Once you master the concept of buoyancy, neutral buoyancy is like experiencing zero gravity, kind of like being in space. For a place where two astronauts are amongst its alumni, that’s rather fitting. And fun.
You can encounter marine life without going to places like Sea World.
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At amusement parks, animals are in an unnatural state. Farragut students get to see incredible life happening up close. Like a manta ray swimming overhead or dolphin zipping by or a school of multicolored fish swooping in and around them. As a scuba diver, you also get to explore the nooks and crannies of miraculous rock formations. Beats standing in line for hours in Orlando.
You can act like a superhero.
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Scuba divers have described the feeling of putting on a wetsuit, air tank, mask and flippers as a superhero-type experience. Once you’re in the water…and you can breathe under there, well, it’s like having a superpower, right?
You get visit some pretty cool places.
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From the Gulf of Mexico to the Suwannee River to the Keys to Ginnie Springs, the state of Florida ranks among the top places to dive. Ginnie Springs, a place visited by the Farragut Scuba program each year, has often been called “the world’s favorite freshwater dive.” Over the years, thousands of divers from around the world have marveled at Ginnie Springs’ crystal-clear water and startling natural beauty. Jacques Cousteau, in fact, characterized Ginnie Spring as “visibility forever.” The Keys have some of the world’s most epic shipwrecks. The central portion of northern Florida is one of the largest and most active cave diving regions in the country. The Gulf Coast is home to abundant sea life, including Siesta Key’s Point of Rocks – known for the natural limestone rock formations.
Brooke Liu, who was enrolled in the Aviation Program at Admiral Farragut Academy, earned her private pilot certificate when she completed the one hour check ride on May 11.
“It’s incredible to think I’ve been able to do this,” said Brooke, who graduated with the Class of 2016 after spending four years as a boarding student. “I never would have been able to do all the things I’ve done, including getting my pilot license, if I hadn’t come to Farragut.”
Brooke was appreciative of the guidance by Rob Ewing, the director of Farragut’s Aviation Program. Ewing was instrumental in setting up the flight check, which was done by CAPT Tom Davis. Coincidentally, the Crystal River Airport modified its official moniker in 2013 to incorporate the retired Naval aviator’s name, renaming the airport as Crystal River Airport – CAPT Tom Davis Field.
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Brooke with CAPT Tom Davis
Brooke’s test flight included everything from emergency landings to stalls to a recovery 200 feet away from the ground.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking but I was calm because Mr. Ewing had basically taught me everything I needed to know and be prepared for,” said Brooke, who began taking courses in the aviation program two years ago.
Brooke also had to take an oral exam about different scenarios in flight and how to adapt to them.
“CAPT Davis actually mentioned some of the same questions Mr. Ewing had prepped me for,” said Brooke.
Brooke, who is from Chengdu, Sichuan in China, said her time at Farragut is life-changing and believes Farragut is just as much her home as Chengdu.
“I never thought all this would be possible four years ago,” said Brooke, who served as the Regimental Commander this past school year. “It’s amazing that four years ago, I had to focus on translating English to Chinese and back again in my mind and now I can just speak it naturally. And then to think I know how to fly a plane solo is just incredible.”
Brooke will attend Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland beginning in September.
During the Senior Class Awards and the Lowerclassmen Awards the following students and teachers were awarded for a multitude of accomplishments including academic, military, leadership, athletics, well-roundedness, community service, and more.
Senior Class Awards
The Administration of Admiral Farragut Academy takes pleasure in announcing the following awards to be presented at the Awards Ceremony at 1115, Friday, 20 May 2016.
THE CHAPIN AWARD: To the “Most Efficient Cadet Officer of the Year.”
Ruiqi ‘Brooke’ Liu
THE HEADMASTER’S AWARD: To senior cadets for outstanding service to the Academy.
Maiya Fudge
Rachel Goldstein
Hunter McCann
John Winters
HEAD OF UPPER SCHOOL AWARD: In recognition of the cadets who have embraced their high school experience, were involved in a variety of extracurricular activities and maintained strong academics.
Myles Beach
Ashaunti Brown
George Dyche
Elizabeth Gaskins
THE GENERAL DOUGLAS MacARTHUR FOUNDATION AWARD: For outstanding leadership as a senior cadet:
Michael Cooney
THE CLEARWATER CHAPTER OF THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE WORLD WARS ROTC AWARD: A medal for patriotic achievement, citizenship, and respect for constituted authority and leadership.
Rachel Goldstein
Certificate of Appreciation-Corynn A. Miner
SUNCOAST CHAPTER 014 KOREAN WAR VETERANS: A certificate and medal in recognition of excellent leadership ability and outstanding achievements in JROTC.
Alyx Wilkins
THE AMERICAN VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II, KOREA AND VIETNAM: A certificate and medal for leadership and academic achievement.
Eddie Barrie
THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY, SOUTHERN JURISDICTION, USA: A medal and certificate in recognition of scholastic excellence and demonstrated Americanism.
Jack Seabrook
THE MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE of FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS of FLORIDA AWARD: For recognition of a cadet who has shown perseverance and hard work.
Andrew Futcher
MILITARY OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA: A gold medal to the First Class Cadet who has distinguished his/herself in leadership, military bearing and excellence in character.
Ruiqi ‘Brooke’ Liu
NJROTC HONOR CADET: To the cadet in each year group with the highest overall academic achievement for the 2015-2016 school year.
