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Stories in this issue:
- Spanish III Honor Cadets Compete Virtually with AMIZ in a Spelling Bee
- FUMA Shooting Blue Devils Wrap Up Season
- Teacher of the Term for Term 5 Announced
- Teacher of the Year Announced
- Term 5 Honor Roll, Final President's and Final Dean's List
- Undergraduate & Senior Awards
- Seventh-Grade Promotion Ceremony
- Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
- Upcoming Admissions Events
Spanish III Honor Cadets Compete Virtually with Academia Militarizada Ignacio Zaragoza in a Spelling Bee
FORK UNION, VA – Foreign Language Department Chair Ms. Jocelyn Stevens’ Spanish III Honors class competed virtually with Academia Militarizada Ignacio Zaragoza (Ignacio Zaragoza Military Academy) of Puebla, Mexico in a Spelling Bee prior to the Term 5 exams.
The Spelling Bee consisted of words to be spelled in English from a list that Mr. Frank Sosa, the English Instructor at Academia Militarizada Ignacio Zaragoza (AMIZ), sent to Ms. Stevens. Ms. Stevens chose the list of Spanish words from which the Mexican cadets could have their students spell. Each school then chose tongue-twisters to present themselves at the conclusion of the competition.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to have our cadets practice their Spanish and grow a friendship between the academies,” said Stevens. “They got to interact with the Mexican cadets as if they were all in the same classroom in Puebla. This first exchange gave us a peek into each other’s world and gave cadets the opportunity to have fun and encourage each other.”
The virtual competition came about after Fork Union Military Academy and Academia Militarizada Ignacio Zaragoza (AMIZ) signed a Memorandum of Friendship in February of 2019. The friendship agreement was signed by both presidents stating that both schools will work collaboratively to provide their cadets a broadened global outlook, intercultural perspective, and greater appreciation of the value of diversity.
The goal of both schools is to establish a formal cadet exchange program, and although plans for that program had to be postponed due to COVID-19, the schools are planning to move ahead with summer exchanges in the future.
“The hope is that we will engage with each other several times a year, and that we can do longer spelling bees, tongue twister competitions, and even some type of “Jeopardy” game,” added Stevens.
The FUMA Shooting Blue Devils Wrap Up Season
By Noel Orsak
The FUMA Shooting Blue Devils wrapped up their first year and hosted their 1st Annual Sporting Clay Shoot Fundraiser on Sunday, May 15 at the Central Virginia Sporting Clay course in Palmyra.
We are so grateful to the participants, underwriters, parents, cadets and Brad Landseadel, the course owner for making this a huge success. Many of our cadets shot their personal best scores so they took home the High Over All trophies for HOA Male, HOA College and HOA Youth.
We are proud to announce that the team was able to send off our two graduating seniors, Grayson Mitchell and Michael Luce with college scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each.
We are excited about the 2022-2023 school year with our returning shooters, Jake Clodfelter, Trenton Maxwell, Hunter McDonnell, Cal Vasko, and newest addition, Owen Girod.
The team will add skeet and trap to our disciplines and is anticipating training with Virginia Tech and other college shooting programs.
MAJ Bob Busk Recognized as the Teacher of the Term for Term 5
Fork Union Military Academy congratulates MAJ Bob Busk for being named Teacher of the Term 5 of the 2021-2022 academic year. Cadets submit nominations for the Teacher of the Term at the conclusion of each grading term. The cadet nominations are reviewed and evaluated by the Teacher of the Term/Year Committee, which is comprised of non-academic staff members. After considering cadet nominations, the Committee announces the Teacher of the Term.
MAJ Busk is in his first year at the Academy and taught Earth Science during Term 5. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater College and later received his master’s in Education from Eastern Mennonite University. MAJ Busk served over 28 years in the United States Navy and United States Army before retiring in 2014.
Outside of the classroom, MAJ Busks assists with football and track and field, and enjoys working on his farm in Rockingham County.
MAJ Busk received nominations that stated:
“MAJ Busk was a great teacher. He was funny and explained everything well. MAJ Busk also told a lot of great stories.”
“MAJ Busk is a great teacher, you can tell he puts a lot of time into preparing class materials every day. He makes sure to create learning material where you can interact with what you are learning physically and not just out of a textbook. If one of his students is struggling, he will take the time to help them until they are comfortable with the class material. If I could, I would have MAJ Busk teach me all class subjects.”
