Official Presentation of Appointment

navig8r

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We received our son's official certificate of appointment a few weeks ago in the mail. The cover letter explains that we may want to make arrangements to have the appointment presented at the high school graduation ceremony.

Our son's high school has told us that they have a policy of not presenting service academy appointments (or anything else in the way of awards, or sholarships) during the graduation ceremony. I know in my older daughter's class there were two students that went to service academies and there was no public mention of the appointments at the graduation ceremony, although it was noted in the program along with all the other scholarships and awards.

OK, I'm biased but I think that any kid who has worked hard enough to get an appointment to a service academy desrves to get a public nod at graduation, but that's just me. It's not like it would tack another hour on the ceremony to recognize one, maybe two students who are making a huge commitment to their country. Having said that... the school suggested to me that I could make arrangements for someone to make the "presentation" of the appointment at the school privately and they will make the appropriate "press arrangements".

I think I understand what they are saying, but assuming we decide to do that - who would be the appropriate person to make the presentation? Has anyone else encountered this?

My first thought goes to the KP admissions field person that we started this whole process with last June. I found him on the KP website under the listing of "admissions field reps" for my state and just emailed him. Although he doesn't seem to have any official connection to the powers that be at KP (except he IS on their list), he has been just amazingly helpful and supportive.

Any advice?
 
Does your son's school have an awards night? Our son, class of 2013, had his award presented to him at senior awards night. I agree the kids who get accepted to the service academies have worked hard and are on the top of their game; it is a shame not to get your son some recognition. :redface: You deserve the kudos too!!! The gentleman who present our son with his appointment is an alumnus to KP, sat on the nomination boards and is very involved with getting Kings Point known to the juniors and seniors in our community.
 
Unfortunately the school has done away with their Honors Convocation and has no awards ceremony scheduled for this year at all. Makes me wonder why I pay all that money in tuition sometimes!
 
My first thought goes to the KP admissions field person that we started this whole process with last June. I found him on the KP website under the listing of "admissions field reps" for my state and just emailed him. Although he doesn't seem to have any official connection to the powers that be at KP (except he IS on their list), he has been just amazingly helpful and supportive.

navig8tr: First Congratulations to you child, it's the beginning of a grand journey. This is an excellent idea and if the Admissions Field Rep involved has never done this he can and will get support and ideas from the Admissions Office representative who covers your state. Further if he or you desire it, it can usually be arranged to have a local alumnus of note to participate as well. Finlay, in addition to these two folks the Nominating Authority (your Congressman or Senator) often support these sorts of things as well - their constituent services rep can help there. If you or the Admissions Field Rep don't know how to make these two things happen, please PM me and I'll steer you in the right direction.
 
I think I understand what they are saying, but assuming we decide to do that - who would be the appropriate person to make the presentation?

Presenting appointments at awards ceremonies is one of the duties of a Kings Point Admissions Field Representative. They will be happy to do it.

If not, call you local KP Parent's Association, they will assist you in getting the right person to do it.
 
We contacted the KP admissions office and they emailed us a 'script' for the presentation. I had it within 5 minutes of the phone call request. PM me if you would like a copy. We used the blue folder for the presentation at the senior award evening. Three students accept their appts.~ 1 to USNA, 1 to USMA and 1 to USMMA.
 
Presentation

Another suggestion that worked very well for us, you might try the office where your DS or DD earned their congressional appointment.

Congress member Kristen Gillibrand used a committee to help her evaluate academy appointments. Each applicant had a person on the committee to help them. In our case, the committee member, a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force, met with our DS several times and walked him through the process. The Colonel came to speak at our DS's graduation along with a nice certificate from Congress member Scott Murphy (as it was Senator Gillibrand by then). As the Colonel worked with our DS for the appointment process, the speech was personal and wonderfully delivered. Considering the Colonel deployed to Afghanistan that weekend, his coming to our DS's graduation was a grand thing to do.

Several of you here on the forum talk about the great people you meet in this whole process, we started that before our DS started.
 
Thanks for all the great advice! I may be PM'ing some of you for more info soon.

I just feel that it is so appropriate for this admissions field rep to do the presentation because he has been so good to us. I know that sounds a little corny but he is a KP graduate and owns a company that is huge in the maritime industry and could have easily met us once and then blew us off. Instead, he went above and beyond the call, checking in with us frequently, just to "see how things were going". I just wasn't sure if there was some protocol involved that prevented him from doing the presentation.

The nominating source would have been a good choice but I wasn't sure which way that worked in my son's case. He applied for nominations from our two Senators and one Congressman and got nominations to KP from all three. So then the dilemna becomes "which one do I call and what message does it send to the other two". We are eternally grateful to all three, but how does one choose?

Luigi - you made my choice easy. But I'm not so sure about that whole "Go Bears, Beat KP" thing!
 
Luigi is one of the most avid supporters of KP on this blog.... at least until "game day":thumb:
 
Truth be told - Luigi cracks me up on these forums. I'd love to meet him - but never on a game day!
 
jrotc presentation

I am going to ask the major in charge of my son's jrotc unit to make the presentation. He did a lot to help and I think has earned the right to do it. He can use the moment to spur the other kids to achieve more.
 
