Naval Academy Prep School under fire

[recon68]

More College Inc. Calls NAPS out on Grades & Minorities

Naval Academy Prep School under fire

Academy grad asks senator to investigate 'red shirting' recruited athletes

By EARL KELLY, Staff Writer
Annapolis Capital
Published 02/12/11

A Naval Academy graduate has asked Congress to investigate - and possibly abolish - the academy's prep school.

According to Alfred W. Tate, Class of 1964, the Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) has become a way to "red shirt" recruited athletes and give unqualified minority students a back door into the Naval Academy.

In an e-mail on Thursday to U.S. Sen. James Webb, Tate called NAPS, and similar programs run by the U.S. Military Academy and the Air Force Academy, a misuse of federal funds.

"I simply didn't know of any other way to sort this out, and I feel this needs sorting out," Tate said yesterday in a phone interview.

"NAPS and its sister prep schools appear to have become places for parking what only can be described as red-shirt freshmen for the service academies which are themselves increasingly indistinguishable from the football factories most of our major universities have become," Tate wrote to Webb. "At a time of huge and growing federal deficits, the expenditure of taxpayer money for such a purpose is indefensible, particularly when funding for fleet and Marine Corps combat readiness may be in jeopardy."

Read the rest of the article HERE

Todays Wasshington Post Item from College Inc.

"During a recent two-year period, NAPS grads were arriving at the Naval Academy so poorly prepared for college-level work, the Naval Academy superintendent relieved the officer in charge of the prep school. Still, these Napsters were found to be fully qualified and were admitted to the academy, while other qualified students were turned away," writer Earl Kelly reports.

The 300-student NAPS class of 2011 included 190 minority students and 110 recruited athletes, according to records obtained by the Capital.

More stats: "For the Naval Academy Classes of 2009-2013, 312 African Americans entered the Naval Academy, 180 (58 percent) of whom came through NAPS, according to documents obtained under FOIA."

Among whites, by contrast, "521 of the 4,101 admitted to the academy (13 percent) entered through NAPS," the Capital wrote.

More stats:

"Of the 155 football players listed on Navy's 2010 roster, 86 (55 percent) attended NAPS, according to the school's sports Web page."

"Forty of Navy's 60 current male lacrosse players (67 percent) attended NAPS, even though many graduated from some of the country's most prestigious private schools including, locally, St. Mary's High School and Severn School, and St. Albans School in Washington, D.C."

 

[Pima]

So explain to me why kids are coming from St Albans and going to NAPS?

A 2004 article in the Wall Street Journal found that among U.S. schools, St. Albans had the 11th-highest success rate in placing graduates at 10 selective universities. St. Albans graduates include Former Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., Apollo astronaut Michael Collins, former NFL athlete Jonathan Ogden, actor Jeffrey Wright, journalists David Ignatius, David Plotz, Ian Urbina, former Washington Post publisher and CEO and current director of the Associated Press, Bo Jones, former Washington Post chairman Donald Graham, and Fox News host Brit Hume.

Now Severn

Distinguished alumni include four-time Navy Cross recipient and College Football Hall of Fame member Slade Cutter ('30), business management guru Tom Peters ('60), Academy Award-winning cinematographer Joseph Caleb Deschanel (`62), and United States Merchant Marine Academy superintendent Joseph D. Stewart ('60). Astronaut Buzz Aldrin attended in preparation of taking the United States Military Academy entance examinations. Current Baltimore Ravens owner, Steve Bisciotti, attended Severn for two years in the 1970s. Actor Robert Duvall also attended Severn School. Legendary NFL coach Paul Brown was head football coach at Severn football from 1930 to 1931. Two WWII Medal of Honor recipients were also distinguished alumni, RADM Herbert E. Schonland (’20) and RADM Bruce McCandless (’28).

