(photo gallery)

(Chatham, VA) The Caissons wrestling team opened the 2015-16 season by besting every private school and two public high schools at the eight-team Cody Day Memorial Wrestling Tournament in Chatham, VA on Saturday. The tournament was hosted by Hargrave Military School.

The Caissons sent four wrestlers to the final round, winning three championships at the end of the day. Junior Thomas Fosdick (Staunton, VA) recorded a pin and technical fall en route to the championship round, where he dropped a close 5-3 decision to place 2nd at 120lbs. At 126, sophomore Matthew Farrar (Waynesboro, VA) opened the day with two pins to earn his trip to the finals where he trailed Parker Martin of Chatham High School 4-0 before roaring back to win 6 -5 to claim the championship. Junior Clayton Berry (Wentzeville, OH), wrestling at 138, opened his Caisson career with the quickest pin of the tournament. He took 12 seconds to fell Davis Eades of Tunstall High School. Berry claimed the championship via injury default.

At heavyweight, senior and second seed Shaheen Alfarhan (Alfaiha, Kuwait) opened with two pins to get to the championship round. When it came time for the heavyweight championship match, the final match of the day, Fishburne trailed Tunstall by 3.5 points in the team standings. The win at heavyweight would secure Fishburne a second place finish. Alfarhan hooked up with number one seed Brandon Hollowell of Dan River High School. Trailing 5-1, Alfarhan battled back to within one point before dominating in the third period and pinning Hollowell to push the Caissons to a 2nd place over all team finish.

In other action, senior Aidan Davis (Pennsboro, WV) opened with a pin at 220lbs. Then, in the most exciting match of the day, he dropped an overtime match to Jacob Stewart of Dan River. Davis rebounded to finish third. Senior Christopher Ross (Alcoa, TN) opened his season with a 2nd period pin, then dropped a semi-final match in the 182lb weight class. He was able to finish third by winning his next two matches. The Caissons had a total team effort, as Adam Bowles (Sewickly, PA), Matthew Sim (Henrico, VA), Hunter Wren-Russ (Calabasas, CA), and Tyler Dolin (Waynesboro, VA) all placed.

Chatham High School won the tournament, followed by Fishburne with 170 points, Tunstall with 165 points and Dan River with 151 points. The Caissons (1-0) travel to East Rockingham on Wednesday.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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recap by Coach Greene; photo courtesy of Lambert Photography

(Waynesboro, VA) – Fishburne Military School junior, Kian Tate (Waynesboro, VA) returned to the starting lineup on Tuesday night against the visiting Eagles from Covenant (Charlottesville, VA). Tate led the Caissons to victory with a 22 point performance to lead all scorers.

Fellow Waynesboro natives, senior Treavor Norman and sophomore Mesiah Woods also scored in double digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Junior John Hendler of Olney, MD added 6 points, Holden Sandridge of Churchville had 4 points, and Fishersville’s Calen Owens rounded out the winning effort with 2 points.

The Caissons’ Varsity team is now 3-1 (2-1 VIC) and will host the Caissons Classic Basketball Invitational on Friday Dec. 11 and Saturday Dec. 12. Game times on both days will be at 4:30 and 6:00.

Friday’s schedule will pit the Blue Devils of Fork Union against the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon in the early game with Fishburne taking on the Massanutten Colonels in the late game. The Consolation game will be at 4:30 on Saturday with the Championship game at 6:00. Admission is free.

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Photo gallery

(Elkton, VA) – Fishburne Military School was the dominant team at the East Rockingham Quad meet on Wednesday night. Host school East Rockingham was the only team that gave the Caissons a close match, as Fishburne opened by defeating Riverheads High School 63-9. The Caissons then blanked Buffalo Gap 78-0 before facing the East Rockingham Eagles. Fishburne never let East Rockingham catch them, winning their final team match-up 42-27.

“We wrestled hard and aggressive,” said Caisson’s head coach Terry Waters, who is in his first year with the Fishburne program. “There is still a lot of work to be done. The kids are learning the system and that’s going to take some time. I’m pleased with where we’re at right now. The mistakes that we’re making are correctible. We don’t lack intensity and we don’t lack aggressiveness. We’ll fix the technique in the practice room. A win is a win and we’ll take it.”

