Military School News

Felix Gonzalez Canto, former governor of the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, will be the speaker for Riverside Military Academy’s 2012 Commencement ceremony on May 12.

A native of Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Gonzalez Canto attended Riverside from grades 8-12. He was battalion commander his senior year as well as class president every year from grades 8-11. He is an alumnus of Riverside’s class of 1986 and has served as an RMA Board of Trustee member since 2010.

Following graduation from RMA, Gonzalez Canto earned a degree in economics from the Technological and Higher Studies Institute in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Prior to entering the public sector, he was the coordinator of advisors for the Center of Finance and Economics at the Institute. He also served as advisor to the president of CANACO on the subject of external commerce.

He has held numerous political positions, both appointed and elected, prior to serving as governor of Quintana Roo from 2005 to 2011. His elected positions include mayor of Cozumel from 1999 to 2002; federal representative of the 59th Legislature of Congress of the Union for District 1, Quintana Roo; secretary of the committee of tourism of the Chamber of Representatives of the Congress of the Union; and representative of Mexico before the Central American Parliament in 2004. Among his many accolades and awards, he includes the Douglas MacArthur Award presented to him personally by General MacArthur’s widow at Riverside Military Academy in 1986.

According to Colonel Jim Benson, President of Riverside, “Felix Gonzalez Canto is one of Riverside’s most distinguished alumni who could at some time become the first RMA graduate to be a Head of State.”

Gonzalez Canto is currently running for a Senate seat in Mexico. He and his wife, Narcedalia Martin Villanueva, have two children – Victoria Patricia and Felix Lenin.

(Submitted by Riverside Military Academy)

Fletcher Arritt

Fork Union Military Academy held a 12-hour Walkathon Saturday to help raise money and support long-time basketball coach Fletcher Arritt, who was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer last December. Read more about it at:

http://www.newsplex.com/fumabluedevils/headlines/FUMA_Holds_Walkathon_to_Support_Long-time_Basketball_Coach_149373305.html

This academic year Missouri Military Academy has started a Chinese language program, and is considering an exchange program in China. Missouri Military Academy used to offer French, but as president Bob Flanagan explains, the administration felt it should teach a language that was more relevant to the students’ career prospects.

“We ended up focusing then on Chinese, because … there’s a lot of business enterprises that are cooperating with the Chinese, there’s a lot of involvement with the United States and China. So we felt that that was going to grow, and that we could help in our way by teaching that language here for our cadets,” Flanagan said.

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Guiseffi is the dean of the academy. Earlier this year, he took two dozen students on a trip to China. The trip was the first of its kind.

Read more at:

http://kbia.org/post/missouri-military-high-school-cultivates-ties-china

A year-long celebration marking the 125th anniversary for St. John’s Military School begins in earnest with the final dismissal of this year’s 124th Corps of Cadets during Commencement exercises Saturday, May 12.

Next year’s 125th Corps is off to a promising start boasting an historically robust re-enrollment trending at 70%. The national average for military schools, according to AMCSUS surveys (Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States) is roughly 60%. Re-enrolled Cadets will join an estimated 100 or more new Cadets for the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year. Many Cadets enrolled in the 125th Corps also will attend a 4-week summer leadership program on the St. John’s campus beginning June 3. The Corps officially forms for the first time in August when the academic year begins.

Special activities marking the 125th Corps and the school’s milestone anniversary will include special improvements to the St. John’s campus, an Open House event to celebrate the Salina community, an on campus dinner recognizing Salina business leaders who have served on the St. John’s Board of Trustees, local supporters, major donors, and friends of the school.

Despite the special activities, Cadet focus of the 125th Corps will remain on high academic achievement in a structured campus life, promoting personal qualities such as respect, confidence, and high moral character.

(Submitted by St. John’s Military School)

The Hall of Flags at Florida Air Academy

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Florida Air Academy has helped shape thousands of young men — and more recently, young women — since Jonathan Dwight founded the military boarding school near downtown Melbourne. The former New Jersey teacher tied in his love of aviation by fashioning the school after the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Read more at Florida Today:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20120424/NEWS13/304240010/Florida-Air-Academy-celebrates-half-century-teaching-training-leaders?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Cimg%7CHome&nclick_check=1

Cadet Colonel Caleb Prather, the Cadet Battalion Commander at Lyman Ward Military Academy has won the East Central Alabama Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America‘s medal for Leadership and Academic Achievement.

Prather is a resident of Opelika, Alabama and is in his 3rd year at Lyman Ward, where he is the highest ranking cadet.  He joined the Alabama National Guard and will be attending Marion Military Institute in the fall. At Marion he will commission as a Second Lieutenant in two years and will then continue on to complete his BS degree at North Georgia College.

The MOAA Medal was created by the Military Officers Association to recognize leadership and academic achievements of ROTC and JROTC cadets. It is presented annually to specially selected individuals who are participating in ROTC or JROTC programs throughout the country and who exhibit a high potential for military leadership. The seven uniformed services from which MOAA draws its membership are listed on the medal and the ribbon colors are the colors of our nation’s flag, which out armed forced have rallied around during war and peace.

Cadets participate in the Fishburne Military Academy Drill Competition

On Saturday, March 31, Fishburne hosted a drill meet that was by all accounts a tremendous success. Massanutten Military Academy was in attendance. Read more at:

http://www.fishburnetimesconnect.org/2012/04/12/fishburne-military-school-hosts-highly-successful-first-drill-meet/

It’s something every high school football player dreams of, but few get to experience. Fork Union Military Academy will lace up the cleats and play on the ESPN family of networks on August 25 in a game tentatively set for 4 p.m. against mighty Hermitage High, a 2011 Group AAA, Division 6 semifinalist. Read more at scrimmageplay.com:

http://www.scrimmageplay.com/articles/headlines/fork-union-play-hermitage-espn-family-networks

Vince Papale, circa 1976

Vince Papale, former wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and inspiration for the 2006 Disney movie “Invincible,” will be the guest of honor and recipient of the Iwo Jima Leadership Award at the General H.M. Smith Foundation Dinner on Friday, April 13 at 6 p.m. at Marine Military Academy (MMA). More can be read at:

http://www.mma-tx.org/About-Us/MMA-News/Former-NFL-Star-Vince-Papale-to-Receive-MMA-Iwo-Jima-Leadership-Award/

The Honorable Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the Air Force

The honorable Michael B. Donley, the Secretary of the Air Force, will be the commencement speaker at Randolph-Macon Academy’s graduation on Saturday, June 2, 2012. Further information can be read at:

http://www.rma.edu/News-Military-School-graduation-speaker-Michael-Donley-2012-March-26