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Stories in this issue:
- Track State Champions Receive Presidential Coins from Col. Coggins
- Academic Scheduling Underway for the Coming School Year
- PG Basketball Team Invited to Prestigious Post-Season Play
- Have You Ordered Your Skirmisher?
- Rodney's Rings
- PHOTOS: Retan Rifles get in some practice...
- Bravo Zulu Awards
- Did Phonathon Reach the Goal?
- This Week's College Acceptances
- Parent & Alumni Notes
- Upcoming Admissions Events
- Do you want to be a part of our Cadet Corps?
Track State Champions Receive Presidential Coins from Col. Coggins
Col. David Coggins this week congratulated our state champion athletes from the recent VISAA State Indoor Track & Field Championship. He presented presidential challenge coins to Dominique Julius, Isaiah Burel, Christopher Mulder, and Dominic Julius who were named the State Champions in the 4x200 relay.
Academic Scheduling Underway for the Coming School Year
Kelsey Hill, our Director of College Placement and Academic Services and Scheduler for 9-12 graders and our Academic PGs, has been working with cadets this week in setting their course requests for the upcoming academic year. She has been meeting with each cadet individually, reviewing their transcripts, discussing post-FUMA plans, and planning their academic schedules to help them meet with success.
The College Placement and Academic Services Department hopes to have all cadets scheduled by the start of Term 5 and then communicate with families about the upcoming academic year.
PG Basketball Team Invited to Prestigious Post-Season Play
The postgraduate basketball team caps off an outstanding season with an invitation to play in National Prep Championship in Hartford, CT, as well as the Phenom PG Nationals in Rock Hill, SC to close out the season in March.
Looking back on his first season as head coach at Fork Union Military Academy, Coach Bob Williams humbly says, "We have had a nice season."
The team rejoined the Top 10 of the National Prep Rankings for the first time in a few years after beating both St. Thomas More and Brewster Academy last November at the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, CT.
They then beat Hargrave in the FUMA Christmas Tournament in December with a score of 90-87 in an extremely well-played game by both teams in front of a Thomas Gymnasium crowd packed with the Corps of Cadets.
The team posted other big wins over teams like IMG Academy, Word of God, and the Miller School this year.
Coach Williams notes that Zakari McQueen of Richmond, VA, has had an outstanding season averaging 13 points per game and shooting 48% on 3-pointers, and taking a strong leadership role on the team.
Due to the pandemic, college players received a 5th season of elibility. This, combined with the NCAA Transfer Portal, has made it very difficult for high school and postgraduate players to gain much attention and scholarship offers. The pandemic, unfortunately, will have a residual affect on college and high school basketball for years to come. Despite that, Coach Williams reports that a number of universities have watched the Fork Union players throughout the season and he expects college offers to roll in for his players as they wrap up this season and on into the spring.
Have You Ordered Your Skirmisher?
Don't forget to reserve your copy of the school's yearbook, The Skirmisher, from Jostens for this year! Go to jostens.com/2022yearbook or click the button below. Don't delay, do it today.
Rodney's Rings
Longtime readers of the Front & Center may recall a heartwarming story from back in the summer of 2019 about a FUMA alumnus from the Class of 1974, Rodney Paden, and his surprise gift from Col. David L. Coggins, the President of Fork Union Military Academy. Well, Col. Coggins paid another visit to Rodney Paden recently and we thought we'd tell his story once again.
Rodney Paden valued one of his possessions more highly than all his others: his class ring from Fork Union Military Academy's Class of 1974. He wore it every day for more than forty years. And when it went missing, stolen from his room in June 2018 he was heartbroken.
Rodney had attended Fork Union since the fifth grade, graduating eight years later in 1974. He then attended Juniata College in Pennsylvania for three years until a devastating accident changed his life. The car Rodney was driving was hit head-on by a drunk driver going the wrong way.
Rodney received a severe traumatic brain injury in the accident and he has lived for most of the years since that time in an assisted living facility near his mother's residence in Green Valley, Arizona. Although that accident did great damage, Rodney's memories of his days at Fork Union Military Academy remain with him, and his prized class ring rarely left his finger. Until that devastating day it was apparently stolen from his room.
Thanks to the efforts of Jostens, an identical replica of Rodney's ring was created and in July 2019, while traveling on a personal vacation, Col. David Coggins and his wife Kelli paid a visit to Rodney Paden in Arizona and presented him with a replacement for his class ring.
This month on his visit with Rodney, Col. Coggins learned that Rodney had recently found his Middle School class ring from Fork Union Military Academy as well, so now Rodney proudly wears his matching set of FUMA rings!
Just as his memories from Fork Union Military Academy remain so prominent in Rodney's mind each day, let us all keep Rodney and his mother, Pat Paden-Finger, in our thoughts and in our prayers for their continued good health and happiness.