Coming into the final matchup, only three Fishburne wrestlers had seen action against both Riverheads and Gap. Matthew Sim of Henrico, VA (132), Matthew Farrar of Waynesboro, VA (126) and Clayton Berry, Wentzeville, MO (138) all won by pin each time they stepped on the mat. Against East Rockingham, Farrar, Berry, Jakob Harrison, Boulder, CO (152), Christopher Ross, Alcoa, TN (182), Aiden Davis, Pennsboro, WV (220) and Shaheen Alfarhan, Alfaiha, Kuwait (285) all recorded pins. “Harrison saw his first action of the season and wrestled well,” noted Waters. In other action, Thomas Fosdick (120) of Staunton, VA dropped a 4-7 decision against Riverheads, then won by forfeit against Gap and pulled out a 4-3 decision against East Rockingham. “I was pleased with the way Fosdick bounced back after a disappointing opening loss,” said Waters.

Fishburne travels to West Virginia on Friday to participate in the Ritchie Duals.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Fishburne Military School (VA) Cadets deliver clothing to St. John’s for their annual drive to clothe the poor

(Waynesboro, VA) – ‘Tis the season, and the Caissons of Fishburne Military School are doing their best to help make the holidays a little brighter for those in the community who are less fortunate. In addition to their usual slate of Academic, Athletic and Leadership Training pursuits, the Corps of Cadets has undertaken a number of community service projects in support of local agencies.

Toys for Tots’ very own SGT Santa made a stop by campus this week to collect over 60 new toys that were collected by Cadets and then arranged beneath the Christmas tree in the main foyer as reminder of our opportunities to serve this season. Cadet Larkin Petrelles (Falls Church, VA), who helped to spearhead the toy drive, told the Staunton News Leader that the Corps of Cadets is working to “focus as much as we can, as a school. on raising awareness for the need in the community…It’s important to be active in the community.”

Another group of Cadets, along with Headmaster, LTC Dan Baranik (VA), paid a visit to St. John’s Catholic Church in order to drop off

Fishburne Military School (VA) Cadets supporting Toys for Tots in order to bring comfort to area children.

their contributions to the church’s clothing drive. The Caissons brought over a dozen bags of gently-used clothing to be distributed to help keep the areas most needy families warm through the coming months.

First-Sergeant Hensley’s LET II class chose to focus (pun intended) on an eye-glasses drive that would support the local Lions’ Club initiative to provide the gift of vision to many of the area’s poor this Christmas. The Fishburne Cadets’ drive has netted over 500 pairs of eye-glasses which will be donated this month. The previous record for the LET II eye-glasses drive was under 200 pairs.

Fishburne Cadets sort through a few of the over-500 pairs of eye-glasses they’ve collected in support of Lions Club

Perhaps one of the most important efforts of the season has been the Fishburne Military School Key Club’s work with the local Salvation Army. The Cadets will spend hours this week bell-ringing at the Kroger grocery store, sorting donated food to eliminate any expired or damaged items and then gathering to box up the collected food for area families in need.

“If anyone were to ever doubt that Fishburne Military School is a force for good in this world,” notes FMS Superintendent, COL Gary Morrison (VA), a 1981 graduate of the school, “a visit to campus during this time of year would certainly disabuse them of any misconceptions. These young men are working to better themselves every day while still taking time out to recognize and fill needs in the greater community. How to help feed, clothe and provide comfort to the neediest among us is, perhaps, one of the most important lessons in leadership that our young men come to learn.”

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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From the Staunton (VA) News Leader:

Each year, the cadets at Fishbure Military School come together to donate as many toys as they possibly can to the organization. On Tuesday, the cadets presented [Toys for Tots] with 60 toys collected over the past few months.

“We focus as much as we can as a school on raising awareness for the need in the community … it’s important to be active in the community,”” Petrelles said. He thinks it’s important to help the community and rely on the help from the community as well.

Read complete story: http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/12/08/fishburne-toys-santa-giving-christmas-holidays/76976746/

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Even Superintendent Morrison was getting into the action this week during Fishburne’s Week of Code.

(Waynesboro, VA) – This week at Fishburne Military School, the Corps of Cadets was challenged to spend at least one hour exploring the world of computer coding. Inspired by the international Hour of Code initiative, FMS Instructors Tom Galloway, Joyce Mello and Roxanne Rodes issued the challenge and invited Cadets to the FMS Media Center to try their hands at using JAVA script or, for the more advanced, HTML coding to complete a number of assigned tasks.