CLASS OF 2016: Xuan ‘Vicky’ Wang
NJROTC DISTINGUISHED CADET: To the cadet with the highest combined average and scholastic standing in NJROTC, academics and military bearing:
Naval Science IV: Kollyne Thomas
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN COLONISTS: To the cadet who shows proficiency in academic subjects, ROTC activities, and Good Citizenship.
Corynn Miner
ZETA UPSILON OMEGA CHAPTER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY’S MERIT SCHOLARSHIP: To the cadet who has exhibited Leadership and Community Service.
Maiya Fudge
ZETA UPSILON OMEGA CHAPTER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY’S INAUGURAL RANDOLPH LEWIS “BRIDGE BUILDER” SCHOLARSHIP: Named in honor of Randolph Lewis, who volunteered for the organization for over 20 years and is given to the cadet based upon an essay and overall character.
Kevin Gordon
THE COMMANDANT’S AWARD: To senior cadets for outstanding improvement in performance.
Ivan Clare
THE MR. AND MRS. FRANK WENDT DISTINGUISHED MUSICIAN AWARD: To the outstanding musician in the Admiral Farragut Academy Band during the 2015-2016 school year. The award was established by Frank P. Wendt ’42, a graduate of Admiral Farragut Academy, North.
Franceska Akel
THE CWO-4 Victor Shul, USMC, BAND SERVICE AWARD: To the two cadets making the most outstanding contribution to the band program over four years:
Franceska Akel
Sarah Weiss
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY SOCIAL STUDIES AWARD: To the cadet who has shown the greatest interest and improvement in Social Studies:
Andrew Futcher
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY ENGLISH AWARD: To the cadets who have shown the greatest interest and achievement in English:
AP Literature and Composition-Sasha DeSilva
English IV Honors-Kenny Stutts
English IV-Melanie Andrion
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY WRITING AWARD: To the cadet who has shown distinguished passion and skill in writing:
Sasha DeSilva
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY JOURNALISM AWARD: For excellent performance on a school-produced publication.
Hannah Hartung
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY MATHEMATICS AWARD: To the cadets who have shown the greatest interest and achievement in mathematics:
Xuan ‘Vicky’ Wang
Cory Burke
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY SCIENCE AWARD: To the cadet who has shown the greatest interest and achievement in science:
Jhonelle Young
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY FINE ARTS AWARD: To the cadet who has shown the greatest interest and achievement in Fine Arts:
Xuan ‘Vicky’ Wang
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY FOREIGN LANGUAGE AWARD: To the cadets who have shown the greatest interest and achievement in foreign languages:
SPANISH: Jhonelle Young
CHINESE: Franco Castellanos
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY ENGINEERING AWARD: To the cadets showing the greatest interest and achievement in engineering:
Kenny Stutts
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY SCUBA AWARD: To the cadet who has demonstrated the most proficiency, excellence and participation in the dive program:
Jack Lescarbeau
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY AVIATION AWARD: To the cadets who have demonstrated the most proficiency in aviation:
Ruiqi ‘Brooke’ Liu
THE ADMIRAL FARRAGUT ACADEMY EXHIBITION DRILL AWARD: To the cadet who contributed the most to the Exhibition Drill Team:
Alyx Wilkins
THE ORIE T. BANKS BEST SENIOR ATHLETE AWARD: To the cadet selected as the best senior athlete of the year in memory of Orie T. Banks, a former Dean of Students of Admiral Farragut Academy. A medal and his or her name engraved on a permanent plaque:
Alex Gray
Corynn Miner
THE GRIMES MEMORIAL TROPHY: To the cadet contributing most to the athletic program at Admiral Farragut Academy. A medal and his and her name engraved on a permanent plaque:
Jack Lescarbeau
Maiya Fudge
THE ASSOCIATION OF MILITARY COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS OF THE UNITED STATES AWARD: To a faculty or staff member who has contributed most to the mission of Admiral Farragut Academy:
1st Sgt David Worthy
THE NATHANIEL “NATE” LEWIS WILKINS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD: Nathan Wilkins’ mother had planned to present this next award today, but due to a back injury and an out of town emergency, she sadly is unable to be with us today. Ms. Lewis has asked me to present this next award “The Nathaniel Lewis Wilkins Scholarship for Compassion and Loving-Kindness” in her words today………”Since the loss of my son age 20, 4 years ago, Nathan Wilkins, an Admiral Farragut class of 2011 graduate, I have made it my life’s purpose to be a walking continuation of the best of him. He was a wonderful son to his parents and step parents, a compassionate friend to his AFA classmates, a beloved student to his teachers, including but not limited to, Coach Nick, Mrs. Dietche, Capt Fine, his many band teachers, and CDR Grabowski. Those closest to Nathan knew who he was and they shared his sense of humor, compassion, love and kindness at every opportunity. As for me, Nathan taught me the meaning of true love with his birth April 16, 1992. From that amazing day until his death on April 22, 2012, he taught many people the value of loving-kindness and compassion. So it is In Nathan’s honor that I’ve established this $3,000 scholarship to be given to a graduating senior who understands and is dedicated to spreading compassion and loving-kindness as they walk through their lives. It is at times very difficult to know what one should do with their precious life and their future. Senior questions like “where to go to college or graduate school?, what to study?, how to make new friends and build a supportive community?”, may be easier for some to answer than others. Yet most of us know that when times are hard, compassion and loving-kindness is all we need to make the present moment clear and meaningful. Most Students at AFA have an exceptional ability to understand that personal sacrifice and hard work benefits the person offering it as much as it benefits the person receiving it. Our award winner for this year was able to recognize how healing it was for him to be surrounded by kindness and compassion when he first stepped foot on AFA campus; he was able to testify to the strength of character he had seen in his friends here. I would like to present this scholarship for Ms. Lewis to:
Hunter McCann
ROTC APPOINTMENTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS: PRESENTED TO THOSE CADETS WHO HAVE BEEN AWARDED AN APPOINTMENT OR A SCHOLARSHIP IN ONE OF THE BRANCHES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY.