Severn has received praise for their nationally acclaimed sailing team, which held the title of the number one high school sailing team in the nation in 2008, coached that year by Thomas Sitzmann and now by Scott Steele (1984 Olympic Silver Medalist in Sailboarding ). The Chess Team is also nationally recognized and is coached by David Shin. Severn's Mock Trial team won the championship on the 27th of April 2007, and the females of its co-ed Cross Country team took the championships on October 29, 2008.

What public hs has a sailing team? Exactly, where do those financially less affluent students play into that NAPS issue now?

St. Mary's

St. Mary's student body is composed of 486 students. The racial diversity of the student body is 94.38% white, 1.53% Asian, 1.7% black, and 2.38% Hispanic

Gee I see a lot of diversity there! 95% of them are white.

They all have one thing in common...big LAX teams in the private school sector...oh and the fact that academically they are strong. Yet, somehow these cadets fit the mold of not being academically prepared, and needed one more yr.

How many of us parents are willing to pay 22K a yr for private and be told, that they academically don't make the cut?
The tuition for the 2010-2011 academic year is $21,550 for all grades. Parents should also anticipate some additional costs, including:
Books - app. $400
Uniforms - app. $400

http://www.severnschool.com/podium/default.aspx?t=106993

How about St Albans at 30K + for 9-3. 50K for boarding!
http://www.stalbansschool.org/page.aspx?pid=704

OR 12K hanging out in our pocketbook for St. Mary's
http://www.stmarysannapolis.org/document.doc?id=22

I can guarantee you that as a parent if I paid 50-200K to send my child to private school for 4 yrs, and they were told by an SA that academically they were below par, I would be passed the word ticked.

Nobody IMPO can say with a straight face that these kids needed one more yr of academic guidance. This was true red shirting. Let's also be honest LAX is not the avg joe's sport...LAX gear costs hundreds of dollars just for the stick! LAX is becoming popular now, mainly because that the avg joe kid plays it as a spring sport to keep up their skills for FB. I wouldn't call it soccer, regarding costs.

I do not know Annapolis's RE tax rate, but I bet the rate is in the 10's of thousands per yr for the median home. Anyone who pays 12-30K a yr on top of that to send their kid private is not the less fortunate. We are not talking diversity.

 

[sprog]

I grew up in the Annapolis area and live here currently. Severn is a posh, expensive private school. St. Mary's is a Catholic school downtown, and both have excellent local reputations.

Anne Arundel County has a bit of a mix when it comes to public schools. Some are very strong, but Annapolis High has had some issues and the kids who live in town may elect to go to a private school. This is a pretty viable option for many of the kids whose parents live in Naptown proper, as the economic makeup of the city skews toward the affluent. There are some housing projects in Annapolis as well, and those kids go to the public school. Thus, with such a sharp divide between very wealthy and poor, you can imagine what the dynamic makeup is for Annapolis High. The standards of the school have been problematic, and I think there was a mass firing of teachers a couple of years ago. A lot of the true middle income folks live just outside of Annapolis in places like Arnold and Severna Park to the north, Riva to the south, and Crofton to the west. The public schools for these areas (Broadneck High, Severna Park High, and South River High) are some of the better public schools in the state. SP has a strong lacrosse tradition, and I think South River has had some success recently too. St. Mary's is always pretty strong. If you are awesome at lacrosse, I'm not sure it matters if your family can pay the tuition at St. Mary's or Severn. I have to think they have ways around that.

Lacrosse is huge in Maryland. I'd say that kids play football in order to keep in shape for lacrosse...not the other way around. I do agree it seems to be a "white sport," though. It has a big prep/college tradition, and isn't as popular in the urban areas. For instance, Morgan State is the only HBC to have a lacrosse team.

Not exactly on topic, but I thought I'd share. FYI, I'm South River High (public school) Class of '95, and our lacrosse team sucked in those days. I threw the discus in the spring, and have never played lax.