The Cadets showed a remarkable amount of interest and some soon began displaying a natural talent for learning these new 21st-century languages. Galloway noted, “every one of my fifty students was engaged…some of my previously unmotivated students even became engaged and enthused for this project. They love to code things and see the results. All my students enjoyed the program.”

The week of coding at Fishburne Military School has already begun to spark some changes to coursework. Capitalizing on the enthusiasm of the Cadets,

Cadets who completed the assigned tasks during the Hour of Code challenge earned certificates of achievement…this photo was taken mid-week.

Galloway has added a new type of lab to his syllabus: programming calculators. “To carry over the idea, we have also programmed TI-84 calculators this week as an extension to the Hour-of-Code,” Galloway explains, “the calculator programming is even more hands-on.”

In fact, these new lessons and skills dovetail perfectly with lessons being learned elsewhere on campus by groups such as the FMS Rocketry Club.  “The TI-84 calculator activities include programming a quadratic equation solver and programming TI-Basic code into the calculators, then hooking them up to a robot and executing commands to have the robot do various tasks. This project comes from NASA. The Cadets will have until Monday to finish the last of three NASA-backed Missions where their robots must negotiate an obstacle course.”

“The purpose of an initiative such as this,” notes FMS Superintendent, COL Gary Morrison (VA), a 1981 graduate of Fishburne, “is not only to prepare our young men to enter the world as technologically fluent as possible, but also to spark a love of learning in general which will serve them well for their entire lives.”

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Sophomore Matthew Farrar Leads Fishburne Military School Wrestlers to Third Place Team Finish at 16-School Ritchie Duals;
Junior Clayton Berry posts 100th career win

(Ritchie County, WV) — The Fishburne Military School wrestling team posted a 7-3 record at the two-day Ritchie County Duals meet over the weekend, a good enough showing to finish third place overall. Fishburne was the only private school competing in the 16-team event.

Sophomore Matthew Farrar (Waynesboro, VA) posted a 10-0 record with 10 first period pins. “Farrar wrestled the best he has since the season began,” said head coach Terry Waters. “He was focused and prepared for the two day grind.” Farrar is now 16-0 on the season.

The two day event, which placed teams in pools, provided wrestlers with five matches each on Friday and five on Saturday.

After a six hour bus ride to Ritchie County, West Virginia, the Caissons opened the tournament with a 40-27 victory over Tyler High School. In the second team match-up, FMS dropped a close 39-36 heart breaker, but the Caissons dug deep and bounced back to defeat Ritchie County in the third match-up of the night, 48-28. Farrar led the way with a pin at 1:20 in the first period. Junior Clayton Berry also got in on the action, as he recorded his third pin of the day in 1:52 of the first period. Fishburne wrestlers then pulled out a 42-27 victory in the fourth team match of the night before dropping the final match-up in a close 40-36 decision to Clay High School. “That is one match-up we let get away,” noted Waters. “We simply made a few mistakes in some of our matches that cost us. You can’t give points away against good teams and expect to win.” The final team contest lasted to midnight, with Fishburne battling exhaustion after the long day.

The Caissons opened Saturday with a 42-26 win over Buffalo High School. Trailing 12-0 in team points, junior Thomas Fosdick (Staunton, VA) hit the mat and took just 42 seconds to get the pin, putting the Caissons on the board and starting a rally. Fishburne would win six of the final 11 bouts to secure the victory. In the second match of the day, eighth grader Adam Bowles (Sewickley, PA) picked up his first pin in his young career, sparking the Caissons to a 48-36 win. In this team match, Junior Clayton Berry (Wentzeville, MO) would also earn his 100th career win. “It was exciting being in the corner coaching and watching two youngsters, one getting his first pin and the other getting his 100th win,” said Waters. “ I have coached over thirty 100 winners in my time and it never gets old.”

In the third contest of the day, the Caissons came up against Wirt High School, one of the top ranked teams in West Virginia. Fishburne pulled out three wins in the contest, putting Wirt on top in overall points. However, the Caissons were not done showing what they are made of. In the fourth team match of the day, the Caissons put together a dominant performance, defeating Robert C Byrd High School 66-12. Fishburne closed out the day with an impressive 48-24 win over Grafton.

