Dare I say the word – Military…
In my last post, Don’t Judge a Book…, I talked about how boarding schools are often judged improperly for a number of reasons. During my travels the last couple of months, I met with a number of families who had similar thoughts. Their misconceptions of boarding schools were initially keeping them from even considering the possibility. The two main stereotypes were based principally on:
1) only the elitist or financially privileged attend or
2) that parents send children who need fixin’ away to boarding school.
That “fixin’ stereotype” is one that hovers over schools who have, dare I say, the word “military” attached somewhere in its name or mission. When I encouraged you last time to not judge all boarding schools the same, I meant that for all schools – even schools with a military component.
In Brian Fisher’s article on The Opportunities of Military Schools, Brian reiterates that “military schools are not punitive places”. We are, however, places where virtues of honor and self-discipline bring forth opportunities to develop strong leadership skills for the future. But every school that operates in a military model will do so differently from school to school. Check out each schools mission and then ask, “How does the military model accomplish the pursuit of the mission?”
The differences in military boarding schools will vary greatly in style and function. For example, at Culver our mission centers on developing responsible leaders in society. And we provide that through the military leadership model. As the Commandant of Culver Academies, Col. Kelly Jordan states, we “empower students with unparalleled responsibility and authority to help execute the mission of the school and develop leaders of character”. Fork Union Military Academy, like Culver, is not affiliated with any service branch and according to FUMA’s website, “we (FUMA) use the best aspects of a military-style system to create an environment focused on academic achievement and leadership development.”
Other military boarding schools do affiliate with a specific service branch and offer JROTC programs (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines) for those students who have a keen interest in participating in such a program. Regardless of affiliation or not, the vast majority of graduates are attending top universities across the country.
I love Admiral Farragut Academy’s charge to families considering their school – “Look Beyond My Uniform”. That is so true. Beyond the uniform are some of the same enriching opportunities that you’d find at any other school. So, don’t rule out a military school as an option, it just may be the perfect environment for your child to thrive.
About Derek Perkins:
Derek Perkins serves as the Associate Director of Admissions at Culver Academies. He works with domestic and international families; enjoys the marketing, communications and technology side of the admissions office; and also serve as coach for one of Culver’s boy’s hockey teams.
One of the things that attracted Mr. Perkins to the boarding school environment is the incredible sense of community and caring that can come from such a place. He’s amazed at the opportunities and experiences our students are exposed to.
Past Experience: Mr. Perkins spent five years in higher education admissions and enrollment management and was most recently the Director of Enrollment Systems at Marian University in Indianapolis, IN.
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