 

[LOVEARMY]

$

Football brings in a ton of money to the academies. Does Lacrosse really bring that much into the academies? Does the general public really follow or care about Lacrosse? I think there is a drive behind Lacrosse recruitment because there is money behind Lacrosse players. Many Lacrosse players come out of exclusive prep schools. Their parents can afford to pay that tuition and they can certainly afford to make good sized donations to the academies. Plus, many grads that have played lacrosse are sure to have great jobs. They have good social connections due to where they are from and their social circles. These same grads make large donations to the academy and keep the lacrosse programs running. In the end it all comes down to money.

 

[sprog]

Football brings in a ton of money to the academies. Does Lacrosse really bring that much into the academies? Does the general public really follow or care about Lacrosse?

At USNA anyway, I think so. Maybe not the other SAs.

 

[Luigi59]

So it seems we can all agree that NAPS is a sham for recruiting and red-shirt USNA D-1 lacrosse players.

Nothing but a taxpayer-funded red-shirt program designed to allow these rich suburban white kids to play lacrosse together for a year (in the words of a current plebe player "to create the chemistry")without losing any NCAA D1 eligibility.

I smell a huge scandal brewing.

 

[sprog]

So it seems we can all agree that NAPS is a sham for recruiting and red-shirt USNA D-1 lacrosse players.

Nothing but a taxpayer-funded red-shirt program designed to allow these rich suburban white kids to play lacrosse together for a year (in the words of a current plebe player "to create the chemistry")without losing any NCAA D1 eligibility.

I smell a huge scandal brewing.

I don't know that I'd agree with everything in that, but I do agree there is a big, stinky rat somewhere.

 

[Pima]

I don't think donations are an issue...yes, I am still that NAIVE.

I think what is the driving force as others have stated NCAA DIVISION. The higher they rank, the more exposure, and more money poured into the system.

I honestly do not believe that in 1845 George Bancroft envisioned that ABC/CBS/NBC/ESPN would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to USNA for broadcasting the AF v NAVY or NAVY V ARMY football game when he created the USNA.

Everyone and anyone who follows football knows that they pay for television rights directly to the school. Look at Notre Dame!

Go to a Bowl game and the $$$ escalate.

It is also not only television, but sponsorship by companies like Under Armor, Reebok and Nike.

It is a business.

The USNA is not the only SA to do this, AFA and WP also do it.

Pretty sad that SA's are giving LOA's to cheerleaders! No offense, I believe they are athletic, yet, just like FB or LAX their athletic prowess has nothing to do with being a military leader.

These schools were created to educate future military leaders...not to entertain the American public with athletic events.

The more this thread moves the more people are seeing NAPS or for that fact any foundation school for an SA are no longer existing to give an edge academically.

If diversity is the premise, than one must argue why these three schools have candidates that are there. 95% white doesn't seem very diversified.

If it is an educational issue, again, please explain why these cadets are there. "11th-highest success rate in placing graduates at 10 selective universities."

Anyone who knows the WCS for any SA knows, that school profile is a part of the candidates PAR. Extrapolate that 11th highest success rate to the 10 selective universities...that profile for the school would basically state 75% of them go IVY. Graduating top 50% would still give them an edge over the avg hs. for PAR.

Come on...let's address it up front. Like I said, no parent spends 50K to be told academically their cut didn't cut it.

I have friends and family that teach in this world. They will tell you that they start paying not at HS, but elementary or pre-k levels. We aren't talking 50K for 4 yrs, on avg we are talking 12 yrs. That is the MD/NOVA/DC way of life. They go to schools like Mclean and then Gonzaga or St Albans.

 

[MemberLG]

How many of us parents are willing to pay 22K a yr for private and be told, that they academically don't make the cut?

. . . .

LAX gear costs hundreds of dollars just for the stick! LAX is becoming popular now, mainly because that the avg joe kid plays it as a spring sport to keep up their skills for FB.