“These young men are still learning a new system, one which requires technique over brawn and smarts over intimidation,” said Waters. “We are breaking bad habits and that takes time, but we are not lacking in effort or desire.”

The Caissons are now 10-3 on the season and will return to action January 14th at Covenant for a VIC event.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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The Corps of Cadets at Fishburne Military School assigned itself a special holiday mission: collecting Christmas toys for needy kids.

“I haven’t seen this many toys in the years that I’ve been here. Our cadets really did their part,” said Brian Draper, a senior from Washington, D.C., who is battalion commander for the Corps in the 2015-2016 school year.

Read the rest of this article from Augusta Free Press (Waynesboro, Va.): click here.

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Fishburne Military School Cadets learn to create a Hydrogen Fuel Cells as part of the school’s STEM initiative

(Waynesboro, VA) — Fishburne Military School cadets received assistance from a local business this week in the form of a $1,000 grant from Cadence, Inc. to help fund the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs.

The goal Fishburne’s STEM Initiative is to prepare students for the modern workforce by providing them with the technical knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills they will need to be the successful businessmen, scientists, and engineers of tomorrow. Fishburne STEM instructors focus on teaching technological literacy in computer operation and coding, developing an understanding of computer aided design (CAD) software and 3-D printing, and encouraging knowledge of alternative energy and environmental science.

The funding will go toward educational equipment and technology to support work being done by Fishburne’s CPT Tom Galloway, who teaches

Cadets at Fishburne Military School explore JAVA and HTML

physics and calculus and oversees the Rocketry and Robotics Clubs, and CPT Roxanne Rodes, Director of Educational Technology and Chair of the Media Center. Needed materials include hydroponic towers (used to grow plants in a liquid nutrient mixture) and technological literacy equipment to help cadets learn modern programming and computer technology skills.

All of this learning takes place both inside and outside the classroom. Clubs like Cyber Patriots, Robotics, and Rocketry augment classroom learning with a variety of hands-on activities and challenges. Fishburne cadets also work with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to sample water from Waynesboro’s South River to determine the health of the river.

“We are grateful that Cadence has chosen to help us in an area as important as STEM education,” said FMS Superintendent COL Gary Morrison. “With their assistance, we are developing the leaders of tomorrow who are making an impact in our community today.”

Rocket Club Cadets learn to prepare their own equipment and monitor data downloads for future projects

Cadence, Inc. is based in Staunton, Virginia, and is a leading supplier of advanced products, technologies and services to medical, automotive, defense, and industrial companies worldwide. It has long been a supporter of the community through its Cadence Community Giving Program.

Fishburne continues to seek funding for its STEM Initiative. Any donation will go directly to educational equipment, technology and materials that will support projects and curriculum in our focus areas. If you would like to donate to our STEM Fund, please contact Mrs. Debbie Todd at dtodd@fishburne.org or 540-946-7700 x106 or visit www.fishburne.org/donate.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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First-year Fishburne Military School wrestling coach Terry Waters has his eyes on the prize.

His Caissons are an impressive 10-3 at the midpoint of the 2015-2016 season, but the focus is on the big meets in the second half of February.

“Right now, I’m looking for improvement more so than the wins,” said Waters, who came to FMS from the college level, where he had most recently been the top assistant at Washington and Lee University.

“You want to win every time out, but we’re shooting for having some kids standing up on that stand at the state tournament. We want to have kids at the national tournament, and I think we have that potential. I think we have some national-tournament competitors here. We just have to work hard and stay disciplined,” Waters said.

Before his stint at W&L, Waters had success at the prep level, with a career record of 233-65 at Riverheads and Fort Defiance, earning six district coach of the year honors along the way.

Getting into the ins and outs of coaching at a private school has been “a learning experience,” Waters said.

“These young men face a lot of the same challenges that the college kids are faced with, with academics and all of that. That’s something that I’m already used to dealing with from the college experience, so we’re able to work together through those challenges,” Waters said.

A key difference between Fishburne and a public high school is the winter break.

