As part of Fork Union Military Academy's Christian Leadership Series, the Corps of Cadets had the opportunity to hear a sermon from Mr. Howe Rice this past Wednesday at the Wicker Chapel.
Rice, a follower of Jesus Christ, has worked hard to combine his love for Christ into the way he operates his business and cares for him employees. He has been a Chick-fil-a operator for over 25 years in the Glen Allen and Ashland areas. He is currently an elder at Mechanicsville Christian Center and has attended the church for almost 25 years. He has chaired the board at Needles Eye Ministries and led the effort to start a nonprofit called Schools for Niger Africa.
On Wednesday, Rice spoke about "Who are you and Who's are you?" And based his sermon on verses 1 John 3:1 and Genesis 1:26-27. The image of God is to love God.
John 3:1
3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Following Rice's sermon, he handed out Chick-fil-a coupons to all in attendance.
The Corps of Cadets gathers in Wicker Chapel each Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday morning for chapel services. The Christian Leadership Series was started years ago by Board of Trustee member David Barrett. It is a program designed to bring successful Christian speakers to campus to help cadets see the intersections between faith, vocation, and leadership.
Fork Union Holds Second Annual Fine Arts Festival
Written by Music Director EN1(SS) John Warren
On Thursday, May 11, the Fork Union Military Academy Band and Retan Rifles put on its second annual Fine Arts Festival. Throughout the year, Band and Retan have spent hours practicing for events from West Virginia to the Virginia Governor’s Mansion. They have brought home trophies from every competition event they have participated in. We even need a trophy case after the past two years! This was all on display this past Thursday.
We started the evening off with a short performance from some of the members of Retan Rifles, performing a routine they organized themselves. Retan Rifles is led by junior Everett Mitchell, who was part of the reinvigoration of the drill team two years ago. They have come so far, and their dedication showed when they can do routines that they organize themselves.
Next, our seventh graders had an opportunity to play a small arrangement of the Avengers theme. All our seventh-grade students started this year in August exploring different instruments before choosing which instrument they wanted to pursue. Throughout the year, they explored music theory and technique and did an outstanding job performing for the audience.
For our third performance, the woodwind section played a song of their choosing as an ensemble. They played Viva la Vida, a popular song with the students and something they practiced together to perform. Senior James Robinson, the section leader for the woodwinds, chose the music and ensured that they were ready for the festival.
Our fourth performance was from the brass section. Senior Peter Signorino organized the playing of Seven Nation Army with the brass section, and they sounded amazing. Junior Jonathan Farmer, our drum major for next year, conducted the brass during this song so that Signorino could play with his section one final time.
The fifth performance was from our Honors Band, which has supported events both on and off campus, including a Christmas event at the Governor’s Mansion. They played 3 Marches by John Philip Sousa. This was conducted by our assistant band director, Brynn Welch. It must be said that most of our honors band students attending Military School Band Festival this year, bringing home multiple medals for 1st chair, and most students placing in the top three for their sections. These guys are amazing musicians, and it was all on display on Thursday afternoon.
The sixth and final ensemble that played was our Saxophone Quartet, led by Robinson. The Saxophone Quartet was started this year by Robinson, as a way for him and a few others to explore more complicated music. They have exceeded all expectations this year, playing at sporting events, ceremonies, and even having their own Christmas event at the Governor’s mansion. Robinson took music they wanted to play and rearranged it himself into four different parts so that they could play it as a quartet. His musicianship and they ability of the Saxophone Quartet have impressed everyone who sees them and I’m extremely proud of what they started this year.
Finally, our full band came together one last time to round out our band performances playing the Imperial March, from Star Wars. They pulled out all the stops, able to play a grade four piece of music when almost have of the students just started playing their instruments six months ago. They were directed by their drum major, senior Matthew Moore, who has proudly led the band this year to win after win. The band is growing and getting better every day and they got to show off the starting point for next year at the fine arts festival.
