On Thursday, April 14 at 9am in the Student Center, senior student-athlete Maiya Fudge signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and softball career at Bethune Cookman University. Joining us for the event was Maiya’s family, classmates, and teachers, as well as members of the Bethune Cookman Alumni Association. Maiya signed to play Division 1 at BCU with an athletic scholarship. She will soon be retaking her ACT in order to gain the one point needed for a full Presidential Scholarship to the University. Maiya has been on the Admiral Farragut Academy Softball team since Freshman year.

“It took a lot of commitment by three Seniors who came in as Freshmen to change the culture,” said Linda Derk, Head Softball Coach. “They come out every day with a purpose in mind and they pay attention to our process on the softball field. The process isn’t just about the working fundamentals of softball and how to play the game; it’s how to be good people on and off the field and be great students, great leaders of character, and most importantly great young women.”

Maiya started with a special tribute to her great grandmother, who passed away two weeks ago.

“Today would have been my great grandma’s 89th birthday,” Maiya said, voice choked with tears. “It really means a lot to me to sign on her birthday because she was just such a big part of my life…I know that she’s not here in person, but she’s here in spirit.” Maiya pointed to a framed picture of her great grandmother.

Maiya went on to thank her family, friends, teammates, coaches, and teachers for helping her get where she is.

“I never thought I’d be standing here signing to play Division 1 Softball, but I’m so thankful I had all of you to help me on my journey.”

Coach Linda Derk finished off her speech with a few words of wisdom.

“The journey to success isn’t always easy…sometimes you have bumps in the road, sometimes things unexpectedly happen. But I can tell you this: we are a family and family is everything.  We are very, very fortunate to have a great Softball family here.”

The Softball team will play in the district semi-final Thursday at Indian Rocks Christian at 7pm vs. the winner of the St. Pete Christian/Shorecrest game.  If they win, they are in the Championship game on Friday 6pm at Indian Rocks Christian. We hope to see everyone there to cheer them on!

#GoBlueJackets #AFAsoftball

In an effort to flashback into Farragut history, the Advancement team is starting the hashtag #FlashbackFarragut. They will choose a relevant photo out of the yearbook and re-enact the photograph. Look for the posts on social media and try to tag yourself or friends in the photo on Instagram (@Farragut_Life) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/farragut.org)!

April 15, 2016

Then: The 1992-1993 school year was the first year for the female softball team. This photo did not have a description… can you add one?

Today: From right to left; Corryn Miner ’16, Maiya Fudge ’16, Johnelle Young ’16, and Sarah Schleich ’17.

Camille Walker ’17 shows off her bandage outside the Blood Bus.

On Friday, April 15th, 2016, OneBlood brought a Blood Bus on campus so that students and staff could donate, and the results were overwhelming. 39 people donated, including 36 students and three staff members, and together they donated a total of approximately 24 pints of blood.

Each pint of blood donated has the ability to help up to three people. After the blood is donated, it is then taken immediately back to the lab to process and separate. After three days of testing, it is ready to be taken to the hospital. Red blood cells help trauma victims and surgery patients; plasma helps burn victims; and platelets help chemotherapy patients. Because of this, Admiral Farragut Academy was able to help up to 72 people in need!

Angie Koebel was one of three staff members to donate.

“We had a great turn out,” said Kayla Kolb, the representative from OneBlood. “There were so many that we will have to bring a larger bus and an extra staff member next time to keep up with the demand.”

Francesca Akel ’16 smiles as she gives blood.

The extra space will be welcome. Students were waiting for 30 minutes just to get onto the bus, and after that it took about 45 minutes to finish the entire process.

Stephanie Bailey ’18 and Sean Boland ’18 wait their turn to give blood.

The bus they brought this time had room for four people to give blood in the front, plus two Alyx stations in the back. Alyx is a process where the donor gives two pints of red blood cells, after which the plasma and platelets are put back into their system. Three donors were able to do this process, giving even more help to those in need.

To find out more information about donating or about OneBlood, visit http://oneblood.org.

Learn about other community service projects our students have been involved in.

