17 MORE Things That May Surprise You About Today's Admiral Farragut Academy

Last time I posted 16 Things That May Surprise You About the Admiral Farragut Academy of Today: A lesson in perception.

This week, I'm adding 17 more things I find fascinating about AFA Each day I learn yet another bonk-you-on-the-head "I never knew that!" tidbit, making the campus, the faculty, and the students a virtual layer cake of surprises. 

17. COME FLY WITH ME

Farragut’s Aviation Academy allows students to learn aeronautical science and gain a Private Pilot’s License through ground (flight simulators) and air instruction from faculty with over 70 years of combined aviation experience. This is the school for students interested in pursuing a career in the field of aviation, as many of our students matriculate to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the number one college for aviation. This program applies advanced science and math concepts, teaches responsibility for self and others, and translates to concrete career opportunities.
 

18. BUNK-MATES

Our boarding students learn quickly how to share a space, maintain a clean room for inspection, be responsible and accountable for a roommate, and to get along with students from other cultures. Our Residential Life staff assigns roommates based on age, gender, and common interests while purposely pairing students from different cultures to ensure diversity. I’ve heard several stories now about boys who were bunkmates who became best men at each other’s weddings, then godparents to each other’s children, and who still keep in touch at age 75.

19. RICHARD FISHER AND CASPER VAN DIEN

Bet you never thought you’d see those two names in the same sentence, huh? Richard Fisher, Class of 1967, is today the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and Casper Van Dien, Class of 1987, appeared in Beverly Hills 90210, One Life to Live and the mega-hit movie Starship Troopers. The diversity in the success of these two Farragut alumni prove again that a Farragut education nurtures all kinds of talent.

20. FREE FOOD!

That’s right, a healthy, delicious lunch with myriad options (hot plates, vegetarian, salad bar, sandwich bar and more) is included for all students at no extra cost, which means never having to wake up late and shout across the house to your spouse, “I thought YOU were making the kids’ lunches today!”

21. ENGINEERING CLASSES BEGIN IN 3RD GRADE

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, jobs in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, grew three times as fast as non-STEM jobs during the last 10 years. At Farragut, 3rd grade students begin applied engineering courses through the Engineering is Elementary curriculum that ties into the school-wide STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) curriculum. Third grade students, for instance, have designed transportation systems using simple machines, built working windmills, and designed lighting systems for a mummy tomb. Engineering courses continue on through Middle and High School with 6th grade students using industry-standard Autodesk Inventor 3D modeling software to design, and 7th grade students moving to automation and robotics through the Autodesk VEX Robotics curriculum.
 

22. SCUBA DIVING CLASSES IN OUR POOL DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

Yes, yes we have that here. Additionally, beyond swim team training, the pool is used for swimming during Elementary P.E. classes during the warmer months, as well as for a Cardboard Boat Race by Middle School Marine Science students who, practicing the Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy, must build a boat out of a cardboard box that can get across the whole length of the pool without sinking. Seriously fun(ny) stuff!

23. ABOUT FACE ( əˈbaʊtˌfeɪs) n.

a. 180 degree turn to the right from the position of attention.
b. a reversal of direction, attitude, behavior or point of view

There is no denying that by attending a boarding school with military traditions, students have restrictions--the uniforms, the clean-shaven face, the “No sir”s and “Yes ma’am”s. However, the wide variety of opportunity for expression through the arts, club and activities, and 21 different athletic teams helps make attending this military school anything but uniform.

24. MOVIE NIGHTS

As you may expect, Farragut’s Residential Life staff often hosts movie nights for boarding students. What you might not expect is that the school’s Elementary School faculty also frequently host movie nights on campus for the elementary students--at no cost to parents--to give moms and dads the opportunity for dinner alone once in awhile. Now that’s customer service!