Jack Winters-Merchant Marine Academy Appt. in the amount of $250,000
George Dyche-Navy ROTC Scholarship in the amount of $180,000
Jack Lescarbeau-Navy ROTC Scholarship for $180,000 and an Army ROTC Scholarship in the amount of $135,000
Underclassmen Awards
On May 23, Farragut held its Underclassmen Award ceremony honoring the accomplishments of the Upper School cadets.
The students in the Scuba Program finished the 2015-16 academic calendar with some incredible trips to Key Largo and Peacock Springs.
On another note, we would like to bid adieu to Scott Davenport, the incredible director of our Scuba program and upper school biology teacher for the past 8 years. Mr. Davenport will begin teaching marine science at a high school in Gainesville next school year. He also intends to begin a similar scuba program as the one he helped establish here at Farragut.
“I’m very indebted to Mr. Davenport for helping me become such a confident person,” said Jack Lescarbeau ‘16, who took scuba classes for three years. “He was as good of a mentor as you could ask for. He taught me just as much about life out of the water as he did in the water. He taught me about the type of responsibility you need to be successful in life.”
Jack, who is headed to Arizona State University on an Army ROTC scholarship, was able to achieve dive master status through Mr. Davenport’s guidance and instruction. Over the years, Jack has dove in caves that are 500 feet deep as well as in water miles off the coast of St. Petersburg.
“Mr. Davenport taught me and the other students how to handle things in the water with the proper amount of respect,” said Jack, who hopes to dive in Indonesia one day. “The incredible thing is when we would go diving in different parts of Florida, we were much better divers than some of the so-called experts out there with us. And they would tell us.”
We wish you well, Mr. Davenport! See you in the water.
Each year, Admiral Farragut Academy sends an accomplished list of graduates off to college and the working world. The Class of 2016 once again demonstrated excellence, boasting a 100 percent acceptance into college. In addition, over $5.5 million was awarded in scholarship money to these fine young men and women.
Acceptances included elite universities such as: Notre Dame University, Vanderbilt University, and Wellesley College, Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Rice University, Georgetown University, North Carolina University, University of Miami, Georgia Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The class has one National Merit Scholarship recipient.
Matriculation includes the following impressive list of colleges:Johns Hopkins University, University of Florida, The Citadel, Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne (Swiss), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona State University, Boston University, University of California – Irvine, Michigan State University, Ohio State University,Oregon State University, Pennsylvania State University
Sasha DeSilva ‘16 thanks Farragut for helping shape the Class of 2016 and the group’s excellence at the school’s 82nd commencement; Vince Scott ‘85 returns as former valedictorian to give commencement address
Introvert to Extrovert
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When Sasha DeSilva first arrived at Farragut, she admittedly was an introvert. Over time, though, Sasha shed her shyness and developed into another one of the outstanding graduates of Admiral Farragut Academy, graduating with honors as the 2016 valedictorian. As she told the Class of 2016 and the others in attendance at Farragut’s 82nd commencement last Saturday, she grew to understand the importance of the uniform and the merits of student leadership, thanks to the culture of Farragut.
“Farragut wouldn’t allow me to slip under the radar as we would have in other schools. Teachers encouraged us to explore our interests and pursue new ones. Older students would, more often than not, guide us in the right direction when we struggled with indecision.”
Indeed, Sasha thrived. Like many valedictorians (and Farragut graduates) before her, her list of accomplishments – along with her peers – encapsulate the true essence of Farragut.
“Farragut and the people in it, whether you want to admit it or not, have transformed us into a class of artists, incredible athletes, licensed pilots, award-winning writers, slightly annoying math-enthusiasts, and the most skillful leaders I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting,” she said.
In recognizing the greatness of our classmates and ultimately thanking a plethora of people towards the end of her speech, Sasha exhibited the type of generosity she displayed over her five years at Farragut.
She capped her final words as a Farragut student with the best possible advice for future alumni that would soon join the likes of astronauts, military leaders, real estate tycoons, athletic champions, and world-renowned chefs.
“I don’t want to tell anyone how to live their lives, but if I had to give a piece of advice, it would be this. Helen Keller once wrote that ‘Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.’ Taking risks is the only way to live a successful and happy life. This sense of adventure may manifest in the smallest of ways but will always have the biggest impact. You can change career paths, or start your own club, or even just make conversation with a stranger during Freshman orientation. Have a little faith in yourself and rule your life not with fear but with courage, compassion, and confidence.”
The Toolkit
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Over the course of Vince Scott’s illustrious 21-year Naval career, the Battalion Commander and Valedictorian from the Class of 1985, the Missouri-native took with him a graduation speech he had discovered as a student of Naval Science 101.
“Never give up.”
That was the entire speech, written and delivered by one of the greatest leaders of all time, Winston Churchill, Vince revealed during his commencement address. Vince mentioned briefly Churchill’s failures early in his career and he used this example to emphasize perseverance through hard times.
“’Never give up’ is one of those pebbles I would like to recommend to you,” Vince said. “Never give up. This one pebble can add a lot to your future. Will you get knocked down? Sure. We all do? Will it hurt? Yep. No doubt. Don’t give up.”