“My young men left Dec. 18, and I didn’t see them again until Jan. 3, and then we don’t have another meet until Jan. 14. The public schools don’t have that. They have their kids all the way through. So they’re practicing, they’re competing, whereas my kids, they’re on their own for a couple of weeks,” said Waters, who preached to his wrestlers “to stay active” when they were on break, “but whether or not that’s done is another matter.”

“So we’re back to stressing conditioning again this week, so we’re back to basics. That’s the challenge,” Waters said.

Among the standouts for the Caissons this winter have been sophomore Matthew Farrar at 126, who has started 16-0 this season, and junior Clayton Berry, who is 9-0 to start the season.

Senior Shaheen Alfarha has also been impressive at heavyweight, taking the championship against a loaded field at the Cody Day Memorial in Chatham last month.

“I’m pleased with what I’m seeing. It’s a matter of how it all comes together,” Waters said. “The regular season is just quizzes. The final exams are the conference tournament, the state tournament. The bottom line is the big dance, and that’s the state tournament. If you’re not at the state tournament, you haven’t done what you needed to do.”

– Story by Chris Graham

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Tradition of Brotherhood: at Alumni Weekend 2014, Alumni gather to sing the school songs with Cadets.

(Waynesboro, VA) — Members of the Fishburne Military School Alumni Association’s Board of Directors filled the Alumni House with happy chatter this past Saturday. Stories of “the old corps”, memories from barracks life and visions for Fishburne’s future were punctuated with laughter and often led to questions of “whatever happened to…”. It wasn’t one another, however, with whom the Caissons in the Alumni House were reminiscing. This was the first in what promises to be a continuing series of Alumni Association Phone-a-Thons.

“The object of this project,” explains FMSAA Board of Directors President, Sam Knight ’00, “is to help strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between Fishburne Military School Alumni and to encourage them to increase their level of involvement with their Alma Mater. We want to see the FMS family continue to grow in size and strength and we’re here this weekend to, hopefully, spur along some of that growth.”

Volunteers from the Class of 1956 through the Class of 2006 manned eight phones in the Alumni House and personally reached out to each of their classmates and as many members of their “shoulder classes” as time, and voice-strength, would allow. “We really want to get across the fact that we are all members of the same FMS family,” Knight noted, “and the strength of that family depends directly upon our loyalty to one another and to our school.”

Debbie Todd, Director of Alumni Affairs for FMS, couldn’t have been more pleased with the participation and the results of this first FMSAA Phone-a-thon. “It was really great to hear our guys making contact with one another, some of them for the first time in years. We were able to reach out to a huge number of alumni this weekend to let them know that we’re thinking of them and to invite them to Alumni Weekend 2016.”

Throughout the day, “whatever happened to…” led to Google and Facebook searches, an update of the school’s records and then to a subsequent phone call from an active alumnus looking to “catch up” and share the latest news from campus. “Response has been great,” Todd smiles, “every one of these guys is having a great time and we’re all learning a great deal from the experience.”

One major discovery? A great many of the school’s alumni were gratified to learn that gifts as small as $5 and $10 were whole-heartedly welcomed and could be put to immediate use on campus. Many more were unaware that supporters of FMS could make recurring gifts through the school’s website: www.fishburne.org/donate. “A lot of people mistakenly think that a smaller gift is somehow less appreciated than a larger one,” Todd explained, “they don’t realize that, with tuition only covering around 80% of the school’s expenses, every single dollar of support makes an immediate impact upon the lives of Cadets.”

“When we give to larger institutions, like our college alma maters,” Knight illustrates, “that money is, I’m sure, appreciated…but it doesn’t have the same kind of immediate and substantive impact that the same donation could make at a small institution like FMS. More importantly; as FMS alumni, we have all benefitted from the generosity of generations who came before us…now we have the opportunity to continue that legacy of giving by ensuring that future generations have the same (or better) opportunities that we did.”

Ultimately, the discussion always returns to one subject: Family. “Fishburne Military School,” says Todd, “thrives today because we have always been members of the same family. The strength of the school depends upon small and large donations alike…the future of the school depends upon the size, strength and commitment of the FMS family as a whole. In a number of ways 10,000 gifts of $5 each can mean as much to our future as a single gift of the same amount. It’s important that FMS’ future continues to belong to all of us.”