On April 8th, 29 students from the Aviation program travelled to Lakeland-Linder airport for SUN ‘N FUN, an annual six-day convention in its 42nd year that is considered by aviation enthusiasts to be the second largest event of its kind in the world. According to Aviation Director Rob Ewing, it is the 20th consecutive year in which students from Farragut have attended the event.

While there, students met Farragut alumnus Bob Maddox, who graduated from Farragut North in 1953. Mr. Maddox, who is a professor emeritus of Penn State University and the vice president of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, provided a tour around the Warbird display area and arranged for students to tour a C-47 that participated in the D-Day invasion during WWII.

During the day, students toured the static aircraft displays.

Robert L. Caleo and CAPT Tom McClelland

Robert L. Caleo, author of the book “Farragut and His Family,” visited Farragut on April 7 to discuss his recently released book tracing the lineage of David Glasgow Farragut. During the visit, CAPT Tom McClelland, who serves as the Academy’s Development Officer, presented Mr. Caleo with a ball cap inscribed with the school’s insignia and showed him highlights of the St. Petersburg campus.

Robert L. Caleo with wife and daughter and CAPT Tom McClelland

Mr. Caleo is a retired communications practitioner whose 35 year business career included experiences as a technical writer, magazine editor and public relations manager. Since his retirement from Bell Laboratories in 1989, he has remained active in two of his long-time avocations — writing on historical subjects and teaching at the college level.

Mr. Caleo’s history articles have appeared in such publications as Golf, MacLean’s (Canada), Naval Aviation News, and Rutgers Magazine. His recent book is a culmination of both his writing and teaching pursuits. He has had three Farragut profiles published in periodicals, and he has conducted courses on family history and memoir writing at Ocean County College in Toms River New Jersey (across the river from the original Admiral Farragut Academy).

Mr. Caleo’s book, Farragut and His Family, the Making of an Elder Hero, is available in e-book, hardcover and softcover editions at www.Xlibris.com or on Amazon.com.

Robert Ewing, Farragut’s Aviation Academy director, and retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Charles Schwarm, who graduated from Farragut in 1992, are featured as two of the Super Seven standouts in the 2016 spring issue of Lift, the alumni magazine of Embry-Riddle University.

Ewing and Schwarm were honored back in the fall at the respective campuses of Daytona Beach and Prescott during the school’s 2015 homecoming festivities.

Robert Ewing, Embry-Riddle Class of 1994

Ewing, who was instrumental in creating the aviation program at Farragut and establishing a dual-enrollment program with Embry-Riddle, received the Alumni Service Award for his commitment and enthusiasm for the university through service, support, leadership and recruitment. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science and is currently enrolled in the Master of Aeronautical Science program at Embry-Riddle’s Worldwide Campus.

Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Charles Schwarm, Embry-Riddle Class of 1997

Schwarm, who has logged more than 2,300 military flight hours in five types of aircraft,  was presented with the Military Achievement Award for his outstanding service to the country. After 17 years of active duty service, he retired from the Marine Corps in 2014 and is now a pilot for GoJet.

Last week, a little more than 50 students attended a presentation on microplastics by Libby Carnahan from the Florida Sea Grant. The presentation, which was hosted by the Secrets of the Sea Marine Exploration Center, was held in the Roy M. Speer Academic Center.

Libby Carnahan from the Florida Sea Grant

The theme of Carnahan’s presentation was Plastic in My Toothpaste?! Facts and Fiction about Microplastics. During the speech, she explained how the abundance of microplastics in everyday products leads to pollution in our fresh and saltwater bodies.

Carnahan is the UF/IFAS Extension, Florida Sea Grant Agent with Pinellas County.  In her position, she connects Tampa Bay communities, governments, and industries with beneficial science-based marine and coastal research.

“It was really interesting to hear about how certain types of toothpastes and soaps have these microplastics in them that can ultimately have such a negative effect on the seawater,” said Dylan Miksch ‘20. “Having an expert like that come on campus and discuss it from a first person perspective makes you realize how each and every person can do something to change the world.”