In closing, Vince advised graduates to put pearls of wisdom like perseverance and integrity in a metaphorical toolkit, using it when necessary.
“There is an old proverb that goes ‘Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.’ Even those small pebbles you collect can add up.”
From anonymous to predominant
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Brooke Liu ’16, the 2015-16 Regimental Commander, spoke eloquently about her journey at Farragut and reminded the future cadets “to plant the seed of highest hope.” As she said, Brooke came from 7294.7 miles away west of the United States and proudly realized many of her dreams. She spoke fondly of navigating her way from being “an anonymous cadet wandering on the grinder” to running the regiment. She described the elation of teachers like Ms. Eleni Stone upon hearing the news of “a four on the AP exam” or Mr. Rob Ewing upon receiving a phone call that she had achieved private pilot certification. Most importantly, Brooke said she would take away from Farragut the type of leadership, confidence and determination that will leave an indelible mark on her life.
Profiting from Farragut’s military structure
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.For Michael Cooney, the Class of 2016 salutatorian, Farragut may have been “right down the street” but it still presented the same type of conundrum as a new student coming from the other side of the world. “I still had no clue of what to expect because of its military aspect.” Yet, Michael emphasized how the Class of 2016 resembled many other classes in that the cadets profited from the military structure, becoming leaders who will carry those leadership traits forward in their respective lives. A large part of that foundation resulted from the support system he had throughout his time at Farragut.
Many fun Lower School events took place this last week to celebrate the end of another wonderful school year. Students were given awards for the outstanding performance and behavior in class, enjoyed a beach party, a field day, and more.
Choose the gallery of the photographs you’d like to view.
Farragut held the annual Athletic Awards Day ceremonies on May 19 in the Huntley Gymnasium. Award winners, selected by the coaches and the student athletes, are honored at the event.
The ORIE T. BANKS AWARD is presented annually to the best senior athlete who has demonstrated excellence in the competitive environment. Named after the former dean of students at Farragut, the Orie T. Banks Award for 2016 was presented to Alex Gray for outstanding performance in boys track and field and football, and Corynn Miner for outstanding performance in girls basketball and softball.
The GRIME MEMORIAL AWARD is presented annually to the cadet contributing the most to the athletic department. The Grime Memorial Award was given to Jack Lescarbeau as the male representative and Maiya Fudge as the female representative.
The JOHN M. VANDORFORD AWARD is presented annually to an outstanding athlete on the male and female sides of the underclassmen corps of cadets. Named in honor of the former director of admissions at Farragut, the John M. Vandorford Award was presented to Trevor Bennati for his accomplishments in soccer and baseball and Katie Barnett for her accomplishments in cross country and track and field.
Hunter McCann (male) and Jhonnelle Young (female) were the respective recipients of the AAC Scholarship Award.
The Lower School Athlete of the Year was presented to Dylan Rice (male) and Kristina Hartley (female).
An award-winning poet and novelist, Sasha DeSilva ‘16 has shaped her path to excellence with an eloquent use of prose.
As she moves on to the next chapter of her life, Class of 2016 valedictorian Lieutenant Junior Grade LT(JG)Sasha DeSilva would like to be remembered not only for doing well in school, but also for her creative spirit, dedication, kindness, friendship and humility.
In the field of academics, Sasha distinguished herself as an AP Scholar with Honors and has been an active participant in the Student Advisory Committee, Teen Science Cafe, the National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society. A co-founder of the school’s poetry club, Sasha has won several regional and national short story awards including the National Scholastic Writing Gold Medal in 2015 for her novel, “When the Moon Isn’t Watching,” and a National Silver Award in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for the poem, “Boxes”.
She has played tennis since picking up the racket as a seven-year-old and has competed for the BlueJackets varsity team for four consecutive seasons. She also is capable of playing Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven on the piano, an instrument she mastered around the same time she began learning tennis.
Her reading list over the years has evolved from the “fun stuff like ‘Junie B. Jones’” to tackling the entire “Harry Potter” series (three times) to taking on some “light reading” of Kurt Vonnegut to developing thoughts about oncology due to her discovery of the New York Times’ best-selling book “The Emperor of All Maladies,” a powerful history of cancer and its treatment that won the Pulitzer Prize. She is also a fan of the medical television drama, “House,” and she appreciates movies that “make you think,” like the recent 2014 Oscar-winning film, “Imitation Game.”
But anyone who knows Sasha will tell you that she is more than simply the sum of her accomplishments. Rather than to just accumulate honors to build a resume, Sasha uses her compassion for life and her intellect to help others.
Her role as a volunteer at the Freedom Square Continuing Care Retirement Community in Seminole stemmed from growing up with a mother — Dr. Swanthri DeSilva, a Rheumatologist and Allergist — who would “bring home medical journals all the time and discuss the nature of medicine with me.” Her charitable experiences have also taken her Sri Lanka, the birthplace of her parents, to create and lead a community service project to assist local doctors and hospitals.
Sasha will attend Johns Hopkins University on an academic scholarship.
“I’ve grown up with medicine in my life and I want to become an oncologist,” said Sasha. “This is where my love of reading and medicine can merge. It’s an interesting field and it’s an area where you can keep learning about new developments. I like the idea of intellectual medicine and investigative medicine. It’s so unknown. Nothing has ever been proven to be true. Being able to make changes that could affect the nature of medicine and ultimately the world is exciting to me.“
She intends on continuing her journey as a creative writer, though.
