February 11, 2019
February 11, 2019
Feb 10 - Spiritual Emphasis Week
Feb 13 - Winter Fun Day
Feb 15-16 - VISAA State Championship Swim Meet
Feb 18 - Spring Sports Begin
Feb 21 - Military School Band Festival
Feb 22 - First Piedmont Tournament
Mar 2 - Military Ball
Mar 4-7 - PG National Championship
Mar 8 - Winter Sports Banquet (Parents Welcome)
Mar 9 - Admissions Open House
Mar 16 - Band @ St Patrick's Day Parade - Charlotte
First, I'd like to thank all of the cadets who came for the first couple of rounds of wrestling. It was fun to hear a collective cheer for wins, the pained "ooh" for impressive slams and general support for our team. Many of you were reminded of the level of combat each wrestler prepares for and endures for their chosen sport. Also many thanks to the staff and other volunteers who provided food and helped make our tournament run smoothly. We received multiple praises from the other coaches and referees for our hospitality and organization.
In spite of the small number of schools in our conference, and several teams not being able to fill their rosters, the level of competition was fierce nonetheless. Our Tigers fought with all the vigor they could muster and in the end, even with missing four weight classes, defeated our rival Fishburne Military Academy to clinch the VIC championship. The individual results are as follows;
Tyler Medlin, despite his calm demeanor at school, attacked his opponents with ferocity and stood the victor at the end, earning a gold medal for his efforts in his weight class.
Sebastian Richardson faced opponents who previously defeated him, but fought with renewed determination. He remained defeated but by a much narrower margin. He showed his opponents that he wants payback, and he may get his chance next week at the State tournament.
Gabriel Medlin's first match went quick as he pinned his opponent but fell to the first seed near the end of the third period to earn a silver.
Rashed Khraisat fell early in the first round but still earned a bronze.
Elias Hanson's first match was against the top seed, but he didn't let that deter him from winning. Fueled by his hard fought win, his second match ended by pin in the first period, earning him a gold medal.
Devin Wallace dominated his first opponent by pin then directed his sights on the championship match. He did not win, but gave the champ a run for his money, so to speak, and earned a silver.
Tyler Morris is at the light end of the tougher weight classes and has fought tooth and nail the whole season. Tyler brought home a third place winning by two points in a low scoring match after a disappointing loss by the same margin. He plans on getting some payback next week at State.
Quinn Griffith dominated his opponents, pinning each one to wear the coveted gold medal around his neck.
Walter Thompson, a first year wrestler, gave it his all and pinned his first opponent near the end of the match. He only fell to the champion by a few points, earning a silver.
Max Hohimer faced the two biggest guys in our conference, and bigger than most in the local public schools, both multi-year state ranked and one a three-time All-American (nationally ranked) wrestler. He was a David against two Goliaths. He did not win, but he made sure to force his opponents to genuinely earn their wins. With this experience, Max will be better prepared to conquer at the state level next week.
Please make sure to congratulate these young men in their team victory and encourage them to finish strong next weekend.
- Captain Ed Ott
This was an amazing run for the team considering we started the season with 7 athletes.
Nate Higdon has now qualified for state in seven events but can only compete in four: the 200 IM, 100 breastroke and two relays.
The Tigers won medals in 8 of 12 events.
Maurizio Visconti won the gold in diving and qualified for State with a score of 315 points. 7th grader Noah Clinton scored 286 total points in the exhibition event. These two are the first divers to compete for Hargrave in over ten years. Congrats divers.
Our swimmers dropped times everywhere adding more state qualifier times.
Qualifiers for state:
400 Free Relay - Michael Lewis, Kevin White, Wesley Marquardt & Nate Higdon
100 Breaststroke & 500 Freestyle - Nate Higdon
200 Free Relay - Michael Lewis, Kevin White, Joe Kennedy & Nate Higdon
200 IM & 50 Freestyle - Kevin White
50 Freestyle - Michael Lewis
Other Conference Finalists and time cuts:
200 Freestyle - Scott Kennedy from 2:30 to 2:17.67
200 Freestyle - Wesley Marquardt from 2:29 to 2:2.4.85
200 Freestyle - Jay John Thompson 2:58 to 2:38.29
200 Freestyle - Andrew Ponton 2:29 to 2:20.01
200 IM - Kevin White 2:20 to 2:17.44
50 Freestyle - Michael Lewis 24.99 to 24.67
50 Freestyle - Chad Demarest 30.04 to 29.59
100 Butterfly - Scott Kennedy 1:29.70 to 1:16.86
100 Butterfly - Nick Mackenzie 1:25.33 to 1:23.89
100 Freestyle - Michael Lewis 57.71 to 55.42
100 Freestyle - Rob Mueller 1:26.00 to 1:19.59
100 Freestyle - Maurizio Visconti 1:55 to 131.91
500 Free - Nate Higdon 5:55 to 5:04.37
500 Free - Wesley Marquardt 7:17.18 to 6:43.74
500 Free - John Thompson 7 53 to 7:24.17
100 Backstroke - Kevin White 1:09.17 to 1:04.77
100 Breaststroke - Nate Higdon 106.31 to 1:05.65
100 Breaststroke - Andrew Ponton 1:29.30 to 1:21.50
Next Stop:
VISAA State Championship Meet
February 15 - 16, 2019
Jeff Rouse Swim and Sport Center
1600 Mine Rd, Stafford, VA 22554
- Coach Doug Norris
Lieutenant Colonel Broomell first arrived at Hargrave in March of 1994 not knowing if he could do this job. He was a young teacher and was taking over for a long term and very popular faculty member.
