Subscribe to Front & Center
Learn what's happening on the campus of Fork Union Military Academy by subscribing to Front & Center. You'll receive regular updates on the news, special events, and success stories from our Corps of Cadets, conveniently delivered to your inbox for easy viewing on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone.
Want to view past issues of the Front & Center newsletter? Find them all on our website.
Stories in this issue:
- Julius Brothers Sign with Youngstown State
- Cadets Present the Colors at annual CFA Society Dinner
- Class of 2022 Continues to Add College Acceptances
- Annual Phonathon Coming February 14-24
- Upcoming Admissions Events
- 7th Graders Present Their Recommendations to the Academy's President
- Peace Advocate Badge Awarded to FUMA Cadets
- Custom Senior Photos
- Bravo Zulu Awards
- President's Blog: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
- Do you want to be a part of our Cadet Corps?
Julius Brothers Sign with Youngstown State
Four out of 1,000 births are identical twins.
Only 7% of high school football players go on to play at the college level. And less then 3% play at the Division I level.
So what are the odds that identical twin brothers would end up playing football on the same Division I college football team? It seems pretty astronomical! But that's exactly what happened this week when Dominic and Dominique Julius each signed their National Letter of Intent to play college football for the Youngstown State University Penguins this coming year.
The Julius brothers are seniors in their third year at Fork Union Military Academy.
“Watching Dominic and Dominique grow into superior athletes and having done that through a pandemic shows how special these two are,” said their head football coach Mark Shuman. “I think Youngstown State is getting two of the most hard-working and selfless young men I have been around during my coaching tenure. I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for Dominic and Dominique and I know they are going to succeed, academically and athletically, at Youngstown State University.”
Cadets Present the Colors at annual CFA Society Dinner
Cadets from Fork Union Military Academy were invited to attend and present the colors at the 18th Annual Forecast Dinner of the CFA Society of Virginia held at the Commonwealth Club in Richmond, Virginia, this week. This is the fourth year in a row that our cadets were invited and much thanks is due to past parent Brent Morse who sponsors the Fork Union Military Academy table.
Tim Redden of the Academy's Advancement Office reports that our cadets truly represented FUMA at a high level with the behavior, appearance, manners and their professional level presentation of the Colors.
Class of 2022 Continues to Add College Acceptances
Our seniors in the Class of 2022 continue to receive college acceptance letters from top colleges and universities across our nation. Our goal each year is that 100% of our seniors gain college acceptance, and the Class of 2022 had already achieved that goal as of December 13th.
This amazing accomplishment is a credit to the hard work done by our seniors and the excellent support given to each one of them by our College Placement and Academic Services team under the leadership of the department's Director, Kelsey Hill, and the Assistant Director, Dr. James Benson.
Additional college acceptances for these young men continue to arrive each week, giving these seniors even more options to consider for the upcoming year.
Congratulations to our seniors in the Class of 2022, and a big thank you to the members of our Department of College Placement and Academic Services!
Annual Phonathon Coming February 14-24
Cadets will be taking to the phones later this month in coordination with Fork Union Military Academy's Advancement Department to begin the Academy's annual Phonathon which will take place this year from February 14 through the 24th. Funds raised by the Phonathon go primarily to support the Academy Fund's annual fundraising goal.
Tuition only covers part of the costs of the Academy's operation, and the school must raise money through Academy Fund campaigns each year to fully fund the school's operations budget. The school keeps its tuition as low as possible to help make the school accessible to as many families as possible. Unlike other boarding schools that may charge $50,000 to $65,000 a year in tuition, our tuition covers only an estimated 70% of the school's costs and the rest of our expenses are raised from donors including alumni, parents, and other benefactors.
Cadets will be phoning alumni, current and past parents and family members, and other benefactors of the school to solicit their pledges of financial support for the Academy Fund in the evening between February 14 and February 24.
Donors may also show their support for the cadets' Phonathon efforts by making a gift online at https://www.forkunion.com/phonathon.
Your gift will help support the Academy's educational expenses as well as support the Access Scholarships and financial aid funded by the school's annual budget.
We thank you for considering making your gift to the Phonathon this year!
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.
Saturday, Feb 19—Admissions Fair in Fairfax, VA
- Meet with our admissions staff at an Admissions Fair on Saturday, February 19th, from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks.
7th Graders Present Their Recommendations to the Academy's President
In what has become an annual tradition under Col. David L. Coggins, Fork Union Military Academy's 11th President, members of MAJ David Mitchell's 7th Grade class met with the school president today to present their written recommendations as part of the Annual 7th Grade Capabilities Improvement Process.
The young men presented Col. Coggins with a list of seven recommendations for his consideration, ranging from longer breaks during the class day and more hours of Social Center availability to mini-refrigerators in each 7th grader's barracks rooms. Not all of their ideas were non-academic in nature, however, with several of the cadets wanting more books in the library (in addition to the 20,000 volumes already there). In particular, cadets requested some specific genres of graphic novels, comic books, and works of fiction.