The BlueJackets boys and girls track and field teams both had impressive performances Thursday at the Class 1A-District 7 meet, which was held at Out of Door Academy in Sarasota. The boys teams finished in third and the girls team captured second.

Jazmine Alderman, Katie Barnett, and Ashaunti Brown each won two individual events to help pace the girls. Jazmine won the 100 (12.64) and the 200 (26.02). Katie took first in the long jump (16 feet, 10.5 inches) and triple (36 feet, 2 inches). Ashaunti earned first in the shot (38 feet, 2 inches) and discus (125 feet, 3 inches).

“It’s been an incredible year so far and we’re excited to have been able to have as much success as we had last year,” said Jazmine, who started running track for the first time last season.

In doing so, each of them qualified for the region finals in their respective events.

Other female cadets who qualified for regions include Faith Nelms (second in the 100 and 400) and Casey Andrion (second in pole vault).

Alex Gray won two events to help the boys capture a bronze medal. Alex took first in the 100 (10.74) and 200 (21.69).

Alex Oi set a school record with a time of 51.14 seconds in a first place finish in the 400.

“It’s a great feeling because of where I was last year and how far I’ve come as a runner,” said Alex, who also competes on the soccer team. “Coach (Arron) Prather has been a huge help for me improving this year.”

Other male cadets with first place finishes included Cameron Pesola in the pole vault (12 feet), Ashton Taylor in the discus (117 feet, 8 inches) and Sam Baker in the shot (50 feet 9 inches). Ashton also finished third in the shot.

“It was a great day for all of us,” said Sam, who hopes to break 51 feet at the region meet next week.

Hunter McCann (2nd in the 3,200), Keyon Jenkins (2nd in discus and shot) and Dontell Green (3rd in triple) also qualified for regionals.

The 1A region final will be on April 28 at Calvary Christian in Clearwater.

Behind another stellar performance by Corynn Miner, the Blue Jackets advanced to the Class 3A region final for the second consecutive season after a 12-0 win over Evangelical Christian. Corynn raised her record to 17-2 after striking out 13 over five perfect innings in which the BlueJackets easily handled the Sentinels in a mercy rule game. 

The BlueJackets will host the winner of the game between Moore Haven and Indian Rocks Christian, which was played on Thursday night. Farragut lost 1-0 to Moore Haven in last year’s region final.

“We came out with a certain determination to win (against Evangelical) and we played well in all aspects of the game,” said Corynn, who went 3-for-3 at the plate with a single, double and a home run. “We set a goal at the beginning of the season to win districts, which we did, and then to get back to regions. Now, we have to take the same type of intensity from this game and carry it over to the region final.”

BlueJackets coach Linda Derk said Corynn, along with the two other seniors — Maiya Fudge and Jhonelle Young, have been instrumental in helping a roster filled with underclassmen match last season’s success.

“The three seniors have really helped bring this team along,” said Derk, who has compiled a 59-18 record over her four seasons as coach at Farragut. “Corynn has established a mental toughness to this team that has been huge for us. Now, being able to have the region final at home will be a big help to our team.”

Congratulations goes out to Mark Panuthos, who was selected by the Madeira Beach VFW Post 4256 as its Teacher of the Year, for the second consecutive year.  

Mr. Panuthos, who teaches AP U.S. History, AP Microeconomics, Intro to Economics, and American Government, was also selected as the District Winner. The Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Teacher Award annually recognizes the nation’s top classroom teachers who teach citizenship education topics regularly and promote America’s history and traditions effectively.

“I am proud to receive the Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year Award from the VFW,”  said Mr. Panuthos, who has taught at Farragut since 1996. “They provide so many wonderful programs for our veterans, America’s true heroes.”

Mr. Panuthos’ government and AP U.S. History classes partner with the VFW on several projects, including the Voice of Democracy Oral Essay contest and “Patriot’s Pen” essay competition. Panuthos also personally works with the VFW on the Veteran’s Legacy Project to produce historical videos of World War II and Korean War Veterans retelling their experiences in service. During the 2016-17 academic calendar, Panuthos’ classes will concentrate on producing videos on Vietnam veterans, and veterans from the First Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long spoke to Mr. Panuthos’ Upper School history class and student government about several components to the political process. During her conversation, she also explained her role as a county commissioner, specifically how she is involved with two major plans for the county dealing with transportation and climate change.