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 Daniel Bartsevich is a senior and a fourth-year cadet in Alpha Company. He is a boarding student from Lawrenceville, NJ. Cadet Bartsevich represented FUMA at the VISAA State Swimming Championships last weekend and placed 5th in his heat. He also finished with his personal best time. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Bartsevich!
Cadet Captain Michael Luce is a senior and fourth-year cadet in Bravo Company. He is a boarding student from Woodford, VA. This year, Cadet Luce has held the billet of Bravo Company Commander and has truly developed and refined his leadership abilities, working to influence and inspire his peers to work to be the best company in the corps. He is always motivated and ready to accept the next challenge, showing true dedication and perseverance. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Luce!
Cadet Privates Kaden Stremlau and Cole Morris are seventh graders and first-year cadets in Charlie Company. Cadet Stremlau is a boarding student from McAllen, TX, and Cadet Morris is a day student from Scottsville, VA. They each wrote a paper on “How to be a Good American” for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) sponsored annual competitive contest. This week, they traveled to Louisa’s VFW post with instructor, MAJ Mitchell, to accept a certificate and a monetary award for their excellent work. Their papers will now be sent to compete at the State level competition. Bravo Zulu, Cadets Stremlau and Morris!
Cadet Second Lieutenant Ousmane Dieng is a junior and fifth-year cadet in Headquarters and Service Company. He is a boarding student from Germantown, MD and serves as platoon leader. Cadet Dieng has spent the last week leading the drumline in practicing two new cadences to be played during the spring parade season. He has organized meetings with cadet leaders and privates to improve his platoon’s morale and motivation. The band platoon has become a much stronger unit during inspections and formations due to his leadership. Bravo Zulu, Cadet Dieng!
Cadet Privates Dino Siervo and Jonie Ansah Cadet Siervo is a junior, third-year cadet in Bravo Company, and a boarding student from Alexandria, VA. Cadet Ansah is a sophomore, first-year cadet in Headquarters and Service Company, and a boarding student from Severn, MD. Both young men played a vital role in our annual Phonathon event over the last two weeks. They were among our most productive callers and made calls during their class day free time to make up for time missed due to other commitments in the evenings. Bravo Zulu, Cadets Siervo and Ansah!
Go FUMA!
Did Phonathon Reach the Goal?
When our cadets started making their calls last night for the final night of our Phonathon this year, they were just a few thousand dollars short of their goal.
Did they reach the goal? Well, that remains to be seen...
The team dialed over 4,000 alumni, family, and friends in the past two weeks. That's a record!
Our cadets may have finished up placing their phone calls last night, but our team in the Advancement Department is still adding up all the gifts and pledges that have been pouring in from the phones and our online giving form.
We've heard from many alumni and friends that did not receive the expected phone call. Our cadets are sorry they did not get to connect with everyone who was hoping to hear from them. It must be a good sign for Fork Union Military Academy's future that there are more folks wanting to donate to the Phonathon than there is time to reach them all by telephone!
Even though our cadets are back on CQ (their mandatory study period) instead of calling on the phones in the evening, it is not too late for you to make a gift to the Phonathon. Our online Phonathon giving form will remain operating for the next couple of weeks and you can make your gift there at https://www.forkunion.com/phonathon or by clicking the button below.
This Week's College Acceptances
Our cadets in the Class of 2022 continue to stack up college acceptance letters!
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.
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!
Parent & Alumni Notes
Save the Date: Alumni Weekend
Alumni Weekend is coming! Now is the time to block off your calendar for April 29-May 1, and to make your hotel reservations.Click the button below to learn more about the hotels that have blocks of rooms for Alumni Weekend.
Parents, have you made your Spring Break plans?
Spring Break Leave is scheduled for March 4-13, 2022. This is a major leave, which means it is mandatory that all cadets depart campus. Get all of the details on transportation and schedules by clicking the button below.
Have You Submitted Your Reenrollment Documents Yet?
We have already received completed reenrollment paperwork from almost half (49%) of our current cadets who are eligible to return for the 2022-2023 school year. May 31st is the deadline to submit your reenrollment contract and pay your registration fee for the next school year. If you have any questions please email our admissions team at admissions@fuma.org.
Campus Going Cashless for Cadets After Spring Break
When cadets return from Spring Break later this spring, they will want to have a debit card of some kind on hand if they wish to purchase snacks at the Social Center or make any other similar purchases on campus.
The campus is going cashless after spring break.
Cadets may still have cash as needed for travel home or for use on off-campus trips, but all facilities on campus will only accept credit or debit cards for purchases, and will not accept cash.
There are vendors and banks that specialize in providing debit cards for kids and teenagers that permit parents to manage and monitor all spending activity. Many of our families already use cards such as those offered by Greenlight. You can learn more about Greenlight cards at https://greenlight.com/, although Fork Union Military Academy has no relationship with Greenlight or any other such vendor and we simply offer this website as an information resource.
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 for February and March already being "sold out."
Saturday, April 9—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.
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