“MAJ Busk is one of the best teachers I've ever had in my academic career so far. He always comes to class enthusiastic about the day, and his eagerness to educate us always rubs off on my classmates and myself. He's always organized, and always has a prepared lesson plan. He holds daily labs and takes us outside regularly to get a more hands-on experience of the subject matter. These are personally my favorite part of the class day, including making our own clouds, testing the elastic rebound theory with rubber bands, and using candy bars to simulate tectonic movement. MAJ Busk is also very relaxed and is someone I know I could talk to if needed. All these factors, as well as all the ones I have unintentionally left out, make MAJ Busk a very appropriate nominee for Teacher of the Term.”
“MAJ Busk is a cool teacher. He brought us outside for labs and we got to go all over campus, including in the woods. After not having about three years of science, I didn't think I'd do this well.”
Congratulations, MAJ Busk!
MAJ Bob Busk Named Teacher of the Year
Fork Union Military Academy congratulates MAJ Bob Busk for being named Teacher of the Year for the 2021-2022 academic year. Cadets submit nominations for the Teacher of the Year at the conclusion of Term 5. The cadet nominations are reviewed and evaluated by the Teacher of the Term/Year Committee, which is comprised of non-academic staff members. After considering cadet nominations, the Committee announces the Teacher of the Year.
MAJ Busk, who was named Teacher of the Term for Term 5, is in his first year at the Academy and taught Environmental Science, AP Environmental Science and Earth Science this year. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bridgewater College and later received his master’s in Education from Eastern Mennonite University. MAJ Busk served over 28 years in the United States Navy and United States Army before retiring in 2014.
Outside of the classroom, MAJ Busks assists with football and track and field, and enjoys working on his farm in Rockingham County.
MAJ Busk received nominations that stated:
“MAJ Busk is a great guy. I had him for Term 3, and he made me really enjoy FUMA since it was my first few weeks at the Academy. If you need extra help, he will stay after school and even during the lunch period to review your work. He is just a great overall teacher and person.”
“MAJ Busk is the best teacher I have ever had. I feel like he truly cares about his students and wants to make sure each one of them succeeds. MAJ Busk always goes the extra mile for his students and makes sure they are understanding all the material.”
“MAJ Busk was by far the most patient and most helping teacher I have ever had. He also may be one of the kindest people I have ever known. He told us some great stories and valuable life lessons. MAJ Busk also taught us many things and made learning Earth Science fun for us. When I returned to school after being cured from COVID-19, MAJ Busk helped me catch up on all my missed topics, and I ended up getting a 98 on the final exam.”
“MAJ Busk is always a happy person who spreads so many smiles and positivity throughout FUMA. He is someone who you can really look up to and aspire to be like.”
“MAJ Busk is not only my teacher but also my coach. He has high expectations for everyone. He is always positive and always has a smile on his face. One thing I really like about him is that he always has a story about working on his farm, which are very interesting. I think MAJ Busk deserves to be Teacher of the Year because its only his first year at the Academy and he is already such an amazing teacher.”
Congratulations, MAJ Busk!
Honor Roll for Term 5, President's List and Dean's List Finalized
Cadets who perform well academically in their class studies each grading term, receiving grades B- or better as their final grade for the term, are named to the Honor Roll by COL Mike Goad, the Academic Dean of Fork Union Military Academy.