My random thoughts are private schools and lacrosse (my oldest daughter attends a private catholic elementary school and I played lacrosse)

- I have ran into many private school USMA candidates with weak academic foundation. Most private schools do provide better academic opportunities, still individual students and parents have to do their parts.

- Not all students at private schools pay full tuition and fees. Most private schools offer financial aid and scholarships. So if you are not "special" and you make enough money, you will paid full tuition. It is one student's full tuition subsidizing another student's tuition.

- lacrosse is not a rich kids sport only because of the equipment cost. I would say for a high school player, equiping them will be something along the line

Helmet $100-$200
Shoulder Pad $100
Elbow Pad $100
Glove $100 - $200
Stick $100
Shoes $100

or you could be cheap like me (i.e. started playing adult lacrosse few years ago and equip myself for under $200 total with eBay. Of course, teenagers won't do that)

However, the cost can be spread over several years as other than the stick, other things don't need to be replaced every year. Also, you will only have to invest in personal lacrosse equipment (minus stick and shoes) if you play club teams. At least when I played, high schools issued lacrosse equipment.

Yes, a stick can cost up to several hundred dollars, but most lax players play with $100 or less sticks. Some of the composite poles are expansive, but don't make you a better player.

There are many good public school lacrosse program in Maryland and New York. The reason is lacrosse is popular in those areas so starting very young there are enough recreational programs and school programs to have a kid play lacrosse from age 7 to 18 through public programs. Of course, most good players play on club teams and attend summer camps which cost money.

 

[MemberLG]

Nothing but a taxpayer-funded red-shirt program designed to allow these rich suburban white kids to play lacrosse together for a year (in the words of a current plebe player "to create the chemistry")without losing any NCAA D1 eligibility.

Not all D-1 lacrosse players are rich suburban white kids.

 

[Luigi59]

Not all D-1 lacrosse players are rich suburban white kids.

Any unqualified (or they wouldn't have been selected for NAPS) minority lacrosse players from St Albans that went the USNA through the NAPS route?

We have two possible explanations:

• a $50k education at one of the leading academic prep schools in the nation (and a lacrosse powerhouse btw) is turning out lacrosse players academically or physically unqualified for direct admission to the USNA, or
  
  
• NAPS is being used as a red-shirt factory for USNA D-1 lacrosse players, at taxpayer expense.

Pick one.

 

[osdad]

Of the 155 football players listed on Navy's 2010 roster, 86 (55 percent) attended NAPS, according to the school's sports Web page, and 40 of Navy's 60 current male lacrosse players (67 percent) attended the taxpayer-funded prep school.

Anyone else shocked by this number?

 

[luckymacy]

Anyone else shocked by this number?

Not for a while. Kid from our school is there now redshirting for football and we are sure that is why he's there. We don't think he would have had a chance if not for football. LAX is big name recognition for them too so temptation has to be there and looks like it is. With our deficits and the number of overqualified kids that get turned away from the SAs, I think taxpayers funding these schools is bad economic voo doo.

 

[Cats1]

So it seems we can all agree that NAPS is a sham for recruiting and red-shirt USNA D-1 lacrosse players.

Nothing but a taxpayer-funded red-shirt program designed to allow these rich suburban white kids to play lacrosse together for a year (in the words of a current plebe player "to create the chemistry")without losing any NCAA D1 eligibility.

I smell a huge scandal brewing.

I think the last decade has seen several instances of Taxpayer Fraud much greater than this. Now we are going to just simply cut a program completely except for prior enlisted?

So for example you have a kid that grows up in a single parent home and goes to a regular old high school. He/She excels in sports demonstrating courage under fire making good decisions. He/She comes up " a little" short in academics and can't afford to take the (sham) SAT/ACT 20 times to get a good "SUPER" score. He/She won't be a good candidate for prep?!? Boy, going to miss some gems there. I don't know how many times I had a so called genius freeze up on me and just simply not have the people skills to get the mission done.