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Story content contributed by Mr. Steve Saltzman
Photos courtesy of Mr. Steve Saltzman

Waynesboro, VA–It takes a lot to keep the Fishburne Military School Rocketry Club away from the launch site on launch day! On Saturday, team members bundled up and braved chilly temperatures in order to test their latest rocket design at the local launch field in Monterey, VA. This launch was just one of many successful rocket launches undertaken by the Club, which is part of Fishburne’s growing STEM Initiative.

Cadets William Curt (Port Republic, VA), Alex Sponeman (Fishers, IN), Gavin and Bryson Overton (Sanford, NC) and team captain Samuel Saltzman (Leonardtown, MD) used this latest launch to further test designs in their effort to qualify the team for the national Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) competition. The TARC challenge is the world’s largest student rocket contest and a key piece of the aerospace and defense industry’s strategy to build a stronger U.S. workforce in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The Fishburne team battled through a day of launches in sub-freezing temperatures, but the Cadets were motivated and committed to accomplish their mission of multiple successful launches throughout the day. Demonstrating determination in the face of difficult conditions, the Fishburne Cadets accomplished their goal with flying colors.

In his after-action summary, Club adviser CPT Tom Galloway noted: “This is the closest any FMS team has come to meeting the qualifying goals and launch consistency the TARC competition requires.  They are just 15 ft and 10 seconds off from being a nationally competitive team. Headed by team captain Saltzman, with Curt buffering our logistics, we now are close enough to the TARC specs to be dangerous. Additionally, the Overton brothers made a great contribution to the team, with long-time rocket design/build chief Sponeman holding up his end by handling prep and analysis. It was a cold launch day with wind around 15 mph and snow flurries, which hampered some of the stats, but the boys did an outstanding job at launching and analysis and braving the elements.”

The FMS Rocketeers had one launch at 58 seconds and 835 feet and another at 46 seconds and 795 feet. Their goal is to get as close to 850 feet as possible and have a total flight time of 46-48 seconds with a payload of two eggs oriented perpendicular in axis landing without breaking. The Club’s next launch window is February 6^th.

Rocketry Club members have worked very hard designing and building rockets for the competition and they are now defining and narrowing the results of their rocket tests to qualify and be selected for the top 100 teams in the TARC competition. Eventually, they hope to compete in the Rockets on the Hill reception in Washington, DC with the ultimate goal of competing in the national competition in May at the TARC Final Fly-Off at Great Meadows in Plains, VA.

Top placing teams split more than $100,000 in cash and scholarships and the overall winning team will travel to the United Kingdom to complete in the International Rocketry Challenge taking place at the Farnborough Air Show in July.

We wish the entire rocket team much success in this extremely rewarding and exciting endeavor. Follow this link to find out more about the Team America Rocketry Challenge: http://rocketcontest.org/.

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 placement 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.

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Photo Gallery

Woodstock, VA—Fishburne Military School wrestlers handed host school Massanutten Academy and Randolph Macon Academy a loss at a military school tri-meet Tuesday afternoon.

Massanutten went down 63-18 against a Caisson squad that only forfeited one weight class. All but one of Fishburne’s wins came by pin, with junior Thomas Fosdick (Staunton, VA) starting the roll at 120. He was followed by sophomore Matthew Farrar (Waynesboro, VA) at 126, junior Matthew Sim (Henrico, VA) at 132, and freshman Jeremiah Brown (Virginia Beach, VA) at 170. At 285, senior Shaheen Alfarhan (Kuwait) had an exciting come-from-behind win in overtime to beat Massanutten’s Saad El Khali by a 7-5 decision.

A small Randolph Macon team succumbed to Fishburne 60-12, with Fishburne wins, all by pin, coming from Farrar, Sim, senior Jakob Harrison of Boulder, CO (152), Brown, and senior Christopher Ross of Alcoa, TN (182).

“I’m pleased with our showing,” said head coach Terry Waters. “Our goal at the beginning of the season was to beat every military school we face and we’re doing that. The guys came out today with a mission and wrestled aggressively.”

“We’re going to keep improving and we’re on track to peak at the right time for the conference championships next weekend,” concluded Waters. Fishburne will be hosting the Virginia Independent Conference championships on Saturday, February 13th.