Below is the Honor Roll for Term 5 of the 2021-2022 academic year:
Grade 7
- Jayden Anderson
- Riley Belden
- Nico Brown
- Jaden Harris
- Jeremy Herron
- Trevor Shirk
- Kadin Stremlau
Grade 8
- Theophilus Aberra
- Mason Alston
- Neil Bayley
- Maddox Beaulieu
- Eugene Belozerov
- Robert Callahan
- Christopher Chadwell
- Colton Childers
- Nicholas Coleman
- Elias Fudge
- Nathaniel Hopkins
- Selah Houston
- Val Kelestyn
- Braedan Kelly
- Ishan Kumar
- Zacarya Mara
- Emmanuel Neba
- Ellis Roberts
- Jimmy Sa Said
- Jackson Sereno
- Iker Serrano
- Travis Tran
9th Grade
- Rajveer Ahluwalia
- Joseph Athey
- Dreylan Creasy
- Clayton Dunaway
- Antwan Dunmyer
- Leland Edwards
- Jackson Fields
- Daniel Firewicz
- Isaac Gilman
- Aidan Good
- Miles Graybill
- Luc Havens
- Sean Hurley
- Roman Molina
- Sean Orth
- Jihwan Park
- Niv Patel
- Moses Rattin
- Lucas Shomaker
- William Stimson
- Vu Tran
- Joaquin Yescas
10th Grade
- Christopher Acosta-Serrano
- Jonie-Galton Ansah
- Fritzner Black
- Jaxon Brooks-Powell
- Lucian Brucker
- Jacob Clodfelter
- Calieb Collazo
- John Cottey III
- Robert Crippen
- Daniel Desulme
- Armando Duchesne
- Sebastian Espino Jimenez, Jr.
- William Girod
- Seth Groelz
- George Gurney
- Laith Haddad
- Brady Hippler
- Oghenetejiri Idudu
- Tyler Manglicmot
- Aidan McCants
- Hunter McDonnell
- Tucker Miller
- Everett Mitchell
- Kelvin Montesinos
- Daouda Niang
- Cameron Oppenheim
- Jaydn Pieron
- Colin Reynolds
- Virgil Ryland
- Ethan Schroyer
- Diego Serrano
- Christopher Susann
- Emanuel Teklu
- Yonas Wilcox
- Andrew Wing
11th Grade
- Jordan Anderson
- Aiden Bailey
- Ayden Bland
- George Boitano
- Charles Campbell
- Diego Cofino Paiz
- Jace Corbett
- Minh Dao
- Caleb Davis
- Grant Demorro
- Ousmane Dieng
- Jackson Edwards
- Justin Fraser
- Lance Gowans
- Sean Hall
- Samson Hauler
- Reagan Hayes
- Tzu-Heng Hung
- Jai Johnson
- Damarre Joseph
- Wesley Lay
- Michael Lenherr
- Grant Liskey
- Thomas Manganiello
- Michael Marandure
- Jack McCall
- Matthew Moore
- Nicholas Petrillo
- Braden Piersol
- Jackson Pretus
- Isaac Rivera
- James Robinson
- Oscar Sa Zacarias-Bendek
- Alibek Saurambayev
- Ahmad Shah
- Dino Siervo
- Peter Signorino
- Tugsbilguun Sodbaatar
- Copeland Spearman
- Ethan Stroh
- Matthew Vinso
- Lucas Yates
12th Grade
- Sebastian Antoine-Pompey
- Giancarlo Antunes
- Nhyiraba Asumadu Addo
- Damien Baize
- Christian Beale
- Mason Bligen
- John Bowdish
- Aidan Burgess
- Jaden Carter
- Mitchell Coe
- Pierce Collum
- Sa'eed Dasher
- Gavin Demorro
- Maxwell Dumas
- Oliver Hall
- Mitchell Heatwole
- Eric Jones
- Dominic Julius
- Joshua Labasky
- Michael Luce
- Robel Lulseged
- Jackson Mayo
- Kieran Meyer
- Grayson Mitchell
- Elijah Munoz
- Zachary Piper
- Jesse Plese
- Dominic Primavera
- Sebastian Quinteros
- Connor Smith
- Gary Smith
- Austin Storm
- Massimo Swail
- Peter Twetten
- Alexander Wills
- Steven Zaitsev
Postgraduates
- Sean Lovely, Jr.
- Bailey Burton
Cadets who perform well academically in their class studies, receiving grades B- or better as their final grade for all five terms and have no honor code violations or admissions of guilt to honor code violations, are named to the Dean's List by COL Mike Goad.
