HS Graduation Presentation

USNA4MyDD22

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Jun 2, 2017
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Hi. I have heard of a member of the US Navy making an appearance/presentation at the HS Graduation of a P2B. Is that accurate? If so, is it something that always happens or only in certain situations? Does it happen automatically or is there a process to request it?
 
it did not occur at graduation but DD's school has an award night right before graduation. During that award night DD's BGO appeared and presented her the Appointment from the USNA. Yes, she had it for some time prior. Another girl headed to the USAFA had a General do the same for her. So while not graduation it was made a big deal at their school. DD and the other girl were the first from their school to attend a service academy.
 
It doesn't "automatically" happen. How the process works depends on the school. If your school has previously sent kids to SAs, they probably have an established process. I will explain below what usually happens. But, at the end of the day, if you want a presentation to occur, it's up to YOU (NOT the school or the BGO) to make it happen.

You need to notify your career/college counselor that you have an appointment to a USNA (or to NAPS/Foundation) and that you'd like your BGO to make a presentation at the awards ceremony (or other event where such a presentation would be appropriate). The counselor (or the person in charge of the ceremony) should contact the BGO and work out logistics. Do NOT assume this has occurred. You may need to provide contact info for your BGO and/or may need to f/u with the BGO yourself. Please don't assume your BGO intuitively knows the date/time of your ceremony. We don't.

The BGO will try to attend -- it's one of the really fun things we get to do. However, it's not always possible. If you (or the career counselor) contacts the BGO well in advance, he/she will try to get a replacement to make the presentation. If all else fails, the BGO can provide a script for the presentation and someone from the school can do it. It's really nice if the presentation occurs early in the ceremony so that the BGO can leave immediately after, if desired, as the BGO may need to return to work and/or may not want to sit through several hours of ceremony for people he/she doesn't know.

I work with three schools. For two, it's a seamless, painless process. For the third, last year the ONLY reason I showed up was the parents and the appointee contacted me directly literally the day before the event. The career counselor had totally dropped the ball and failed to contact me regarding the ceremony despite being asked to do so (and telling the parents she'd done so). Luckily, timing worked out and I was able to show.

It's also nice to let the BGO know how much time he/she has for the presentation. At some schools, there are literally dozens of awards, so the "speech" needs to be VERY short (less than a minute). At other schools, a longer presentation may be appropriate. Finally, the candidate needs to bring the appointment certificate to the ceremony so the BGO can present it.

As noted, whether you have a presentation is entirely up to you. If you don't want one, then there need not be one. If you do want one, your BGO will be happy to oblige (schedule permitting).
 
BGO's are encouraged to make presentations of the Appointment, as it serves two important purposes: 1) Promoting awareness and 2) recognizing the successful applicant. I often see an increase in applications from a school after I have been to present the award.

Personally, it is one of the most rewarding parts of being a BGO --while the presentation is usually very short, it gives me the chance to talk up USNA to a large audience. I usually do it at the HS Awards night, most schools here have them a couple weeks before graduation. However, I have made a presentation at the actual graduation --- I will always remember it, approx. 3 hour drive each way, small rural town with 24 members in the class, most of whom had been together since kindergarten.

As USNA1985 points out ..you might need to take the initiative and tell the BGO when the Awards Ceremony is. From there, I usually contact the Guidance Counselor or Principal, and make the arrangements directly. One thing to remember --Admissions sends the Certificate of Appointment (in a blue plastic folder) directly to the Candidate -- you need to bring that to the event if you want the BGO to present it to you !
 
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