Fishburne Military School’s PMW Brings Caisson Family Together
by Cadet Daniel May ’15, Battalion S-5 photos by Cadet William Curt ’16, Asst. S-5
Fishburne Military School’s Band Company passes in review during Parents Military Weekend.
Waynesboro, Virginia — Fishburne Military School’s Parents Military Weekend (PMW) is a mid-fall festival that celebrates the Recruits at Training, commonly known as Rats, breakout. It is also a time for parents from all around the country come to Fishburne, catch up with their sons, and watch them compete in the various sporting events going on. PMW is always a fun time for everyone involved and showcases the work the Corps of Cadets has put into Drill and Ceremony, Academics, and Athletics.
Friday started out with National Honor Society inductions. Mr. Alex Burkard ‘08 was the guest speaker and gave an uplifting talk on how the adversity he faced at Fishburne prepared him for college and made him a better person.
After the National Honor Society inductions, the Corps had some time to spend with their families before the football game at four o’clock.
“It was nice to see my Mom; being away from her makes me realizes how much I love her” said Cadet William Rowell, Fishburne Battalion Commander (BC). The BC was not the only one to feel this way as many other Cadets were excited to see their families…one boy, about five years old, went up to his older brother and hugged him, it was an emotional moment.
At four o’clock the football game against Massanutten started and it would prove to be a good result for the boys in Garnet and Gold. From the start, Massanutten was
Mrs. Tina Dolfi, mother of Fishburne’s NHS Guest Speaker, Alex Burkard ’08, as well as current cadet NCO, Luciano Dolfi.
outmatched and could not handle the precision passing and excellent blocking of FMS’ offense. The final score was 47 to 14. After the game the Cadets were released to go out for dinner with their parents.
The next day would probably prove to be one of the busiest of the year as the Rats woke up for their last physical training session as Rats and the Seniors woke up for the SAT. After both events were complete the whole corps dressed for the Parade.
The Parade was received well by faculty and parents alike.
“In my 13 years at Fishburne I have probably never seen a PMW parade done so well,” Said Senior Army Instructor Colonel Robert Hunt. The guest speaker for the Parade was Mrs. Tina Dolfi, mother of Cadet Luciano Dolfi. In her speech, Mrs. Dolfi reflected upon how Fishburne matured her older son, Alex Burkard, (Friday’s NHS guest speaker) physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Fishburne Military School’s (Waynesboro, VA) ceremonial cannon was fired by the Cadet Battery in honor of all Fishburne Parents.
After the Parade, the Soccer team had business to take care of against Massanutten as they looked to improve upon their 5 to 2 victory against them from last meeting. The Soccer players would not disappoint as they smashed Massanutten with a score of 7-0.
Overall the weekend was a success and a morale booster for the Corps.
Please join Fishburne for its next public event: the annual Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11th.
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. Boasting a 100% college-acceptance rate for the past 10 consecutive years, FMS has also been designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academics. 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.