Below is the Dean's List for the 2021-2022 academic year:
7th Grade
- Jayden Anderson
- Jaden Harris
- Jeremy Herron
8th Grade
- Mason Alston
- Eugene Belozerov
- Robert Callahan
- Colton Childers
- Nathaniel Hopkins
- Ellis Roberts
- Jimmy Sa Said
- Iker Serrano
9th Grade
- Joseph Athey
- Daniel Firewicz
- Aidan Good
- Sean Orth
- William Stimson
- Joaquin Yescas
10th Grade
- Fritzner Black
- Jaxon Brooks-Powell
- George Gurney
- Daouda Niang
11th Grade
- Ayden Bland
- George Boitano
- Charles Campbell
- Grant Demorro
- Ousmane Dieng
- Sean Hall
- Samson Hauler
- Tzu-Heng Hung
- Wesley Lay
- Michael Lenherr
- Michael Marandure
- Matthew Moore
- Isaac Rivera
- Copeland Spearman
- Ethan Stroh
- Matthew Vinso
12th Grade
- Giancarlo Antunes
- Nhyiraba Asumadu Addo
- Christian Beale
- Jaden Carter
- Mitchell Coe
- Eric Jones
- Michael Luce
- Jackson Mayo
- Grayson Mitchell
- Zachary Piper
- Dominic Primavera
- Connor Smith
- Massimo Swail
- Alexander Wills
- Steven Zaitsev
Postgraduates
- Sean Lovely, Jr.
Cadets who perform well academically in their class studies, receiving grades A- or better as their final grade for all five terms and have no honor code violations or admissions of guilt to honor code violations, are named to the President's List by COL Mike Goad.
Below is the President's List for the 2021-2022 academic year:
7th Grade
- Nico Brown
- Kadin Stremlau
8th Grade
- Neil Bayley
- Christopher Chadwell
- Nicholas Coleman
- Val Kelestyn
- Travis Tran
9th Grade
- Miles Graybill
- Sean Hurley
- Niv Patel
10th Grade
- Jacob Clodfelter
- Seth Groelz
- Laith Haddad
- Tyler Manglicmot
- Aidan McCants
- Hunter McDonnell
- Everett Mitchell
- Kelvin Montesinos
- Colin Reynolds
- Virgil Ryland
- Ethan Schroyer
11th Grade
- Minh Dao
- Reagan Hayes
- Thomas Manganiello
- Jackson Pretus
- Oscar Sa Zacarias-Bendek
- Lucas Yates
12th Grade
- John Bowdish
- Pierce Collum
- Gavin Demorro
- Robel Lulseged
- Kieran Meyer
- Gary Smith
Undergraduate Awards Ceremony
Fork Union Military Academy celebrated its undergraduate cadets with an annual Undergraduate Awards ceremony. Below are this year's award winners.
E.J. Snead Algebra Award | Thinh Pham
Awarded to the cadet with the highest average in Algebra I & II this year.
A.J. Cox Geometry Award | Thinh Pham
Awarded to the 9th or 10th grade cadet with the highest average in Geometry this year.
Justin Edell Award | Samson Hauler
Awarded to the rising senior who has attended the Academy since the 10th grade and has the overall best math scores.
Arritt Biology Award | Sean Hurley
Awarded to the 9th or 10th grader with the highest average in Biology this year.
MacDougall Environmental Science Award | William Stimson
Awarded to the ninth grader with the highest average in Environmental Science this year.
Beatty Chemistry Award | Jacob Clodfelter
Awarded to the underclassman with the highest chemistry grade this year.
J.W. Pendergrass Social Studies Award | Ethan Schroyer
Awarded to the underclassman with the highest average in US History and US Government classes this year.
H.R. Kelly Foreign Language Award for Spanish | Jackson Pretus
Awarded to the undergraduate with the highest average in Spanish this year.
H.R. Kelly Foreign Language Award for German | Samson Hauler
Awarded to the undergraduate with the highest average in German this year.
The Most Improved Artist Award | Robert Callahan
Awarded to the underclassmen art student who is constantly trying to better them selves creatively.
The Most Outstanding Artist Award | Grant Demorro
Awarded to the art student who shows a passion for creating.
Edgerton Freshman Music Award | Joseph Athey
Awarded to the best overall freshman in the band.
Edgerton Sophomore Music Award | Kelvin Montesinos
Awarded to the best overall sophomore in the band.
Edgerton Junior Music Award | James Robinson
Awarded to the best overall junior in the band.
LaZizza Most Efficient Band Member Award - Junior | George Boitano
Awarded to the most efficient junior in the band.
LaZizza Most Efficient Band Member Award - Sophomore | Jonathan Farmer
Awarded to the most efficient sophomore in the band.
LaZizza Most Efficient Band Member Award - Freshman | Moses Rattin
Awarded to the most efficient freshman in the band.