“My favorite part about going to school at Farragut has been developing my passion for writing,” said Sasha. “Of course, I have appreciated the discipline that this school instills but the knowledge I gained about writing and how incredible it is stems from taking English with Mrs. (Heather) Ewing for three years, in the eighth grade, the ninth grade and my senior year.”
Mrs. Ewing can attest to her ability as a writer, as well.
“She has so much natural ability that the last story she wrote, I said, ‘I don’t even know what to suggest, it’s so good. You’ve exceeded my ability to give you constructive criticism.’ That’s how talented she is. She is right now a better writer than many published adults you would read.”
The Lower School STEM program added a MakerBot 3D printer this school year. The printer is similar to the one in use by the Upper School STEM program. The printer has given the students greater opportunities to see their vision come to life.
Mrs. Shannon LoRusso, who is also the advisor for the Lego Robotics Club and the Makerspace Club, has had her students design and create puzzle pieces, replica Legos, and even a plaque of gears that was one of the items placed in the time capsule box.
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“Of course, it’s fun but the more important element is how they can now see their engineering skills through a process. They’re able to design something with a program and have it implemented through production. This gives them real-world skills at an earlier age than most and enhances their learning curve.”
The students were able to use Autodesk Inventor and Tinkercad, two computer-aided design applications used to create 3D digital prototypes in the design, visualization and simulation of products. Tinkercad is used more so by hobbyists, teachers, and kids to learn the basics of digital designing while Inventor is one of the primary software applications used by manufacturing industry professionals. In using Inventor, Mrs. LoRusso says the students are immersing themselves in what professionals are currently doing in the workforce.
Over our 82 year history, one thing that seems to ring true in all alumni, faculty, staff, and families is the true value of the Admiral Farragut Academy experience. Memories of marching, formations, roommates and more dominate conversations about “my time at Farragut.” With that said, there is also usually one person, a figure on campus during their time at Admiral Farragut Academy, whether North or South, that was truly unforgettable. The subject of so many of those memories.
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It is with a heavy heart we report to you the passing of our beloved Coach Stan Slaby at 1835 hours on Saturday evening, May 28, 2016, at the NJ Veteran’s Home in Vineland, New Jersey.
Shortly before his passing, he was visited by a group of Farragut men including Bill Wyrick ‘75N, Dave Owens ‘76N, Frank Porcellini ‘80N, and David ‘75N & Ethan Lipsky ‘18. The VA Nursing Staff did a wonderful job looking after Coach and making sure he was as comfortable as can be under the circumstances. He was administered pain medication to keep him relaxed but labored in his breathing. He opened his eyes on occasion and still applied that firm squeeze of the hand we all remember.
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Coach and AFA Graduate & Moon Walker, RADM Alan Shepard
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QB American International College
Plans for Coach Slaby’s Funeral are as follows:
Sunday June 5th, 1400 – 1630 a Viewing will take place at Anderson and Campbell Funeral Home (732-349-5700), 703 Main Street Toms River, New Jersey 08753.
Monday June 6th @ 1000, a Memorial Service will be held at the Cathedral of the Air, 264 Hope Chapel Road, Lakehurst, New Jersey 08733.
Hotel Accommodations
The Hilton Garden Inn, Lakewood, New Jersey on Route 70, (just off Exit 89A Garden State Parkway) will act as our base camp following Sunday’s viewing. This hotel is approximately 9 miles from Main Street, Toms River and 9 Miles from the Cathedral of the Air in Lakehurst.
Make the most out of summer with this list of ideas for things to do with all that free time!
Students may be getting a much needed break from homework and other academic responsibilities. Now you’ll have more free time to enjoy with family and friends! Although this is relaxing in the beginning, you might find yourself feeling bored as vacation days pass by. Read on to find out some “cool” things to do during some of the “hottest” months of the year!
Buy a few disposable cameras in the beginning of summer and carry them around with you. Take a camera everywhere you go and take snapshots of the best parts of the day. Develop your pictures as soon as the first camera is used up, buy scrapbook paper, stickers, and other supplies to create memories all summer long! You can share your scrapbook memories with family, friends, and your classmates once you return to school to “show” how awesome your summer was.
Get a membership to your local library (often memberships are free). Invest your extra time reading books that you enjoy and about topics that interest you. Remember: reading will always be good for you and will make you a smarter, better person! If you need ideas on good books to read, check out our blog on Recommended Reading.
Do you have neighbors, family members or friends that are always cooking the best meals when they have you over for dinner? Ask if they’ll give you some cooking lessons. These lessons will come in handy, we promise! Plus, you can impress your girlfriend or boyfriend, parents, and friends with a homemade cooked meal – by you!
Summer is the perfect season to spend time outside: whether you camp, go to the beach, enjoy the pool, or simply go for a walk. Smart Tip: Be sure to use sunscreen and lip balm, keep a hat handy, a bottle of water, and maybe even a snack.
Spend some time with yourself and relax! Find the time to learn a yoga technique, listen to music, write creatively, do an art project, lounge in the park with a good book, a bath, or treat yourself to your favorite movie curled up in the cool a/c. Enjoy the quiet time while it lasts, because before you know it school will start again!
Most of all, BE SAFE and ENJOY! Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Admiral Farragut Academy’s Technology Department, directed by Joe Sloan, was featured in an article by K-12 Tech Decisions, a trusted source for critical information concerning audio, video, control and automation and more.
