Fishburne Military School Junior Achievement Back in Action

Afton, VA — Yesterday, a team of 38 Cadet leaders from Fishburne Military School spent the day once again at Fishburne’s partner school, Rockfish River Elementary School (Afton, VA) to conduct the National Junior Achievement High School Heroes program.

The Cadets broke into teams to teach nine classes, totaling approximately 200 students from kindergarten up to second grade, for the entire school day. This marks the second time Fishburne Military School Cadets have taught classes at Rockfish this school year.

In preparation for the day, the FMS Cadets spent approximately 2-1/2 weeks writing lesson plans and receiving guidance from their own instructors and advisors.

Earlier in the week, the nine teaching groups conducted their final preparations with their FMS JROTC Instructors: LTC Robert Hunt, First-Sergeant James Hensley and Master Sergeant William Morton.

Fishburne Battalion Commander, Luciano Dolfi (Stuarts Draft, VA), was among the Cadets who has participated in both teaching events this year. Following their first event in November, Dolfi noted that he gained a far greater appreciation for the discipline of teaching. “We really had to learn the importance of patience and preparation in teaching and working with kids. The Cadets really took this seriously and did really well. We seemed to flow well with the students,” he noted.

Cadet Alex Ralston (Nellysford, VA), also participated in both events and agreed that preparation made the difference between success and embarrassment. Each class was made up of 18-26 students and that many squirming bodies can be enough to intimidate anyone . . . but the Caissons pressed on. “We were all a little nervous about actually having to get up and teach a real lesson to this group of kids,” Ralston explained in a November interview, “but all that stress seemed to melt away once we got going and got into our lessons.”

Upon returning from Rockfish River, Senior Army Instructor Hunt noted “We should all be very proud our young men’s performance and conduct throughout this entire project. From the planning to the execution, they represented the FMS Corps of Cadets in an outstanding manner.”

Hunt concluded “This program provides a great mentoring opportunity for our cadet leaders and is a tremendous learning opportunity for everyone involved.”

Full photo gallery HERE

Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built upon the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS is designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academies. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command. For more information visit www.fishburne.org.