Col. Coggins took some of their suggestions under advisement, but did give immediate approval to several of their requests, such as their request for opening a group room on the first floor of their barracks wing for 7th graders and the installation of some furniture to make it nice. Not only did Col. Coggins give his approval to this request, but he supervised the cadets rolling up his own office rug to tote off to begin the room's decoration.
Peace Advocate Badge Awarded to FUMA Cadets
CSM Catherine Garcia, the faculty sponsor of FUMA's Interact Club brings some good news to our attention this week regarding our cadets' accomplishments in community service and other work done under the auspices of the Interact Club and Rotary.
Fork Union Military Academy has been awarded the Peace Advocate Badge this week by the Youth & Peace in Action organization (youthpeaceaction.org). FUMA is being recognized as a Peace Advocate with at least 25 students registered in the My Peacebuilder Foundations certificate course.
Students who complete My Peacebuilder Foundations will be recognized as capable leaders skilled in analyzing community challenges and designing solutions that build peace. Previous alumni have used their peace education accomplishments to win scholarships to top schools, receive recognition through awards programs, and participate in university innovation labs. Your Peace Badge shows that your school is leading the way in engaging and equipping a community of young peacebuilders.
Custom Senior Photos
KFS Studios is our authorized vendor to provide custom senior portrait services. If you are looking to get some outstanding custom portraits of your cadet, just contact Kristin Firewicz.
Learn more at: https://kristinfirewiczstudios.com/home-phase-12
Or find her on Instagram at: @KRISTINFIREWICZ
Bravo Zulu Awards
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 Private Dominique Julius and Cadet Private Dominic Julius are seniors and third-year cadets in Bravo Company. They are boarding students from Philadelphia, PA and members of the Prep Football and Track teams. Dominique and Dominic just signed a Letter of Intent to play for Youngstown State University in Ohio. They embody the corps values of Fork Union Military Academy and will represent Fork Union Military Academy in a positive and enthusiastic manner. Bravo Zulu, Cadets Dominique and Dominic Julius!
Cadet First Sergeant Ethan Schroyer is a sophomore and a second-year cadet in Charlie Company. He is a boarding student from Wilmington, DE. Recently, Cadet Schroyer has been named as a semi-finalist in the selection process for a government linguistics scholarship. He has accomplished this extra work, interviews, and medical exams while continuing to set the example as a great student and cadet leader. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Schroyer!
Cadet Sergeant First Class James Robinson is a junior and a third-year cadet in the Headquarters and Service Company. He is a boarding student from Falls Church, VA and serves a vital role in the band as bugler and the lead for woodwinds. His work ethic is best displayed in his drive to always improve his skills at his instruments. This year, he has learned to play 4 different instruments enabling him to be the most flexible member of the band as well as a mentor to his bandmates. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Robinson!
Go FUMA!
President's Blog
Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Life is so precious.
Years ago in Chippenham Hospital, a young mother gave birth to a baby boy...a baby she was unprepared to raise and care for. Had it been a decade later, that baby might not have been delivered at all. But this mother saw her pregnancy through to that date of delivery, and placed the infant in the care of the Virginia Home Society. At two weeks old, the baby boy was adopted by a childless couple who raised him and built a family around him of other similarly adopted siblings.
And now, I celebrate each birthday with eternal thankfulness that my birth mother, whoever she was and whatever her circumstances, gave me that chance at life. In other circumstances, I might have been one doctor's visit away from not being here at all.
I am thankful I had the opportunity to grow up in a family that chose me and loved me as their own. My parents very purposefully named me David, after the psalmist of the Bible...a name that in Hebrew actually means "beloved."
But most of all, I am thankful that I have a God who has always had a plan for my life.
Throughout my life I have taken great comfort and inspiration from the words of David, my namesake, in Psalms 139:13-14:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.—Psalms 139:13-14
From these words, I know that even before I was born, my God knew who I was, knew who I could become, and had a plan for my life.
As I look across our Corps of Cadets, I see young men from all parts of the world and from all types of families...and every single one of them is "fearfully and wonderfully made."
Wonderfully made...the psalmist uses the Hebrew word "pala" which means to be marvellous, to be wonderful, to be extraordinary. In other words, to be special. Each one of us is designed to be special.
Fearfully made...the Hebrew word used, "yare," means to fear or stand in awe of, to cause astonishment, to inspire reverence or awe. Each one of us is made to be both awesome and awe inspiring.
I challenge each one of our cadets to look at themselves in the mirror each day and to remember this lesson from Psalms 139—God has known and loved each one of us from the moment we were conceived and has designed us to be just the way we are, and that each one of us is special, extraordinary, awesome, and awe inspiring in our own way.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You are, too.
Go FUMA!
Colonel David L. Coggins, USMC (Ret.)
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: Kristin Firewicz, Kelly Barnette, John Warren, Tim Redden