Maybe we just need better oversight?

As far as minorities and color of one's skin goes,.....

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King, Jr.

Overall, I have to agree with a lot of what Pima had to say. The use of Socioeconomic Status foremost in the admission process.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[Luigi59]

I think the last decade has seen several instances of Taxpayer Fraud much greater than this. Now we are going to just simply cut a program completely except for prior enlisted?

Why should the taxpayer fund their extra year of HS? Why can't they go to a civilian college or non-govt prep school and compete again next year for admission, when they are qualified? No, I believe that NAPS should only be used for enlisted personnel - all others, prep yourself, at your own expense.

So for example you have a kid that grows up in a single parent home and goes to a regular old high school. He/She excels in sports demonstrating courage under fire making good decisions. He/She comes up " a little" short in academics and can't afford to take the (sham) SAT/ACT 20 times to get a good "SUPER" score. He/She won't be a good candidate for prep?!? Boy, going to miss some gems there. I don't know how many times I had a so called genius freeze up on me and just simply not have the people skills to get the mission done.

NAPS (supposedly) does not admit qualified candidates, only unqualified candidates, so yes, in your example, the student would be a good candidate for NAPS, as they (in your words) have come up a little short in academics.

The "scandal" is the use of NAPS to red-shirt QUALIFIED lacrosse players (40 of the 60 currently on the team) to give them a taxpayer funded red-shirt year.

Unless you believe that a student coming from St Albans or Severn Prep (schools that cost over $50k per year and regularly send their grads to Ivies, JHU, Stanford, Cal Tech, MIT, etc) could be in any way academically unqualified for direct admission.

 

[MemberLG]

Unless you believe that a student coming from St Albans or Severn Prep (schools that cost over $50k per year and regularly send their grads to Ivies, JHU, Stanford, Cal Tech, MIT, etc) could be in any way academically unqualified for direct admission.

I don't disagree about other things, but I will tell you with having access to the USMA admissions database I can tell you that there are kids from good private schools with bad SAT scores and/or bad GPAs.

 

[Luigi59]

I don't disagree about other things, but I will tell you with having access to the USMA admissions database I can tell you that there are kids from good private schools with bad SAT scores and/or bad GPAs.

And what would be the odds that 40 out of 60 recruited D1 lacrosse players would fit that profile?

 

[Cats1]

Luigi,

I completely respect your opinion and agree something smells bad here. I just disagree that all others except enlisted should self prep. These kids by situation are the ones that will be unable to self-prep and the only loss, in my opinion, will be the SA's. These kids will do fine just for the fact that they did so well with so little resource.

There are plenty of kids that are "Qualified" that don't belong in an SA or the military but still ride Uncle Sam for 9 years.

Another Oversight Committee anyone?

 

[bruno]

I hate to rain on what is a pet parade for some of you, but let me point out the purpose of this web site. We are here to provide factual information to candidates of the various service Academy and other commissioning programs. This site is not primarily intended to be a forum where posters vent about perceived injustices or inequities in the administration of these institutions. So before you continue to post about your theories of what you like or don't like about the service academy prep schools- ask yourself:
a. "Have I already said this?"
b. "Is this just my opinion? If so- have I made it clear that it is just my opinion?Does what I am saying help a potential candidate understand the process for admission to this institution?"
c. "Is it just possible that I don't have all of the facts that could lead someone to a different opinion? If so- is it time for me to refrain from commenting on the subject any further, or is it important that I continue to repeat the same argument over and over?"

Bottom line: keep in mind that this is not just a web site devoted to discussion on any topic that might have some tangential relation to the military or the military commissioning process, nor is the target audience a group of people who have the experience and background to put these arguments in some perspective. These threads are supposed to help provide some clarity and understanding to prospective candidates to these institutions. If your post and thread has ceased to provide that, then perhaps it's time to let it go.

 

[patentesq]

I agree with bruno. Every word.