Semper Fidelis Musical Excellence Award | Ousmane Dieng
Awarded to the underclassman who is recognized as an outstanding musical performer.
Charles Goodall Snead Award | Kendall Coard
Awarded to a rising senior who demonstrates leadership in all phases of cadet life.
Gus Lacy Spirit and Character Award | Jackson Pretus
Awarded to a rising senior who distinguishes himself in exemplifying the highest intellectual, moral, ethical, spiritual, and humanitarian qualities toward his fellow cadets, faculty, and staff within the true theme of FUMA’s “Body, Mind, & Spirit.”
Greenbrier Award | Trenton Maxwell
Awarded to a rising senior to represent Greenbrier Military Academy during his senior year so the “Greenbrier Spirit” will live on in today’s FUMA Corps of Cadets.
Sullivan Award | Thomas Manganiello
Awarded to a prep athlete who demonstrated the qualities exemplified by coach Micky Sullivan: always positive, fiercely persistent, dedicated to students, charismatic communicator & dedicated to their faith.
E.H. Lacy Seniority in Attendance Award | Ousmane Dieng
Awarded to a rising senior who been in continued attendance the longest.
K.T. Whitescarver Marine Award | Ethan Schroyer
Awarded to a junior NCO who is dedicated to duty and attention to detail, embodies attributes of Col. Kenneth T. Whitescarver, President of FUMA 1968-90.
Reserve Officer's Association Award | Wesley Lay
Awarded to the undergraduate who has attended FUMA for at least 3 years, be in good academic standing, demonstrate a high degree of loyalty to the school, community and the country, demonstrate exceptional potential in leadership, and not have previously received this award.
Barker Retan Rifles Award | William Vasko & Thinh Pham
Awarded to the most outstanding new freshman in Retan Rifles.
Crockett Award | William Girod
Awarded to a returning Cadet Officer.
Col. Fred Hoffman QM Award | Eugene Belozerov
Awarded to the best supply officer.
Excellence in Spiritual Formation Award | Jace Corbett
Awarded to an underclassman who participates in various events and activities contributing to the overall enhancement of ministry awareness within the Corps of Cadets.
AMCSUS President's Award | Jackson Pretus
Awarded to an underclassman who best represents FUMA in body, mind and spirit.
Craig Moon Endowed Scholarship | Wesley Lay
Awarded to a cadet who demonstrates integrity, character, leadership, humility with preference for U.S. Air Force.
Edgerton Music Scholarship | James Robinson, Kelvin Montesinos, Joseph Athy, George Boitano & Moses Rattin
Class of 1954 Scholarships:
Jackson Fields, Miles Graybill, Joaquin Yescas, Moses Rattin, Jacob Clodfelter, Everett Mitchell, Grant Demorro, Trenton Maxwell, Charles Campbell and Kendall Coard
Awarded to underclassmen who shows real leadership picked by the Commandant's Department.
Class of 1955 Scholarship | Daouda Niang
Awarded to an underclassman in good standing, character, leadership thanks to Joe Kosaveach.
The Hamby Scholarship:
Matthew Vinzo, Laith Haddad & Miles Graybill
Awarded to cadets who exhibited the greatest improvement in attitude and/or self-esteem since entering FUMA rising sophomore, junior or senior.
Whitman B. Wiatt Scholarship | Val Kelestyn & Grant Demorro
Awarded to cadets with integrity, character, leadership, kindness, thanks to John & Susan Wiatt.
Paul Frederick Cobb Scholarship | Lance Gowans
Awarded to an undergraduate who has attended for at least one year, shows leadership, integrity and good attitude.
Sojourner's Award | Grant Demorro
Awarded to a cadet who is demonstrates the ideas of Americanism by deed/conduct.
Cadet Leader of the Year
Nicolas Coleman & Eugene Belozerov
Best Drilled Company | Charlie
Senior Awards Ceremony
Fork Union Military Academy celebrated its senior cadets with an annual Senior Awards ceremony. Below are this year's award winners.
William H. Hatcher Valedictorian Award | Robel Lulseged
Harry M. Waldron Salutatorian Award | John Bowdish
J.R. Wildman English Award | Kieran Meyer
Awarded to the senior with the highest average in English.