As the band director, I’ve seen each and every member of the band grow this year more than I could have ever imagined. But it would not have been possible without the support of parents, TACs, coaches, and administrators. Everyone involved in this program has given opportunities to practice, perform, lead, and learn. Without everyone working together, these young men would not have had the opportunity to grow the way they have. I’m so proud of everything these students have done this year. While they are all talented in their own way, it was the drive to not quit that got them to where they are. What they’ve accomplished is hard. No one will argue that. But they saw it through and I’m excited to see where we get to go together next year.
Fork Union Cadets Volunteer to Clean Route 15
On Saturday, May 6, Fork Union Military Academy cadets led by junior Ethan Schroyer did their part to keep Virginia beautiful along James Madison Highway. The Adopt-a-Highway program provides Fork Union Military Academy cadets the opportunity to clean up litter and serve the Fork Union community in a positive way.
Each year, more than 23,000 Adopt-a-Highway volunteers collect more than 44,000 bags of waste along Virginia’s highways. Adopt-a-Highway started in Texas in 1985. In Virginia, the program began in 1988 and is one of the largest programs in the country. Today, 48 states and Puerto Rico have instituted Adopt-a-Highway programs, along with Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain. That's put one million volunteers to work along the road.
It has sparked many related programs, including Adopt-a-Spot, Adopt-a-Street and Adopt-a-Stream.
Cadets who participated were:
- Ethan Schroyer
- Damarre Joseph
- Charles Moore
- Bradley Ray
- Nathaniel Hopkins
- Godwin Vander Weide
- Branden Arenella
- Destyn Romain
- Cameron Gray
- Jordan Zerkle
- Ever Castillo
- Luke Curry
Happy Birthday to the Summer Babies!
Last week, Fork Union Military Academy celebrated all cadets, staff and faculty who have birthdays in May, June and July. A huge thank you to SAGE Dining who continues to surprise us with amazing desserts each month.
Happy Birthday to the Summer Babies!
STAFF/FACULTY
- John Jackson
- James Benson
- Kate Goad
- Alton Terry
- Brynn Welch
- Stephen Plumb
- Frank Arritt
- John Hurley
- Alex Grant
- Kelly Barnette
- Aniela Macek
- Bill Hooper
- Joshlyn Resek
- Tripp Billingsley
- Mike Goad
- Nicole Adams
- Joseph Kenny
- Melanie Amos
- Bonnie Martin
- Shannon Higginbotham
- Steven Wilson
- Casey Mayhew
- David Wallace
- Clarence Bates
- Trenton Snoddy
- Joseph McDaniel
- Paul Pietrzyk
- Jose Rodriguez
CADETS
- Grant DeMorro
- Laith Haddad
- Cameron Gray
- Demitri Wilkerson
- Hunter McDonnell
- Johnathon Wooten
- Sebastian Espino Jimenez
- Ashton King
- Joaquin Yescas
- Brandon Verser
- Diego Serrano
- Antwan Dunmyer
- Tucker Miller
- Sean Hall
- Phillip Johnson
- Everett Amos
- Dominic Jackson
- Joshua Greene
- Nicholas Petrillo
- Kendall Coard
- Nathaniel Hopkins
- Christian Lopez
- Jayden Anderson
- George Boitano
- Copeland Spearman
- Nicholas Coleman
- Chayse Hill
- Jack McCall
- Francisco Toral-Munoz
- Pranav Puchakayala
- Ryan Conroy
- Dylan Rwagasana
- Jaxon Brooks-Powell
- Maurizio D'Alessandro
- Jake Nichols
- Destyn Romain
- Jose Romero Jiminez
- Aaron McDaniel
- William Girod
- Alessandro Gaudio
- Michael Preston
- Adrian Gomez
- Yonas Wilcox
- Samuel Duncan
- Kelvin Montesinos
- Jaydn Pieron
- Dallas Berry
- Peter Signorino
- James Hu
- Shane Balzano
- Clayton Rosen
- Wesley Lay
- Alibek Saurambayev
- Luke Curry
- Vu Tran
- Ever Castillo Vecino
- Noah Foley
- Matthias Moyer
- David Eaton
- Ethan Schroyer
- James Phillips
- Sean Hurley
- William Willis
- Brady Moring
- Myles Graybill