Long is a former Seminole City Council member and served in the state House of Representatives from 2006 to 2010. She defeated Republican County Commission incumbent Neil Brickfield two years later.

“This was a great opportunity for my students to interact with someone with an extensive background in politics,” said Mr. Panuthos, who was recently recognized by the Madeira Beach VFW Post 4256 as its teacher of the year. “Considering this is an election year, it gave the students a keen perspective on the civic duty in regard to political office.”

Following Long’s 25-minute speech, several students asked pertinent questions regarding Long’s time in office and political experience as well as certain decisions made by the county government.

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long

Jack Lescarbeau ‘16 questioned why commissioners rejected a request by the City of St. Pete Beach for $49.62 million to pay for projects, such as streetscaping, two parking garages and a new library.

“You talked about being strongly against the community redevelopment plan in St. Pete Beach because it is a barrier island and could get wiped away due to a catastrophic natural event such as a hurricane. How can you make the decision on something hypothetical?”

Long responded by reasserting the position of the commissioners that “it would set a precedent where all of the other cities on the barrier islands would want the same.” The Pinellas County coastline is bordered by 35 miles of sandy beaches on 11 barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico.

Andrew Cevasco ‘16 asked Long, a Democrat, what she thought of Florida Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, and Long said she does not believe “he’s in it for the right reason,” claiming his agenda is “terribly misguided” with ramifications that would “take generations for the state to recover.”

Long did give Ashaunti Brown ‘16 some poignant advice when Ashaunti asked how young people could follow in her footsteps.

“Volunteer for people in office. The best way to learn about the business is to work alongside people who are in it.”

Finally, George Hamilton ‘18 wanted to know what it was like when Long met President John F. Kennedy when Kennedy visited her high school, Fryeburg Academy, a college preparatory school in Maine. Meeting President Kennedy was when she became interested in politics.

“The main thing I always remembered from his visit was he told us to be careful for what you wish for in your life. The fact that you’re in this school means you have the ability to be anything you want to achieve and don’t ever forget where you came from. When he spoke to me, he looked right into my eyes. I will always remember that.”

This past weekend, three of our students – George Hamilton ‘18, Shawn Simon ‘17, and Michael Cooney ‘16 — attended the annual Suncoast Tigers Tiger Bay awards featuring guest of honor and keynote speaker Carl Bernstein. Bernstein is best known for his journalistic work with his peer at the Washington Post, Bob Woodward, breaking the Watergate scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Bernstein, along with Woodward, co-authored the best-seller “All the Presidents Men.” In a film adapted from the book, Bernstein was played by Dustin Hoffman and Woodward by Robert Redford.

The students attended the event as guests of Upper School English instructor Heather Ewing, who received four tickets from Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long during Long’s visit to the Farragut campus two weeks ago.

Admiral Farragut Academy’s Alex Gray ’16 (Photo by Jeff Adams)

Here is a recap of the track team’s performance at the district meet last week at Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota.  Three new school records were beaten! The girls team finished 2nd overall and the boys finished 3rd overall. Team finish and athletes who finished in the top four to advance to regional meet on Thursday, April 28 at Calvary Christian School in Clearwater.

Girls:

Team Finished 2^nd overall —   

Girls that advanced to regional —-

100M: Jazmine Alderman 1^st 12.64 ;- Faith Nelms 2^nd 12.80

200M: Jazmine Alderman 1^st 26.02

400M: Faith Nelms 2^nd 1:00.97

4×100 relay: Nelms,Alderman,Bostick,Brown  1^st 51.09

4×400 relay: Nelms,Alderman,Bostick,Vazquez 2^nd 4:25.23

4×800 relay: Andrion,Padovan,Weiss,Vszquez 4^th 12:52.84

Pole Vault: Casey Andrion 2^nd 7’0”

Long Jump: Katie Barnett 1^st 16’10.5”