On his first day, a cadet who was not interested in actually working in class gave him quite a hard time. Coach Broomell knew he needed to help that young man and help he did. At the end of the school year, he was simply rewarded with the young man coming up to him and saying "Thank you for teaching me." He has been teaching Social Studies and coaching ever since. "This is where God wanted me to be."
Before coming to Hargrave his idea of military academy was the movie Taps. He knew it would be structured: "Structure is good for everyone; it gives you a framework to work in and helps you to know your boundaries. Hargrave has the best of both worlds, we have a family atmosphere that is structured."
Every morning he starts off with a devotion in class and includes the devotional theme in his class lessons. He enjoys being creative in his classroom and not just teaching to a test.
"Hargrave is not the buildings. It is not the facilities. It is the people. Our faculty are willing to go out of their way to mentor and help kids with their academics and to help grow their spiritual character."
He keeps up with many of his former students over social media and is happy to see them enjoy the fruits of their labor. Many come back to visit and repeat his quotes back to him. "Hard work, given time, beats talent"
"I enjoy going to work everyday as I have the best two jobs in the world. I am a Hargrave teacher and in the summer I am a lifeguard at Myrtle Beach!"
Though he started off not knowing if Hargrave was the school for him, LTC Broomell is now the longest serving faculty member. "I found a home at Hargrave."
"If Not Me, Then Who" is the mantra of the Travis Manion Foundation (TMF), and a call to action for everyone to do their part to make our communities better.
The Travis Manion Foundation was established in the memory of a fallen Marine, Travis Manion, who lived his life placing others needs above his own.
Hargrave was honored to welcome Ms Carley Salmon, a TMF representative on 8 February to hear her story as an Army Veteran and her call to service to lead the "If Not Me, Then Who" movement. The Foundation's vision is to inspire others to continue the service to community and country exemplified by the nation's fallen heroes.
The Hargrave Center for Leadership and Ethics is committed to ensuring our students receive the best character education, and to further this call to service in support of Hargrave and neighboring communities.
- Sergeant Major Scott Dooley, Director, Center for Leadership and Ethics
The second semester started fast and furiously!. The Corps of Cadets had 15 promotions, including most of the Battalion Staff. Unfortunately, there was a handful of demotions due to first semester grades and conduct. Cadet Officers are required to have a 2.5 GPA for selection and maintain a 2.0 GPA. The good news is that these young have the opportunity to earn their rank back by bringing their grades back up to a 2.0 GPA.
We also had six cadets lose rank and serve a suspension for possession/use of vaping devices. The use of any tobacco product on the Hargrave campus is against policy, and the use by anyone under 18 is illegal in VA. The biggest danger is the effects of nicotine and the various unregulated chemicals. There is no doubt these devices are designed to create addiction in young people. Hargrave is ramping up both our watch for these devices and our education about the dangers. The first of multiple planned educational series will be held on 13 Feb for cadets and faculty. The speaker will be from the VA Department of Health. Hargrave also helps parents and cadets with nicotine cessation programs. Our goal is to provide a safe and healthy environment for all cadets to develop into leaders of character prepared for lifelong success. This effort includes prevention, accountability, and education. Two great websites and articles on this subject are: Truth Initiative and Childmind
The Military Ball is right around the corner on Saturday 2 March 2019. This is the Hargrave version of a high school prom. It has a historical context with a Promenade and is a wonderful opportunity for the Corps of Cadets (10th grade through Post Graduates) to celebrate with brother cadets and young ladies from hometowns and sister schools. One item we are doing differently this year is the ability for an extended weekend pass for Meritorious Performers. Cadets who are listed on the most current Meritorious Performers List will be able to sign out after the ball and not return until Monday 4 March, no later than 5:30 P.M. Cadets who do not attend the ball will not be afforded this opportunity. Watch the following newsletters for more Military Ball information in the coming weeks.
Spring Break is not until 23-31 March and that seems like a long ways away. However, there is the Winter Fun Day (13 Feb), Conference Tournaments in Basketball, Wrestling, and Swimming, (and maybe State tournaments for some), the First Piedmont Tournament for PG level schools (22-23 Feb), a Band Festival (21-25 Feb), Military Ball (2 Mar), Eye of the Tiger Competition (9-10 Mar), weekly clubs, and a multitude of activities each weekend. In between these activities are classes, field trips, Spiritual Emphasis Week with guest speakers, a presentation by the Travis Manion Foundation (character development), and the transition to Spring Sports on 18 February. The Parent Council is constantly surprising the cadets with special events and birthday celebrations each month!! While Spring Break is in the distance there are plenty of activities and opportunities for all our cadets across the 4 pillars at Hargrave.
Semper Fidelis
LtCol Morris - Commandant of Cadets
I want to take a quick second to thank you for all of the memories you've provided me in these past two swim seasons. This being my last, it was weird to look over into the blue tinted water covered in red light from the time boards and know it was my last time that I would swim competitively in this pool. Thank you for the memories and the growth you have provided to me, last year's team and this year's team, as well as to Coach Markunes and Coach Norris, both have been influential role models in my life and have guided me so far. Farewell Hargrave Swim!
- Cadet Joshua Meade (via Instagram)
We are now getting into the heaviest part of flu season; however, we are thankful that the flu has not yet affected our school. We have seen an increase in the number of colds among the cadets. We are seeing colds that affect both the upper and lower respiratory tract causing sore throat, fatigue, nasal congestion, cough, and occasionally low-grade fever as well.
The nurses have been encouraging the cadets to wash their hands frequently and to clean their rooms and work areas often. Hand hygiene is the easiest and most effective way to prevent the spread of viruses such as the common cold and flu. We appreciate the parents who have kept their cadet home when they feel very unwell or have a fever. This may help to prevent further spread among the cadets. Let's do all we can to keep our cadets healthy and productive during this time of the year!
Elizabeth Tucker, RN