“Admiral Farragut Academy is a unique type of school, catering to not just day students, but also housing boarding students. Protecting all of its students from inappropriate web content, as well as maintaining security for its teachers, administrative department, and guests are top priorities for Joe Sloan, Chief Information and Technology Officer for the last 25 years at Farragut.
Maintaining five separate networks is a cumbersome task, especially when using Active Directory. So Sloan began the search for an open source, web-based solution that was easy to use and he could implement himself.”
The Little Captains Summer Camp, held by Admiral Farragut Academy, finished its fifth year with incredible success and was even featured on the front page in the Tampa Bay Times for its highly popular visit by members of the United States Special Operations Command. After starting with just 21 campers in its inaugural session in 2011, the camp topped 100 participants in just one week this summer during the American Ninja Warrior session.
Founded by kindergarten teacher Marilyn Reynolds and now co-directed with 2nd and 3rd grade language arts teacher Cate Taylor, the camp has grown not only in size but in reputation. With a different theme each week — this year, it was Water, Pirates, Sports, and American Ninja Warrior, Little Captains has become one of Farragut’s signature day camps during the summer. The camp operates on a rotating schedule which includes daily morning assembly, swimming or swim play, crafts, sports, indoor centers, free play, waterfront activities, science, mathematics, language arts, and team building social skills.
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“Word-of-mouth throughout the community has brought families to our campus who normally wouldn’t have done so before,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “In the first year, all of our campers were our Farragut students. This year, we have had a nice mixture of kids from Farragut and from the surrounding area. It’s great to see the bonds formed between campers from various schools, between counselors and campers, between counselors from different schools, between directors, the staff and campers’ families. Many campers ultimately come back year after year due to these bonds.”
Even better, many campers over the years ultimately enjoyed the environment and staff at Farragut so much that they enrolling in the school. “The kids love the camp so much, every year we have families register their children for the academic school year at Farragut,” Mrs. Reynolds said.
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The camp has also helped strengthen the growth and development factor for Upper School students through the Counselors In Training (CIT) regime. In addition, Lower School students become more mature by working as Junior Counselors (JC).
“Specifically, a CIT must be in 8th through 10th grade to train to become a possible paid counselor when they reach 11th grade,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “This year, though, we only hired 12th grade and college students as counselors. Many are former Farragut students who come back from college to work at camp. They are responsible for a group of 10-15 campers (depending on age) so we interview each applicant carefully. CITs receive community service hours for their work at our camp. Junior Counselors are in grades 6-7. They pay a small fee to cover expenses such as lunch and t-shirts. JCs are helpers to the CITs and Counselors. They receive a long break in the afternoon to have fun together at the pool or waterfront without the campers.”
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Most importantly, though, the camp has done what camps are supposed to do — build confidence and self-esteem through fun and challenging activities while creating lifelong memories.
“This year, especially during the Sports and American Ninja Warrior weeks, we saw so many campers who initially said they couldn’t attempt many of the activities but by the end of the week, were participating and putting effort into everything they attempted, win or lose,” Mrs. Reynolds said.
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Parents love Little Captains because their child is happy and they can see it for themselves in the daily communication between the directors and parents.
“Communication makes our camp stand out to parents,” explained Marilyn.
“I am big into communication, so every parent also had my personal cell phone number to call/text with any concerns or questions. Parents really appreciate that. We also made sure parents received multiple emails throughout the week letting them know all the activities we had done and also the link to SmugMug (our picture sharing website) to see daily uploaded pictures of their child. Parents often said to me ‘I felt like I was there.’”
Marilyn continued, “Parents felt confident their child was in good hands during Little Captains. During drop off and pick up, parents would tell me how impressed they were with the JC, CIT, and Counselors manners and knowledge of each camper. I made it important that they knew each child’s name. We are proud to keep a private school feel during our public camp.”
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Fast Facts:
Fun themes: Sports, Pirates, Water, American Ninja Warrior, Animals, Tough Mudder, Creative Arts, Drama, Military Appreciation
Multitude of daily activities: water slide, STEM activities, cooking, art, swimming, boating, water balloon play, slip and slide, indoor and outdoor obstacle courses, excursions to island in Boca Ciega Bay, visit by members of the United States Special Operations Command, police canine visit, daily assemblies; for older campers: paddle boarding, kayaking, tubing, soccer games, basketball games, nature walks
Educational opportunities: science/STEM activities like making slime, making pirate treasure maps, invisible ink, messy science experiments (Steve Spangler), constructing marble runs, and tin boats. Learn new sports, challenging physical limits, teamwork. Explore marine life on the island. Pirate history, finding shell treasure. Brain teasers and minute to win it games.
Waterfront opportunities: boating, dolphin watching, fishing, searching for crabs and sea life; for older campers: sailing, kayaking, knee boarding, tubing, paddle boarding, casting.
Special activities and themes in the last few years have included: Two visits from SOCOM, Birds of Prey and Small Animals from Boyd Hill Nature Park, Police Canine Dogs, Pet Parade (campers brought their own pets), Fishing Day, Award Ceremonies (after Olympics, Tough Mudder and this year American Ninja Warrior weeks).
Online Bookstore: Bookstore opens on July 15. Order from July 26 – August 9, 2016 to get FREE SHIPPING on orders $99 and over purchased through your Bookstore. *Offer expires at 11:59pm CDT. Free shipping not eligible on rental and marketplace purchases.
