Fires and the Summer Seminar

stella

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Messages
196
Given the depth of the tragedy and loss for many with this fires, this is not of any huge significance.
However, I am wondering if the summer seminar has be altered or cancelled at the academy. Our oldest has NASS this week and I cannot remember her email account info. to get in and check and see if USAFA has sent anything about in this regard. She is too busy to be thinking about checking her email, I am sure! She is scheduled for USAFA ss starting Saturday, June 15.

S
 
US Air Force Academy Admissions Facebook page says updates will be posted there -- it has pictures of current Summer Seminar activities
 
Summer Seminar is NOT affected at this time.

The fires are NOT on the academy, although you can see the area of Black Forest that's aflame from the academy.

Keep watching the USAFA site but I would be highly surprised if SS were impacted negatively (other than being a bit smokey).

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Maybe if your daughter is applying to service academies, you don't need to be checking her email for her...

just a thought. totally valid concern with the fires though.
 
Not stopping baseball at Pine Creek High School.

BMiJIOOCEAAFJd8.jpg:large


Photo by Peter McEvoy
 
Point Taken

Maybe if your daughter is applying to service academies, you don't need to be checking her email for her...

just a thought. totally valid concern with the fires though.

Agree with you, Blahu...and my husband echoed your thoughts. My point was that she was at NASS and probably not thinking about it. His response was:
"She'll think about it when she gets home and figure out she needs to check her email or call." Sigh. I am learning...slowly, but learning!

On a positive note I did not assist at all with seminar applications (though apparently a lot of parents actually DO the application online for their kids)...after the BGO made it clear that if a kid did not have the initiative to gather information, complete that short application and ask for help when needed, then they were not ready to step into the big boy/girl world! So, my constant seeking of information on this board remains my lingering way of being overly informed. :smile:

S
 
Agree with you, Blahu...and my husband echoed your thoughts. My point was that she was at NASS and probably not thinking about it. His response was:
"She'll think about it when she gets home and figure out she needs to check her email or call." Sigh. I am learning...slowly, but learning!

On a positive note I did not assist at all with seminar applications (though apparently a lot of parents actually DO the application online for their kids)...after the BGO made it clear that if a kid did not have the initiative to gather information, complete that short application and ask for help when needed, then they were not ready to step into the big boy/girl world! So, my constant seeking of information on this board remains my lingering way of being overly informed. :smile:

S

I met a few at NASS who were like this, it made me pretty unhappy to see that they were the ones getting in and not the kids who actually wanted it.

If she has her phone there I'm sure she will be checking emails though (well, if she has a smartphone), there is certainly some free time there.

Side note - Luigi that is one cool picture.
 
Good grief. Give the mother a break re asking for status of summer seminar and the fires in Colorado Springs.

I am sure the following will draw alot of negative attention and criticism from others who regularly post on here -- but here goes anyway.

Dear parent: as the mother of a cadet who just successfully graduated and has been commissioned and who is home sorting through her clothes in anticipation of moving to her first assignment -- I remember what was involved in getting her to two summer seminars in different parts of the country in a two week time frame. Don't let folks upset you with the comments that you are somehow being overly protective. Your daughter will need some assistance from you over the next four years -- no matter what anyone on here tells you about your daughter now being adult and needing to do everything for herself. Your daughter will take over tasks as needed and as she becomes able to do so. The fact you asked a question does not somehow indicate that your daughter is not going to take on the required tasks as needed. These forums are supposed to provide support -- not criticism for perfectly reasonable questions. In four years, with hard work, your love and support and (granted some) luck, your daughter will be in the same position as mine -- ready to move to her first assignment as a fully functioning adult and officer.
 
Good grief. Give the mother a break re asking for status of summer seminar and the fires in Colorado Springs.

I am sure the following will draw alot of negative attention and criticism from others who regularly post on here -- but here goes anyway.

Dear parent: as the mother of a cadet who just successfully graduated and has been commissioned and who is home sorting through her clothes in anticipation of moving to her first assignment -- I remember what was involved in getting her to two summer seminars in different parts of the country in a two week time frame. Don't let folks upset you with the comments that you are somehow being overly protective. Your daughter will need some assistance from you over the next four years -- no matter what anyone on here tells you about your daughter now being adult and needing to do everything for herself. Your daughter will take over tasks as needed and as she becomes able to do so. The fact you asked a question does not somehow indicate that your daughter is not going to take on the required tasks as needed. These forums are supposed to provide support -- not criticism for perfectly reasonable questions. In four years, with hard work, your love and support and (granted some) luck, your daughter will be in the same position as mine -- ready to move to her first assignment as a fully functioning adult and officer.

Is there a "Like" button on here somewhere? :smile:
 
The unnecessary "snarkiness" of a couple of the previous responses is puzzling.
Probably would have been better to just not say anything at all. The mom is just concerned and is new at the USAFA experience-- just as you will be on June 27th. Cut her (and others) some slack. You will hope that someone does the same for you during BCT.

Blue Skies
USAFA Parent (of 2)
ALO for 8 years
 
I think some of you are reading into my post and finding a broad attack against stella's parenting...which is definitely not what I meant.

Of course, she should be concerned about the fires affecting SS. Especially at a stage where her daughter a)lives at home b)is probably not paying activity fees and tickets on her own and c)is still her daughter, she can and should be asking and looking for what's going on.

My point is that maybe checking her daugher's email for her isn't the best way to get that information. That's why I think SAF is so valuable-it allows families to get tons of information about the academies without actually needing to read their children's emails or check their portals.

stella, I apologize if I came off a little harsh.
 