Jones Physics Award | Jesse Plese
Awarded to the senior with the highest average in Physics.
Miles Music Award | Aidan Burgess
Awarded to the best overall band member.
The Most Improved Artist Award | Kieran Meyer
Awarded to the most improved artist.
Most Outstanding Artist Award | Eric Jones & Sebastian Quinteros
Awarded to the most outstanding artist.
Frank A. Crockett Captain's Award | Robel Lulseged
Awarded to a Captain or Co-Captain of a Varsity or Prep athletic team with the highest academic average, good conduct, and good character.
David S. Hatfield Blanket Award | Elijah Munoz
Awarded to a Prep football player, who demonstrates the qualities of leadership, the importance of sportsmanship, concern for teamwork and exemplifies an attitude and willingness to improve his character as an example for others to follow.
Jenson Baseball Award | Connor Smith & Casey Labasky
Awarded to a baseball player that exhibits love of baseball, competitiveness, desire to excel, sportsmanship, and team spirit.
Paul Frederick Cobb Award | Dominic Julius
Awarded to a non-varsity football player who is considered MVP, displays same high quality of character and sportsmanship as displayed by Fred Cobb, a fine athlete, true gentleman and posthumous winner of the Navy Cross.
Forrest Lee Heil Award | Kieran Meyer
Awarded to a senior Prep football player who loves the sport, gives his all, and stands out as a contributing team player.
Randle Award | Dominique & Dominic Julius
Awarded to the best all-around athlete who is in grade 9-12 and must attend the Academy for over two years.
Battalion Leadership Award | Massimo Swail
Awarded to a Senior Officer or NCO who demonstrates outstanding leadership over the course of school year, consistently led by example, and maintained a firm but fair presence in the Corps.
Charles Rogers Leadership Award | Michael Luce
Awarded to a senior who is enthusiastic, has great character, respect of his peers and displays pride in the Academy.
General Douglas MacArthur Award | Gavin Demorro
Awarded to a senior who best embodies principles exemplified by life and service of General MacArthur: Duty, Honor, and Country.
COL A. Duane Fender Award | Elijah Munoz
In remembrance to COL Arthur Duane Fender, Commandant at Fork Union Military Academy who worked tirelessly to develop leaders of character. This award is given to the cadet that has shown significant individual development and increased contributions to the Fork Union Military Academy Corps of Cadets. This may be demonstrated by increase in leadership capacity, athletic excellence, academic proficiency, and spiritual well-being.
I.A. Howell Best All-Around Cadet Award | Robel Lulseged
Awarded to a PG or senior who is always enthusiastic, has great character, respect of his peers and display pride in the Academy.
The Most Valuable Graduate Award | Mason Bligen
Awarded to the senior who receives the most monetary valued scholarships for college during their senior year.
The Minuteman Award | Sa'eed Dasher
The Commandant's Cup | Charlie Company
Awarded to the most winningest company.
Congratulations, 7th-Graders!
Fork Union Military Academy held a special seventh-grade promotion ceremony, honoring the seventh-graders who will graduate into the One-Subject Plan next year.
The 10 seventh-graders graduated into the One-Subject Plan in front of their families were:
- Jayden Anderson
- Riley Belden
- Nico Brown
- Jaden Harris
- Jeremy Herron
- Cole Morris
- Trevor Shirk
- Kadin Stremlau
- Andrew Wade
- Jordan Zerkle
Congratulations, gentlemen!
Congratulations, Class of 2022!
This past Friday, May 20, 2022, forty-three cadets at received their high school diplomas in the 124th Commencement Ceremony to be held at Fork Union Military Academy. It was a beautiful morning for an outdoor event with the mercury climbing into the high 80s, and the sun shining as brightly as the smiles on the faces of the watching parents.
The Commencement Address was delivered by Kendrick F. Ashton, Jr., an alumnus of Fork Union Military Academy's Class of 1994. Ashton is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The St. James, a company that develops and operates performance, wellness, and lifestyle brands and venues. The flagship project of the company is The St. James Sports & Wellness Complex located in Springfield, Virginia.
Ashton reflected on his own experiences at the Academy and the valuable lessons he learned here that helped shape his own life and success.