Maiya Fudge and Kevin Gordon were recently featured in The Weekly Challenger, an African-American family-owned publication serving the communities throughout Pinellas County, Florida.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Maiya, attended Farragut for four years and participated in nearly everything, graduated with honors, was a star on the state playoff softball team, and was the Regimental Staff Cadet Officer for Public Affairs. She will begin attending Bethune-Cookman University on an academic scholarship this fall. To read the feature on her, please visit: http://theweeklychallenger. com/maiya-fudge-makes- everything-around-her-better/
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Kevin’s story focuses on him overcoming a rare birth defect to become an incredible person at Farragut and throughout the St. Petersburg community. He thrived at Farragut, receiving the Coaches Award in his senior year for his contribution to the basketball team while also being an integral part of the 2016 Class A state champion track team. To read more about Kevin’s story, please visit: http://theweeklychallenger. com/kevin-gordon-ii-making-a- name-for-himself/
Our Senior Staff Writer, Chris Girandola, caught up with Charlisa Jenkins, Farragut class of 2015 and Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, N.C.) basketball student-athlete. Learn about how college is going for Charlisa and how Farragut helped prepare her for today.
What was the first year of college like?
It was an incredible learning experience. I definitely matured a lot. You learn how to be independent and you learn a whole new set of life skills, especially as a college athlete. You have to be good at time management but that was one of the good things about Farragut, in how it is so structured. It gets you ready for the college life.
Have you decided on a major?
Yes, I am majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology.
Even though you just finished your freshman year, do you know what you might want to do with your major once you graduate?
Help out in the community back home (in St. Petersburg) in some way. I still have three years to go, though. I might even attend graduate school.
With a campus size of 240 acres and an enrollment of approximately 2,700 students, it seems like a larger scaled version of Farragut. How did the Farragut environment of walking to and from class across campus help prepare you for life in college?
It wasn’t much different, except maybe just a littler farther to get to each class, but I was used to the whole walking from class to class and back to the dorm or to the gym.
What are you doing for the summer?
I am taking summer school classes at Gardner-Webb. I also worked as a counselor for our university basketball camps. When summer school ends, I am going to visit my brother (Rayshawn Jenkins, Farragut ’12, who is beginning his senior season on the Miami Hurricanes football team).
As far as being a college athlete, what were the most difficult aspects?
It’s just so much more intense than in high school. The pre-season and in-season workouts are much tougher. Six times a week in pre-season and five times a week during the season. I also had to run three miles in 30 minutes, which I did – in 28 minutes, thank you very much. The games are also fast-paced. And every single player has incredible talent.
What were the biggest learning lessons of your freshman year as a basketball player? (Charlisa averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game over 26 contests during the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 19-12 season. She scored a season-high 11 points in 13 minutes against Montreat.)
Just getting to see how college athletes prepare and compete. It was a big learning year for me and I definitely matured as a person and an athlete. The biggest part was appreciating and respecting the process.
Did Farragut help prepare you for the adversity?
Definitely.
Did you take any fun trips?
Yes, we went to San Juan for the Puerto Rico Classic. We are going to Chicago this upcoming season. I’ve never been to Chicago nor Puerto Rico so it’s another great aspect of being a college athlete.
Finally, what about the snow? I heard it snowed a lot this year in North Carolina.
Yes. It did. It was the first time I had ever seen snow, let alone see it falling from the sky. It was amazing. I was so excited.
Admiral Farragut Academy has been well represented this summer at various leadership programs, which have included the Naval Academy Summer Seminar, the NJROTC Area Seven Leadership Academy, the Sail Academy, and LeaderSail. Here is the list of the cadets who have attended these programs with a brief description of each academy:
Naval Academy Summer Seminar
Listed are the students with their position on the Regiment this year 2016-17.
Zach Fine ‘17, B Battalion Commander
Kyndal Olander ‘17, A Battalion Commander
Shawn Simon ‘17
Camille Walker ‘17, Community Services Officer
The three, week-long sessions introduces prospective Naval Academy applicants to the unique challenges of life as a midshipman. According to the USNA Public Affairs Office, students experience many facets of academy life in which they attend academic classes ranging from oceanography to martial arts, participate in ethics and leadership workshops, perform military drills and conduct a number of physical activities.
Having four students from Farragut attend such a prestigious program is quite the accomplishment considering approximately 7,000 students throughout the world submit applications. Each summer, there are 2,500 openings with 850 students in each of the three sessions.
A typical day at Summer Seminar begins with an early morning physical fitness routine, usually consisting of a two-mile run followed by calisthenics. After breakfast, students attend two academic workshops of their choice taught by academy faculty. Students participate in noon meal formation — a tradition at the Naval Academy. The rest of their day is filled with military drill and other team-building exercises. The students also participate in the Naval Academy’s candidate fitness assessment and the Navy physical readiness test.
NJROTC Area Seven Leadership Academy
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Stephanie Bailey ‘18
Trevor Bennati ‘17
Alina Dixon ‘17, Logistics Officer
Ethan Lipsky ‘18
Kyndal Olander ‘17,
Victoria Padovan ‘18, Administrative Officer
Every summer, Admiral Farragut Academy hosts the NJROTC Area Seven Leadership Academy. This Academy is usually held in early June and normally consists of two sessions that run from Sunday to the following Saturday. Although the Academy is held at Farragut, attendance is controlled by the NJROTC Area Manager. Farragut, along with other Florida schools, compete for a limited number of quotas at the Academy.
Leadership Academy is intended for upcoming juniors and seniors and is designed to help teach and motivate them for potential leadership positions at their individual Units. Leadership Academy is physically, emotionally and mentally demanding, but a very rewarding experience. For Admiral Farragut Academy, the Director of Naval Science is responsible for ensuring that only the top candidates are recommended for this training. The main objective of Leadership Academy is to return a highly motivated cadet who will provide leadership for the unit for the next school year–someone who can come in and supervise, organize and train other unit members.