Devil's advocate?

I'm going to play devil's advocate here for a moment, and would be interested to hear what some of the old salts think.

My hometown newspaper has a policy of not publishing SA appointments.They will publish announcements of finishing CBT and several milestones thereafter. The reasoning is the high fallout rate, and, from the editor, the extra pressure and external expectation that the grand announcements can put on a kid who might or might not be sure that this is the right course, and might or might not make it through the summer.

I'm bursting my buttons over my son's appointment -- but doing my best (sometimes failing) to keep it low key and make sure he knows that I will be proud of him whatever choice he makes.

Thoughts?
 
The newspaper's policy

I guess since the divorce rate is 50% the newspaper should not publish wedding announcements because of the high fall out rate. Why not wait until their 10th anniversary just to make sure the marriage lasts! Lol. I think we should all recognize the tremendous achievement of just getting into a FSA. Hopefully it was your son or daughter's idea to go.
 
proud moment

As a mother of a new 4/c ds, I believe that we can all relate. From the moment that the kids express their desire to attend a sa, to all the hard work and grades to make it into the sa, that turns into worry that they will need bubble wrap until reporting for indoc, then the worry about what they are going through during indoc (thank goodness for some photos), then that turns into worry about grades/classes/teachers/lack of sleep, and for some (okay, me) the thought of ds spending shorter holidays (due to distance) at school, and now the new worry about upcoming sea year.

What I am trying to say to the new parents is that the worry will decrease. Right now, yes do worry but with just a little time, it will mellow and you will become even more proud of your adult ds or dd. You raised them right, they will have low moments and this time you cannot step in and help, they have to figure it out by themselves. You are doing what parents are suppose to do - encourage, love, trust, and be that shoulder to vent on - and do realize that it takes a special breed to serve in a sa. Congratulations to them.

PS We did the ceremony at the academic awards night at his high school and the newspaper announcement. The progress for ds started in 8th grade, and frankly, he deserved a public pat on the back.
 
Recognition

My DD was presented the Award on Senior Awards night, it was printed in the Graduation Program and after she was accepted as a 4/c at Parents Weekend, I had her Appointment printed in the local newspaper along with her picture. USMMA will help by sending a press release packet around or after Parents Weekend....PLAN to attend this wonderful event!!! especially for Acceptance Day!!!!

My DD also recieved the 2 Senator's Nominations from our State. Contact all the Sen. and Reps that gave your DS their Nominations. Most of them like the 'publicity'. Their publicity officer will help if they are interested. Our awards were private, but got a really nice 8x10 picture.

EVERY student should be recognized I agree.....I would have PAID to have it put in the paper as an Ad. She worked so long, and so hard to have this opportunity. You bet that there will be an article/picture when she graduates--June, 2011!!!!!!!!
 
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Another thought on recognition of appointment

A local KP graduate did the presentation at the High School Awards Night for our DS. He was thrilled to do it, and KP provided him with the script. We got his name through our local Parents Association. Someone from there contacted someone at KP's Alumni Association.
 
Recognition at Graduation

My DS's school gave him a citizen award at graduation and announced his appointment. But what was really touching was what his physics teacher did. This teacher is a member of the Coast Guard Reserve. During graduation he changed into his Coast Guard uniform and presented the award to my DS in uniform in front of the assembly of parents and school officials. My DS was so touched at that gesture. It really made the day so special.
 
Congrats on the Acceptance.
Our HS also had a 'policy' of not announcing SA Appointments.Nothing much worked out for years, which was an incredible shame. The rest of the parents who had SA-bound kids nodded knowingly to one another about the accomplishments that their kids had made, and the tasks they would face.
The best they got was special recognition in JROTC city-wide awards nights, or at religious organizations, etc.

Once a new principal was assigned to the school, a 'new sheriff was in town', and awards ceremonies now include SA appointments.

THAT SAID, out of the 4 SA presenters, 'brief remarks' by ONE of the presenters went PAST the 5 minutes mark... the 10 minute mark.. and the 15 minute mark.
I suspect they'll institute a time limit.
There were over 800 kids to graduate, and the program was already one of the longest on record.
[No reflection on the kid, however... the 3rd from one family to attend SA. Major kudos to them all]

Also, our paper is ALSO one of the ones who does not publish congrats on DS/DD being appointed to ANY service academy.

However, follow up on all these great suggestions.
It won't change if we don't keep asking.
 
I contacted a local reporter and mentioned it was a shame that print is allotted to Sports schlorships but not to those attending a Service Academy - the result an article in the Sunday paper (great Mother's day surprise). The fact that the pirates had just been in the news also helped.
DS was recognised at the awards ceremony. A KP prof is a town resident and he did the honors. He used the script provided by KP. It was wonderful.
At graduation all students who will be serving are asked to stand as their names are read and service listed. He was the first one called. This is a nice touch and does not take long. I think the local community should know who has planned to serve.
However I had to advocate and squeak loudly to make sure it all happened.
 
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