"This place," Ashton said, "has nearly perfected a method of demanding self restraint, self denial, self reflection, selflessness, endurance, delayed gratification, discipline, accountability, efficiency, and, most importantly, gratitude. This experience develops a mental toughness, a physical toughness, a resilience and endurance, a maturity of perspective, and a will—a collection of character traits that is priceless."
Ashton reminded cadets that "character is destiny," and urged them to find an follow their own dreams just as he had.
In the Valedictory Address, Cadet Robel Lulseged told his fellow graduates, "This moment is evidence that we've overcome the challenge that we call Fork Union Military Academy, marking the end of an era."
Cadet Robel Lulseged delivers the Valedictory Address as school president, Colonel David Coggins (left), and Board of Trustees Chair, Paige Pruett (right), listen.
"What I'm taking away from here, that I think is essential going into the future," Lulseged said, "is the importance of having a moral code."
Lulseged has been a cadet at Fork Union Military Academy for six years, finishing his high school career with not only the highest academic class rank as valedictorian, but also with the highest cadet miitary rank having served his senior year as the Battalion Commander of the Corps of Cadets.
Lulseged was also one of ten Honor Graduates in the Class of 2022. In order to earn the distinction of Honor Graduate, a cadet must have completed two years of study at the Academy between grades 9 to 12, must have completed his senior year with a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and have met specific high standards in his conduct. The Honor Graduates of the Class of 2022 are:
Nhyiraba Asumadu Addo, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kofi Asumadu Addo of Ghana. Nhyiraba has been in attendance at the Academy since the 10th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 3.785. He will be attending the Stevens Institute of Technology on partial scholarship in the Fall.
Jack Bowdish, the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Bowdish of Raleigh, North Carolina. Jack has been in attendance at the Academy since the 11th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 4.231. He will be attending North Carolina State University in the Fall.
Sa’eed Dasher, the son of Hallema Mitchell of Northern, Virginia and Anthony Dasher of Freemont, California. Sa’eed has been in attendance at the Academy since the 7th Grade and has a cumulative GPA of 3.589. He will be attending the United States Military Academy Prep School in the Fall.
Gavin Demorro, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Demorro of Fork Union, Virginia. Gavin has been in attendance at the Academy since the 7th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 4.015. He will be attending the Universal Technical Institute in the Fall where he will take part in their NASCAR program.
Michael Luce, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Terry Luce of Woodford, Virginia. He has been in attendance at the Academy since the 9th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 3.5. Michael will be attending the University of North Georgia next Fall where he plans to participate in the Army ROTC program.
Robel Lulseged, the son of Ms. Yetti Esatu of Alexandria, Virginia. Robel has been in attendance at the Academy since the 7th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 4.602. He also served as this year’s Battalion Commander. Robel will be attending the University of Virginia in the Fall.
Kieran Meyer, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Meyer of Yonkers, New York. Kieran has been in attendance at the Academy since the 11th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 4.033. He will be attending Robert Morris University in the Fall.
Grayson Mitchell, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Case Mitchell of Barboursville, Virginia. He has been in attendance at the Academy since the 9th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 3.957. Grayson will be attending Texas A&M University in the Fall where he will be a member of the Corps of Cadets.
Gary Smith, the son of Mr. Gary Smith and Mrs. Olivia Bejarano (Bear-uh-hano) of Mexico City, Mexico. He has been in attendance at the Academy since the 11th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 3.504. Gary will be attending the University of Toronto in the Fall.
Massimo Swail, the son of Mrs. Linda Rinaldi and Mr. Ryan Swail of Miami, Florida. He has been in attendance at the Academy since the 9th grade and has a cumulative GPA of 4.107. He will the attending The Citadel in the Fall.
All Fork Union Military Academy graduating seniors will have the opportunity to continue their education at college in the fall as the Class of 2022 achieved the Academy's annual goal of 100% college acceptance.
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. The available spaces at our upcoming admissions events have been filling up quickly with our Fairfax, VA admissions events.
Saturday, June 11 -- Admissions Fair in Fairfax, VA
- Meet with our admissions staff at an Admissions Fair on Saturday, June 11th, from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks.
Saturday, July 9 -- Admissions Fair in Fairfax, VA
- Meet with our admissions staff at an Admissions Fair on Saturday, July 9th, from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks.
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:
Kristin Firewicz, Dan Thompson, Kate Goad, Noel Orsak