Additionally, our alumni (and with special consideration, our seniors) often participate in leadership roles as counselors. This summer, Katryna Thomas ‘12, Rachel Goldstein ‘16, Kollyne Thomas ‘16, and Richard Dunleavy ‘17 (Regimental Commander for the 2016-17 academic year), served as counselors.
NJROTC Area Seven Sail Academy
Stephanie Bailey ‘18
Alina Dixon ‘17
Drew Geralds ‘18
Chris Hastrup ‘17
Emma Hastrup’19
Clayton Lamm ‘17
The Sail Academy is designed as a small boat sail training program focused on teaching seamanship and small boat sailing/racing. Each cadet was on the water for two sailing sessions each day, using similar sailboats as the ones at Farragut. Though the focus is on sailing, the curriculum also offers opportunities for leadership and personal fitness development. Directed by NJROTC Area 7 instructors at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, the one week camp is a summer sail training event for qualified cadets in NJROTC. With over six hours of sailing scheduled each day, evening classes, morning PT, athletic events, a regatta and a beach volleyball tournament, the days are challenging and incredibly rewarding. All six of our cadets successfully completed The Sail Academy. In doing so, they received The Sail Academy aiguillette and medal. The cadets from Farragut also received the “Skipper ‘B’ Qualification” from the US Navy Sailing Association.
JROTC LeaderSail
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While in St. Kitts, BVI
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Sunrise in the Carribbean
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Kyndal Olander ‘17
Clayton Lamm ’17
Camille Walker ‘18
LeaderSail is an exciting and demanding leadership development program built around sail training and marine exploration. Developed by JROTC instructors, and specifically tailored to JROTC cadets from all services, the program provides hands on leadership and seamanship training. Based in the British Virgin Islands, LeaderSail offers unparalleled sailing aboard a 50-foot offshore yacht, snorkeling in the coral reefs, and island exploration opportunities set in a tropical paradise. Students also may participate in training with the British Virgin Island Search and Rescue or US Coast Guard.
While students and most of the faculty at Farragut have been enjoying a break for the summer, the maintenance crew has been hard at work on several projects around the campus.
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The maintenance crew that makes it happen, from left to right: Jeff, Rafael, John, Matt, Jay, Jose, and Craig.
“Each summer, we try to improve critical areas of the campus to make life better for the students, faculty, and staff,” said Head of Maintenance Matt Thibodeau, who begins his 15th year with the school this academic calendar.
The maintenance department has primarily focused on improving four classrooms in the Michel Building, transforming the old locker rooms outside the Huntley Gymnasium into the new scuba facility, and installing screens around the outside lab area of Coach Mike Nicholson’s science room. Other work, coordinated by Thibodeau but being completed by outside contractors, includes the installation of a new outfield fence on the baseball field and the pavement of the parking area next to the admissions building.
The scuba room has involved the most extensive work. What was once a locker room used by teams and athletes over the past few decades is now a shiny, new facility that will allow the cadets in the scuba program to thrive.
“It’s an impressive looking place now,” Thibodeau said. “We are on the finishing stages of it now but it was a fun project to undertake.”
The crew knocked down the dividing wall that separated the cramped locker room from the shower area, repositioned the water heater, installed a wall-to-wall smart board, created a new, single shower and bathroom, inserted new tile floors, and applied new paint. In addition, new lockers have replaced the old lockers on the outside walls.
Teachers and students in the four classrooms will see a brand new setting with new drywall inserted to replace older walls, window treatments applied, new ceiling tiles and lights overhead, and large smart boards installed.
The screen on the porch area at the back of Coach Nick’s room was installed to prevent mosquito bites, allowing the students to do their lab work undeterred.
“All of these projects will be completed by the time students and staff return for the start of the school,” Thibodeau said.
Over the summer, Marquise Lambert, Keondrae Miller, and Khalan Tolson competed for Team Florida, an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) football team. The three juniors capped the AAU season by earning a silver medal at the Junior Olympics in Houston where approximately 15,000 youth athletes competed in the largest national multi-sport event in the United States.
“It was an incredible event with some impressive athletes from all over the country,” said Khalan, who is in his third year at Farragut. “The entire summer was great because I really matured as a football player and as a person.”
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Khalan Tolson at the Junior Olympics in Houston
The 7-on-7 football portion was added to the AAU Junior Olympics for the first time this year, which happened to be the 50th anniversary of the games. Team Florida lost to Team Texas in the finals in a double-elimination tournament after having beat Texas in a previous round.
“It was tough because we knew we could win but it was a great learning experience,” said Khalan.
In addition to the three Farragut players, the team was comprised of athletes from Boca Ciega, Clearwater Central Catholic, Indian Rocks Christian, Lakewood, and St. Petersburg. The program was founded by B.J. Hall, a former Tampa Bay Storm quarterback who grew up in St. Petersburg.
“Having someone like Coach Hall as a mentor and leader has been great for us,” said Marquise, who is a St. Petersburg resident. “We’ve learned a lot over this summer about how to handle ourselves on and off the field.”
The three players will be instrumental in the upcoming season for the BlueJackets as the Farragut football team tries to duplicate last year’s success. The BlueJackets finished the 2015 campaign with a 10-2 record, bowing out in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A Region Finals in a 36-32 loss to Cambridge Christian.