25. THERE’S EVEN A STUDENT UNION

Farragut is home to boarding students in grades 8-12, but students don’t have to live on campus to get an inkling of what it feels like to be on a college campus. Our 35-acre campus has three athletic fields, a pool, a track, a gym, a field house, tennis courts, a weight room, and plenty of quiet, shady, grassy knolls for outdoor study. Boarding dorms, faculty apartments, a mess hall, and a yacht basin that is open after school and on weekends for students interested in waterfront activities all round out that collegiate feel. And yes, there’s even a student union for just hangin’ out.

26. GIRLS RUN THIS WORLD

The professional success of Farragut alumni is the best advertisement for the school. Ashley Patterson, Class of 2002, was recently named one of Washington’s “50 Most Beautiful People” by The Hill magazine, but behind the beauty is brains. After graduating from Farragut as Battalion Commander, she breezed through Boston University in three years, then stayed on to get a graduate degree in Journalism. She quickly worked her way up from news intern to Senior Congressional and White House Reporter at Belo Corp. Currently she is the Government Relations Director at Ameresco, the largest, comprehensive, green energy solutions company in North America.

27. FIND YOUR INNER-VATION

Robotics and engineering classes and clubs in every division (Elementary, Middle, and High School) allow students to use critical thinking skills to create innovative models, robots, and architectural CAD designs. Students with artistic minds, for example, can apply math and science in visually creative ways while developing skills that are highly marketable in today’s technologically-driven society.

28. MUFFINS FOR MOMS, DONUTS FOR DADS

There are plenty of opportunities for parents to get involved and volunteer on campus in everything from planning the Spring Auction or Bowl-A-Thon to helping with the used uniform store, Book Fair or athletic booster events. There’s even an event just for dads that involves, in the words of Homer Simpson, “Mmmmm. Donuts.”

29. SIX NOMINATIONS TO THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY EACH YEAR 

Because Admiral Farragut Academy is one of only two Honor Naval Academies in the United States--so designated by an Act of Congress and reaccredited each year by the Department of the Navy--the officer in charge of our Naval Science Program has the authority each year to make the following nominations:

• Six (6) nominations to the U.S. Naval Academy

This is great news (and great odds!) for students interested in pursuing a military college career. Those who are not interested in attending a military college still benefit from the NJROTC training by applying for full ROTC scholarships at the best colleges and universities across the country.

30. THE VALUE OF FISH POOP

Students in Mr. Davenport’s Science class grow and maintain an aquaponics system each year in which they use the nitrogenous waste products from fishes to fuel the growth of various plant species.  They experiment each year with fish and plant types to see which species will do best in their current system. Marine conservation at the most basic level--waste not, want not!  

31. KIDS SO PREPARED FOR COLLEGE THEY WON’T MOVE BACK HOME

Beyond academics that include a diverse curriculum with nine AP courses, two dual enrollment courses and an opportunity to gain six professional licenses (pilot, boat handler, and various scuba), Farragut boarding students are already one step ahead of all other college freshmen. Through NJROTC training, they’ve already learned how to manage their time, be accountable for their own actions, do their own laundry and dishes, and share a room with someone from another culture. Nope, these kids will not return to live on your couch after their first semester at college. ~phew!~  

32. PREKINDERGARTEN TEACHER SUSAN MORRIS

In 2012, PreK teacher Susan Morris was selected as a Teacher of the Future by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Susan, who wears a themed vest almost every day, molds tiny minds and hearts with a familiar refrain, “Is that helpful or hurtful?”

33. YEP, IT’S LIKE THAT HERE

In a final attempt to illustrate the community of this school to my children, I brought up the Admiral Farragut Academy Facebook page (www.facebook.com/farragut.org). What I found were pictures of a school that took its entire faculty and staff along with student Battalion Commanders to a Tampa Bay Rays baseball game to get everyone pumped about being back to school. But something tells me that wasn’t even necessary. Students, parents, and faculty alike are happy to come here, learn here, grow here, stay here. Yep, it’s like that here.