I think snarkiness can be a relative term .... sometimes depending on what part of the country you live in. I did not grow up on the east coast but have been here for many years. When I first came to the east coast I was taken aback by the tone used by people and it took me a while to realize that they did not mean anything by the "snarky" tone.

With the service academies you are dealing with a diverse group and a lot can be "lost in translation".

:wink:
 
I was just at Session A. The only effects were no Outdoor Activities on Wednesday Evening and no PT on Thursday morning due to smoke and air quality. The events for Thursday were mostly inside, so those weren't affected.
 
I don't think that was the issue at all. I think the issue was the checking of her daughter's email account to get the information:wink:

Of course our children (even though taller and bigger than us!) will always need our support and will sometimes even ask for our assistance. We may even seek information out on their behalf to help them:smile:. I just think that there was concern that checking a personal email account was a step too far. Perhaps it wasn't worded to your satisfaction...the internet can be tricky as we can't see facial expressions or hear intonation.

I guess I don't see a reason to get too upset since the OP seemed cool with it:cool:

Good grief. Give the mother a break re asking for status of summer seminar and the fires in Colorado Springs.

I am sure the following will draw alot of negative attention and criticism from others who regularly post on here -- but here goes anyway.

Dear parent: as the mother of a cadet who just successfully graduated and has been commissioned and who is home sorting through her clothes in anticipation of moving to her first assignment -- I remember what was involved in getting her to two summer seminars in different parts of the country in a two week time frame. Don't let folks upset you with the comments that you are somehow being overly protective. Your daughter will need some assistance from you over the next four years -- no matter what anyone on here tells you about your daughter now being adult and needing to do everything for herself. Your daughter will take over tasks as needed and as she becomes able to do so. The fact you asked a question does not somehow indicate that your daughter is not going to take on the required tasks as needed. These forums are supposed to provide support -- not criticism for perfectly reasonable questions. In four years, with hard work, your love and support and (granted some) luck, your daughter will be in the same position as mine -- ready to move to her first assignment as a fully functioning adult and officer.
 
I don't think that was the issue at all. I think the issue was the checking of her daughter's email account to get the information

I guess it depends on whether the daughter is OK with it. I am guessing that she is, otherwise Mom wouldn't have the log-in info.

I think sometimes the posters do go overboard in criticizing when parents get involved. I am not advocating helicoptering, but sometimes having access to the appointee/cadet/officer's email can be a good idea.

From my own experience, I recently had to use my 1st Lt. Son's email to set up his utilities at his new house in Arizona. Why, you ask? Because he is busy 12-14 hours a day in IFF, and after he closed on his house he needed to get the utilities and accounts changed over. He is single, so there is no spouse to do it. I am happy to help and he is fine with it. It all depends on what arrangement that you have with your kids, and that arrangement is nobody's business but yours.

I also have access to his banking and investment info. I don't ever go into the accounts, but someone needs to have back-up access. After all, look at what our kids do for a living after graduation. Mine flies jets, and if something happened to him, there would be much that needed to be done financially and if there is not a contact person to know where the accounts are and how to access them, there would be a lot of difficulty.

In other words, sometimes access is not a bad thing, and it is something to decide between you and your child. No one else should be criticizing that.

Stealth_81
 
Agree 100% with this sentiment:thumb:

Here is where the internet/forums get tricky. See I don't think that the OP was being criticized. I think that the method was being questioned by a new appointee who was concerned about a young person applying to the academies and needing to stay on top of communication, deadlines, etc for themselves. These young people are not only applying to attend a great school...they are applying to learn to lead people and they need to demonstrate leadership qualities along with responsibility qualities throughout the entire process.

But see, that's what I think from a couple of posts. YMMV:wink:

In other words, sometimes access is not a bad thing, and it is something to decide between you and your child. No one else should be criticizing that.

Stealth_81
 
SuaSponte and Blahu may find that parental assistance / access will be beneficial and maybe even necessary to them in their potential military careers. Stealth is spot on about this, and many (most ?) military families have similar kinds of arrangements that Stealth describes, particularly during deployments. I know that we do.

I am simply suggesting that worried parents be treated a bit more carefully, particularly at this time. Many are nervous about In-processing. Summer Seminar may be the first time their student has been away from home. Etc...

The Academy path is different for every family. We all have to figure out what works for us. Those who have been through it more than once know how it is to be new and worried. Heck, I 'm getting ready to send DD off next week, and even though I am an ALO, I have concerns!
Let's just make sure that everyone feels comfortable asking questions without fear of criticism.

Blue
 
We leave a week from tomorrow to drop our DD off so I am on the "rollercoaster of emotions" at this point:eek:

Yes, it will be different for every family and I am sure that many of these young people will soon realize they need more support than they realize:wink:

In general, I find the forums here to be full of information and support but I do share your concern that individuals are not always treated with the same kindness that would probably be exhibited in a face-to-face encounter. We can all strive harder to not treat others in a way we do not want to be treated:smile:

SuaSponte and Blahu may find that parental assistance / access will be beneficial and maybe even necessary to them in their potential military careers. Stealth is spot on about this, and many (most ?) military families have similar kinds of arrangements that Stealth describes, particularly during deployments. I know that we do.

I am simply suggesting that worried parents be treated a bit more carefully, particularly at this time. Many are nervous about In-processing. Summer Seminar may be the first time their student has been away from home. Etc...

The Academy path is different for every family. We all have to figure out what works for us. Those who have been through it more than once know how it is to be new and worried. Heck, I 'm getting ready to send DD off next week, and even though I am an ALO, I have concerns!
Let's just make sure that everyone feels comfortable asking questions without fear of criticism.

Blue
 
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