Fishburne (19-4) is in action again next Tuesday when it faces Massanutten at home.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Photos courtesy of Sharon Petrelles
Full gallery HERE

The large atrium of Huguenot High School in Richmond, Virginia is silent except for the called commands of senior cadet Larkin Petrelles (Falls Church, VA), commander of Fishburne Military School’s Armed Exhibition Platoon team. As the routine, and the day, unfolds it is clear that the Caissons are in control of Saturday’s 14-team JROTC drill meet.

The cadets make it look effortless. The Exhibition rifles spin through the air in unison, are caught, and thumped authoritatively on the ground before the next sequence begins.  The Regulation Drill Team responds instantaneously to commands, moving as a single unit across the floor. If they are nervous in competition, they do not show it.

The ease at which these young men perform in competitions like the Richmond meet is the result of many months of daily practice—over their lunch period in the gym, in the quad with their rifles, and in impromptu sessions to work out the kinks. The end result is nothing less than amazing.

“Sometimes I forget they are teenagers,” said Sharon Petrelles of Falls Church, VA, after watching her son, senior cadet Larkin Petrelles lead the Armed Exhibition Platoon team to a first place finish on Saturday.

Clearly, the hard work paid off at the Richmond meet, as the Caissons took home a total of six trophies:

First Place:
Armed Exhibition Platoon, commanded by Cadet MAJ Larkin Petrelles ’16 (Falls Church, VA)
Armed Exhibition Squad, commanded by Cadet SFC William Goshgarian ’17 (Virginia Beach, VA)
Inspection: Cadet 1SG Matthew Jones ’17 (Freeport, NY)

Second Place:
Armed Regulation Platoon, commanded by Cadet 2LT Camden Teubner ’16 (Boca Raton, FL)
Armed Regulation Squad, commanded by Cadet LTC Brian Draper ’16 (Washington, DC)
Unarmed Regulation Platoon, commanded by Cadet SSG Joshua Kovach ’17 (Crownsville, MD)

“The cadets were highly disciplined and motivated,” said Senior Army Instructor LTC Robert Hunt. “They displayed outstanding sportsmanship throughout the event.” Fishburne’s JROTC teams are instructed and supported by Hunt, Army Instructor MSG William Morton and Army Instructor 1SG James Hensley, all of whom work tirelessly to keep the school’s JROTC program among the best in the nation.

“We are proud of the hard work and success of these young men,” said Fishburne Superintendent Gary Morrison (VA). “Their performance this weekend illustrates why our JROTC program will remain an Honor Unit with Distinction.”

Congratulations on a job well done!

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Brian Draper and his teammates on the Fishburne Military School rifle team would soon be taking aim with rifles at targets 50 feet away.

In the here and now, it’s the calm before the storm.

“They get dressed, get their lanes set up, and then they’ll actually lay down and almost fall asleep, and some of them will fall asleep. Draper is famous for it. He falls asleep almost every time,” said Brandon Mawyer, the coach of the Fishburne rifle team, as his marksmen were preparing for their turn in the 2016 Virginia Military Schools Rifle League state championships, held Feb. 9 at the rifle range on the Waynesboro FMS campus.

Read the rest of the story at AugustaFreePress.com.

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Full photo gallery here.

Waynesboro, VA—Fishburne Military School made its presence known this weekend at the 2016 VISAA state wrestling tournament at Deep Run High School near Richmond.  In competition with 29 other schools from across the state, most of which are much larger than Fishburne, the Caissons earned a 9^th place team finish.

A highlight of the tournament for Fishburne was watching Matthew Farrar (Waynesboro, VA), post his 100^th win on his way to a 5^th place finish in the 126 lb weight class. Farrar was honored at the end of the day with a special tournament award for Most Falls in the Least Amount of Time. The award recognized Farrar as the wrestler who was able to pin his opponents faster and more frequently than any other wrestler at the tournament.

Competition within the weight classes was fierce, often with 20 or more wrestlers per class. Advancing to the medal rounds meant bringing everything to the mat every time. As the final results show, the Caissons did just that. Six Fishburne wrestlers stood on the podium at the end of the day, including state runner-up Clayton Berry (Wentzeville, MO), who wrestled in the 138 championship round and qualified for the Prep Nationals.