Triple Jump: Katie Barnett 1^st 36’2”

Shot Put: Ashanti Brown 1^st 38’2”  Hazley Carrington 4^th 30’1”

Discus: Ashanti Brown 1^st 125’3”

Boys:

Team finished 3^rd Overall —

Boys that advance to regional

100M: Alex Gray 1^st 10.74

200M: Alex Gray 1^st 21.69 *****NEW SCHOOL RECORD : OLD RECORD 21.78 ALEX GRAY 5/1/15

400M: Alex Oi 1^st 51.14 ******NEW SCHOOL RECORD : OLD RECORD 51.20 JOE CHADWICK 5/1/99

3200M: Hunter McCann 2^nd 10:43

4×100 relay: Oi; Gray; Green; O’Shon 3^rd 43.95

4×400 relay: Oi; Gray; Watts;Fine 3^rd 3:30.43 *****NEW SCHOOL RECORD : OLD RECORD 3:31.00 –{Tellnow,Ritter,Aljasir,Theodore}-1992

Pole Vault: Cameron Pesola 1^st 12’0”

Triple Jump: Dontell Green 3^rd 40’2”

Shot Put: Sam Baker 1^st 50’9.5”–  Keyon Jenkins 2^nd 49’10  — Ashton Taylor 3^rd 40’7”

Discus: Ashton Taylor 1^st 117’8” —  Keyon Jenkins 2^nd 114’1”

Admiral Farragut Academy hosted a lacrosse tournament this past weekend featuring the youth teams from the Saint Petersburg Dragons Lacrosse Club and the Sarasota Seahawks Lacrosse Club. BlueJackets coach Adam Deisley was instrumental in staging the event on Al Ross Football Field that began early Saturday morning and lasted throughout the day. There were five games that ranged from the 9-and-under age group to the 15-and-under group. Deisley estimated close to 500 people attended the games throughout the day.

“It was an incredible day and a great way to showcase the school and the campus,” said Deisley, who is in his third year as the lacrosse coach. “There was tons of positive feedback and I can’t say enough about the people who helped run the event, including St. Pete Lacrosse Director Kerry Dano, the Collins Family, Stephanie Wood, Tom Beck and the current lacrosse players and students of Farragut.”

Coach Deisley is in the process of creating a lacrosse camp for the month of July in which he hopes to run for two weeks. More details will be posted on the website and the Facebook page when the plans are finalized.

Admiral Farragut Academy, through the generous donation of Andy Aldi ‘65, served as the main sponsor of the Baker League American Athletic Union (AAU) basketball tournament this past weekend in Toms River, New Jersey. The Farragut alumnus teamed up with Advancement Director Alison Lescarbeau as representatives of the school during a fun-filled event that featured 34 teams from around the Mid-Atlantic region.

All the participants received a t-shirt with Admiral Farragut Academy’s name emblazoned across the front and back of the shirt. In addition, the most valuable player award was coined as the Admiral Farragut Academy Tommy Ross Jr. MVP award, after the 1993 graduate of Farragut who attended the North campus and was a member of the New Jersey All State Prep First Team for both basketball and football.

L to R: Alison Lescarbeau, Andy Aldi ’65, Cliff Baker

Aldi stated, “I am so pleased to get the Farragut name back in NJ where the school began. We spoke with four young men and two young ladies who were interested in learning more about attending Farragut and taking advantage of the college prep curriculum.” He also stated how impressed he was with the talented young athletes.

Lescarbeau said, “Parents are always impressed by our low class sizes and our academic excellence, not to mention our college placement and matriculation. I was impressed with the way the event was organized and how respectful all the young attendees were.”

The event raised money for the Travis Manion Foundation, which assists the nation’s veterans and families of the fallen by empowering them to take the next step in their personal journeys and inspire the next generation of leaders. According to the foundation, Travis is most famous for the saying “If not me, then who?” when he made the ultimate sacrifice while on duty in Iraq, which allowed every member of his patrol to survive. Half of the proceeds from the league will go to the Travis Manion Foundation.