- Dreylan Creasy
- Nicholas Willis
- John Parks
- Levi Wikoff
- Niv Patel
- Ronan Montes
- Jayden Ginty
- Elijah Stanley
- Lance Gowans
- Josiah Johnson
- Thomas Manganiello
- Caden Sibley
- Dalton Davis
- Josiah Goodwin-Hamlin
- Robert Callahan
- Val Kelestyn
- Haggai Dulo
- Charles Campbell II
Bravo Zulu Award Winners
Every Friday the Fork Union Military Faculty and Staff meet to nominate a few who have exceeded the standards and demonstrated superlative performance. Whilst we have various awards and recognitions - a simple "Well Done!" we hope, is also appreciated. The combination of the Bravo and Zulu nautical signal flags, i.e., Bravo Zulu, also referred to as "BZ," is a naval signal, typically conveyed by flag hoist or voice radio, meaning "Well Done" with regard to actions, operations or performance.
The following are the Bravo Zulu awards for this week:
Cadet Nicholas Coleman is a freshman and second-year cadet in Charlie Company. He is a boarding student from Woodbridge, VA. Cadet Coleman presented a message on the Beatitudes and our attitude in chapel this week. He did an outstanding job. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Coleman!
Cadet Peter Signorino is a senior and third-year cadet in Headquarters and Service Company. He is a boarding student from Hayes, VA. Cadet Signorino took the initiative to sweep the Dining Hall after the birthdays celebration this week. His willingness to serve is a testament to his character. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Signorino!
Cadet Adam Hylton is a freshman and first-year cadet in Headquarters and Service Company. He is a boarding student from Quinton, VA. Cadet Alex Gibson is an eighth grader and first-year cadet in Charlie Company. He is a boarding student from Frostburg, MD. These cadets volunteered to clean the Veterans Memorial cannon in preparation of the Memorial Day Ceremony. Their dedication to beautifying our campus is commendable. Bravo Zulu, Cadets Hylton and Gibson!
Cadet Jeremy Herron is an eighth grader and second-year cadet in Charlie Company. He is a boarding student from Bolivar, TN. Cadet Joseph Athey is a sophomore and second-year cadet in Headquarters and Service Company. He is a boarding student from Woodsboro, MD. These cadets walked the entire campus and filled a large bag with trash. Their dedication to keeping the campus clean is greatly appreciated. Bravo Zulu, Cadets Herron and Athey!
Cadet William Girod is a junior and fourth-year cadet in Charlie Company. He is a boarding student from Port Republic, MD. Cadet Girod recently volunteered 4 hours of his time to assist a fellow cadet in need of friendship after a hard week. His care of others is a picture of his spirit. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Girod!
Go FUMA! | Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.) | President | Fork Union Military Academy
Upcoming Admissions Events
The best way to learn about Fork Union Military Academy is to schedule an appointment with our Admissions Office and come for a family visit and receive your own individual tour of the campus.
We also schedule a number of Admissions Fairs in various cities and regions throughout the year.
Monday, May 29 | Campus Open House
- Come visit our campus and learn about Fork Union Military Academy! Registration is required.
Do you want to be a part of our Cadet Corps?
Are you a young man in the 7th to 12th grade? Do you want to be a man known for integrity, respect for yourself and others, faith, character, and discipline?
We encourage you to fill out an application for enrollment and join our cadets here at Fork Union Military Academy.
Thank you!
Credits:
Photos by: Kelly Barnette, Kristin Firewicz, John Warren and Steve Macek.