Senior Assembly

M

mhc123wc

USNA 2015
5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
49
I received my appointment in February and have accepted it already. I contacted my BGO regarding my high school Senior Assembly, which is essentially an awards ceremony, and he said he would come to make a presentation for me on behalf of the Naval Academy.

Has anyone else coordinated this event with their BGO? Any thoughts on what this "presentation" is like?

Thanks
 
When my daughter was a senior, the BGO presented the USNA "scholarship" to one of her classmates at senior honors night. I have to say, it was a real show stopper! The BGO explained the process and the value of the scholarship, by far the biggest of the night. Everyone in the audience paid attention to that presentation. It made a real impression on me. At that point, I never imagined that 7 years later I would be sitting in the audience witnessing that same scholarship being presented to my son! :thumb:
 
Over the past 20 years I have participated in several presentations, and the format has evolved as follows: I start with a greeting, thank you, and introduction followed by calling the appointee to the stage. While that is occurring I congratulate the parents on guiding their graduates to this milestone and focus on the appointee's parents with the extra efforts involved in the sa selection process. I then explain the nature of the selection process and the fact that the SA's rank in the ten most selective colleges in the US. I follow by explaining that the appointment actually is a very lucrative fully paid scholarship leading to a degree and a commission in the Navy or Marine Corps. I talk about what will be experienced over the next four years and the opportunities that will occur along the way and at service selection. I wrap up by reading the certificate and present it in the binder along with a printed, signed, and dated copy of the presentation with a handshake and a Welcome Aboard to the Naval Academy Class of 2015.

If there are special circumstances please tell your BGO; one time I had alum father and brother present so the presentation was altered so each of them had a role in the event.

KEEP TRACK OF THE BINDER AND CERTIFICATE SO IT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO YOUR BGO FOR PRESENTATION... HAD ONE GET LOST ONCE!

Congratulations and best wishes.
 
Thank you so much for the information! It is greatly appreciated.
 
DS's BGO was to be out of town during the Senior Assembly.....but after a phone call from DS the BGO made some calls and found another USNA grad( and HS alum) just back from Iraq to "stand-in"..... after an excellent presentation (prepared by the BGO) there was a 2 minute standing ovation by the entire senior class, parents and HS faculty....... a tremendously moving experience...:thumb:
 
My plebe had a classmate heading for AFA. Her BGO called both of them to the stage and did both. After the basics as described by 1964 he said: "Folks you're seeing two outstanding young people who, through hard work and dedication, have earned $800,000 of your tax dollars for their education. And who will, in four year, be outstanding officers and leaders. Their parents, the faculty and administration of this school and the entire town deserve to be extremely proud." (I certainly was.) The standing ovation was started simultaneously by one of their teachers and a USNA Alum.

Enjoy it - you've earned it.
 
It depends on the status of your BGO. When ours did the ceremony for our son last year, he was in civilian clothes, because he is no longer in the Navy.
 
Our high school (500+ graduates per year) doesn't have an awards ceremony, senior assembly, spiffy presentation by BGO, nada. The graduation program lists colleges accepted and scholarships awarded, and that's about it.

BUT...if you are awarded an athletic scholarship, even if it's for Synchronized Swimming at Podunksville Junior College, the local newspaper will run a large picture of you sitting at a table signing your contract with all of your extended family, high school coaches, future college coaches, everyone decked out in school colors. The TV news could very well get in on the action and interview you for the 6 o'clock broadcast!

But if you were selected among thousands of applicants to attend a Service Academy, or Harvard, or Princeton.... not so much. Sigh. :frown:
 
We had a cadet a few years back that got appointed from our High School. It's the 1st time I ever saw anyone from our school go to a Service Academy. The presentation by the BGO during the Awards night for the Seniors was pretty special. His Presentation came first and was listed first on the program as well. The Officer was in full uniform and explained to the whole audience how special and what an honor this type of award was.

I never really thought about our small school having such an honor come from it. It gave us hope that just because you came from a small school that being appointed to a Service Academy was still possible. USNA looked at the candidate and all that he had to offer and his potential. I was really impressed. Along with the rest of the audience who gave him a standing ovation.

What an accomplishment!
 
The presentation of the certificate DOES NOT have to be confined to the school venue; it could be done in front of a Scout troop, a church congregation, Rotary or other service club meeting... whatever venue would be meaningful to the appointee. I have always felt that the award presentation was at least partially my payoff for working with a successful candidate, and it is a real pleasure to see and hear the response of those who are witnessing the award. Also, there is nothing stopping a family from working directly with the local media regarding the event. A couple of years ago, a local reporter accompanied the family and appointee to I-Day to file a follow-on article. It only happens once, don't let it slip by.
 
Also, there is nothing stopping a family from working directly with the local media regarding the event. A couple of years ago, a local reporter accompanied the family and appointee to I-Day to file a follow-on article.
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Very good point, especially those with unique stories or in remote locations. This is a win-win because it promotes the apointee and helps get the word out about USNA and the Navy -- good way to help CHINFO PA mission.
 
A couple of points about BGO presentations . . . These presentations are very enjoyable for BGOs. A little advance prep can make them even more so.:smile:

TRY to give your BGO as much advance notice as possible. As I often say, many of us have jobs or have other reasons that we can't make an event, much as we might want to. With some advance notice, we can almost always find a "replacement." If you or your school counselor call the night before, it's going to be tough.

If your BGO has never done a program at your school, make sure he/she is put in touch with your school official who is running the program. It helps to know how much time we will have (some schools want it done in less than 2 mins -- seriously -- while others will allow more time).

Many schools put the military presentations up front so that the BGOs and other military presenters don't have to stay for 2 hours of awards. Some may want to stay but most need to go, so don't be surprised if the military presenters discreetly leave after their parts.

BGOs who are eligible to wear their uniforms (active duty, retired, or Reserve) will typically do so if they can fit into it.:smile: However, many BGOs are civilians and we aren't eligible to wear a uniform. We typically will wear a suit or other business attire. Sometimes, we will try to find someone in uniform to accompany us -- if you want this, you can ask POLITELY -- but it may not always be possible.

Finally -- and this is just my pet peeve -- consider what YOU are wearing to the ceremony. I've had folks show up in ripped jean shorts (or super-short mini-skirts), a frayed T-shirt, and flip flops. I realize this may the the dress du jour in h.s. these days. However, when I go to the effort to wear formal business attire and the military members are wearing their dress uniforms, it really leaves a sour taste in our mouths. I'm NOT suggesting you have to wear a suit. But a pair of khakis or equivalent and a collared shirt (e.g., polo) or the female equivalent doesn't seem to be asking too much. Just saying.:rolleyes:
 
Hi everyone! Are we supposed to contact our BGOs to arrange for this? I have not been in touch with mine since the interview. Do all BGOs do things like this?
 
Snow18 said:
Hi everyone! Are we supposed to contact our BGOs to arrange for this? I have not been in touch with mine since the interview. Do all BGOs do things like this?
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You can. Sometimes the school counselor does it. You might check with him/her first.

Most BGOs are willing to do it. If you live a long distance from your BGO, it may be more difficult logistically. But you can always ask.
 
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