Ross will headline a group of alumni from the 1994 basketball team that will be inducted into Farragut’s Hall of Fame during the Pine Beach Reunion on April 29-30. The induction ceremony will take place on April 29 at 6:30 p.m. when alumni members and friends gather at an alumni dinner.

Ross, a 1993 graduate from the North campus, was a New Jersey All State Prep First Team selection for both the basketball and football teams during his senior season. He still ranks among Farragut’s leaders for career points and rebounds, scoring close to 1,500 points and grabbing a little over 1,000 rebounds.

While serving as captain for both the basketball and football teams, he guided the basketball squad to a 16-5 record and the football club to a 6-3 mark, respectively, during his senior year. As a center on the basketball team, Ross was instrumental in helping Farragut win the Prep A Championship game in 1994.

On the morning of April 27th in the Student Center, three student-athletes signed their National Letter of Intent to play sports in college. All girls played many different sports while attending Admiral Farragut Academy including soccer, tennis, basketball, and volleyball.

Hope Bledsoe ’16 signed to play soccer at Johnson University,  a private, Christian, co-educational college located six miles southeast of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Hope Bledsoe and her family

Ashaunti Brown ’16 signed to compete in track and field at Fort Valley State University, a historically black university located in Fort Valley, Georgia.

Ashaunti Brown and her family

Anastasha Worlds ’16 signed to play tennis at St. Petersburg College, a state college located in Pinellas County, Florida.

Anastasha Worlds and her family

Active moms on the Parents’ Group

“Thank you all again for being a part of this,” said Parents’ Group President Malia Bakken. “Our teachers do so much for our kids during the year, It is great to give them some loving!”

Vincent “Vince” H. Scott is the Battalion Commander and Valedictorian from the Class of 1985. He also served in the United States Navy and currently works as a Cyber Security Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The Battalion Commander and Valedictorian from the Class of 1985, Vincent H. Scott, will return to Farragut in May as the graduation speaker for the Class of 2016. He spent three incredible years as a boarder at Farragut before attending the Naval Academy, where he graduated with a BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering. He spent 21 years in the Navy with work in intelligence, technology, and cyber security, being awarded four times with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the US Navy Combat Action Ribbon, and 30 additional personal and unit awards including the Director of Central Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation. After retiring from the Navy in 2010, Vince became a Cyber Security Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest auditing and consulting firm. In addition he serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Law and Cyber Warfare, is the president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association, and is a member of the board for the Cincinnati Chapter of the US Navy League. For more on Vince’s illustrious career, please read his detailed profile following the Q&A.

Q&A

How did Farragut prepare you for life at the Naval Academy?

I think Farragut did a great job of preparing me, especially for Plebe Summer. I could march. I could make my bed. Two skills that will be the failure of you if you are unable to do them correctly and which will get you a lot of attention during Plebe Summer. Also, the discipline around study hours was similar; everyone has to play a sport and attend study hall in the evening. That was very similar. It made Plebe Summer an easy start for me.

Was there a key pivotal moment for you during your Navy career that brought you back to your days at Farragut?

At Farragut we had Captain R.J. Alexander. He was my math teacher three years in a row. Geometry, then Algebra 2, then Calculus. He was from the Class of 1944 at the Naval Academy. So we would get stories from him, vignettes with certain details but not all of them. I didn’t put the pieces together until years later when I was in cryptology. It finally clicked for me that his career path was in the cryptology field.

It sounds like he probably played a big role in your development at Farragut and beyond.

Captain Alexander was a great guy. He was one of the best teachers I had ever seen. I’m sure the preparation I had received from a math perspective carried me well into the Naval Academy. He taught the old Naval Academy method. He would come in every day and he had 360 degrees of chalkboard in his room and he would have a quiz on the previous day’s work on one of them. The first five minutes of every class was a quiz. Then he would have a lesson on another board that he had written up that morning in chalk. He would go through the lesson and explain the concepts. Here’s a basic problem, a medium problem, an advanced problem. He would work through all of those with you and then you would have time to ask questions, discuss the homework for the night, discuss yesterday’s homework, maybe give yesterday’s quiz back, discuss the quiz. Then every two weeks you would have a test. A great incentive that I loved is if you had an A, you wouldn’t have to do the homework and you only had to take four quizzes in the two week period, essentially two a week instead of every day, and you could pick. If you fell out of having an A, then you would have to go back to taking a quiz every day and do the homework.

He was also a guy who would take the textbook home and he worked every problem himself so when you would come to him with questions he would open up his notebooks and go over the problems with you because he had done them already.

What life lessons did you take away from him and the way he ran his class?

My observation came not only from the math lessons but the fact that he had a very active career himself. He had a host of life experiences that he could draw from and teach us about life. Also it’s a great example of teaching. It was much closer to what kids experience in college.

Any other memories from Farragut?

What I remember is we didn’t have air conditioning in the halls. That’s a 1920s hotel. We had the windows open. I remember it where the doors were always open. You could walk straight through from one side of Farragut Hall to the other without having to open a door. It might have been hot but the way the building was designed was clearly to allow the breeze from the water flow through and create ventilation. It was actually pretty nice.

Did you play any sports?

Ran track. Varsity letters in baseball and basketball, although I wasn’t a star or anything.

How did you discover Farragut?

My grandmother lived in Clearwater. I’m originally from St. Louis and we would visit her often. I always was interested in the military. I was a kid that played with G.I. Joe action figures. There were these encyclopedias at my grandmother’s house. I looked up the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and I was interested in the different ranks. I remember asking a family member, “What’s the best way to be in the military?” They told me, “Be an officer.” I replied, “What’s the best way to do that?” “Go to an academy.” That’s when I started figuring out the best way to get on that path.

Favorite book?

“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey

What are you reading now?

Currently, “The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command” by Andrew Gordon. It’s a look at command and control of the Navy in post World War II, about the culture and decisions they made in peacetime.

Favorite fiction book?

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber

Movies?

The Avengers series

You spent quite a time traveling the world for your career. During your free time, you must have visited some memorable places. What places are on your short list of favorites?

Malta, maybe number one. The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in Northern England. The area is in the historic county of Yorkshire, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Drumlanrig Castle is situated on the Queensberry Estate in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.  Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a German ski resort in Bavaria, formed when 2 towns united in 1935. It’s a prominent destination for winter sports as well as alpine hiking.

Biographical Profile

Vince attended Farragut for three years during which he served as the Battalion Commander and the Valedictorian for his graduating class. He graduated with a BS in Computer Science, Software Engineering from the Naval Academy in 1989. He also has earned his MS in Management Information Systems from the University of Maryland, is a 2012 graduate of the Oklahoma State University Veteran Entrepreneurship Program, is a graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, and  the Joint Forces Staff College senior officer program.

During his early military career he served aboard USS Vreeland (FF-1068) in Mayport, FL, and USS Cape St. George (CG-71) in Norfolk, VA, deploying three times to Law Enforcement Operations in the Caribbean, to the Persian Gulf for combat operations in DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, and again to the Mediterranean in 1994. In 1996, he was re-designated as a Navy Cryptologist and spent the remainder of his career working intelligence support to a broad range of national and military missions. He served in the National Security Operations Center, and led a National Intelligence Support Team in Bosnia supporting the U.S. 1st Armored Division.  He served as a national mission supervisor and played an important role in actions against Al Qaida senior leadership in 1998. When 9/11 struck CDR Scott moved from US Special Operations Command to US Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, filling a number of intelligence collection and leadership roles in support of combat operations. In 2003 he deployed to Qatar and then Baghdad as a part of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.  In 2004 he deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command. His overseas tours also included service with both the Naval Forces Europe/US Sixth Fleet in Naples, Italy, and US European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, where he participated in US activities around the Russian invasion of Georgia, counterterrorism actions in North Africa, and NATO military operations in Kosovo, and other national missions.

Vince is married to the former Ms. Kristina Howard of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and has three children; Anya, Jacob, and Shelby.  Anya is a physical therapist in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jacob is a freshman at Cincinnati State, and Shelby is a junior at Archbishop McNicholas High School.