Congratulations to all of our medalists:

120 lb weight class: Thomas Fosdick (Staunton, VA), 8^th place

126: Matthew Farrar, 5^th place

138: Clayton Berry, 2^nd place, State Runner-Up and qualifier for National Prep Championship

182: Christopher Ross (Alcoa, TN), 6^th place

220: Aidan Davis (Pennsboro, WV), 7^th place

285: Shaheen Alfarhan (Alfaiha, Kuwait), 7^th place

Top 10 team scores– 1. Benedictine 347.5; 2. St. Christopher’s 281.5; 3. Paul VI 158.5; 4. Bishop Ireton 136; 5. Norfolk Collegiate 134; 6. Peninsula Catholic 133; 7. Cape Henry Collegiate 121.5; 8. Norfolk Academy 117.5; 9. Fishburne Military 107; 10. Woodberry Forest 105. For complete results go to www.trackwrestling.com.

This weekend, Fishburne Military School showed that its combination of heart, talent and conditioning make it a force to be reckoned with in state-level competition. With most of the team returning next year, there is no doubt that Fishburne will continue to be a top competitor in Virginia prep wrestling.

“We are a young and upcoming team,” said head Coach Terry Waters. “I am very proud of what these wrestlers accomplished this year, and with all but four starters back, things look bright for the future.”

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Cadet Thornton (Cape Elizabeth,  ME) was thrilled to have family in town for FMS’ Winter Parents Day

Photo gallery available HERE.
Parade photos by Cadet Timothy Dudley ’17 (Henrico, VA), Battalion Asst. S-5

Waynesboro, VA — It’s one of the more recent traditions at Fishburne Military School, but it has already become a perennial favorite. Fishburne’s Winter Parents Weekend is an opportunity for Parents and families to visit their cadets and celebrate all things FMS during the height of the “dark ages”…that notorious stage of the school year when cadets rise in the dark and return in darkness to their rooms at day’s end.

“It’s a great chance for our cadets to shake off the winter blahs,” notes Superintendent COL Gary Morrison (VA), a 1981 graduate of the school. “It’s also important, at the start of the second semester, for parents and teachers to have an opportunity to meet face-to-face. It’s that type of direct partnership between parents, students and the school that can make all the difference in helping a young man reach his potential,” he explains.

The day begins for cadets as usual (reveille, breakfast, room clean-up) while parents check in on campus, visit the silent art auction, and schedule their appointments for parent/teacher conferences. Cadets stand for a formal room inspection by the Superintendent while parents wrap up their registration and begin meeting with their sons’ instructors.

By Noon, over 425 parents, family members and cadets were on hand for an informal luncheon held in the school’s gym. Guests were welcomed to campus by the Superintendent, who make a few pre-lunch announcements, and then entertained afterward with a brief demonstration by Hudgins Rifles.

In the afternoon, parents were treated to a presentation by the Headmaster regarding the road to college for FMS Cadets while the corps drew weapons and prepared for an afternoon review parade.

Parade took place in the FMS gymnasium. Reviewing the corps was Captain Michael Goshgarian USN, father of Cadet William Goshgarian ’17. Captain Goshgarian who was commissioned upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1989 and went on to complete Basic Underwater Demolition and SEAL Training in 1990, delivered and insightful and inspirational address to the Corps of Cadets and their assembled guests.

The day concluded with Cadets and their families enjoying some free time together and an opportunity to enjoy dinner off-campus.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Waynesboro, VA — Yesterday a group of Cadets from Fishburne Military School paid a special visit to one of the area’s nursing homes in order to spread a little cheer and beauty. Following the school’s annual Winter Parents Day there were a large number of fresh flowers left-over from table arrangements and foyer decorations.

“I thought it would be nice to do something useful with these flowers instead of just tossing them out,” notes Kathy Berrang, head of FMS Student Services and Assistant to the Commandant of Cadets. So, Mrs. Berrang put out a sign-up sheet for any Cadets who were interested in paying a visit to Shenandoah Nursing Home.

It didn’t take long for her sheet to fill and soon Mrs. Berrang was escorting eleven Cadets with thirty bouquets of fresh flowers to nearby Fishersville. “The residents were so happy to see the Cadets and they were touched by the flowers,” she smiled. “The boys were well rewarded with hugs and kisses from some of those sweet ladies there.”

“This is an absolutely perfect example,” noted FMS Superintendent COL Gary Morrison (VA), himself a 1981 Fishburne graduate, “of how one small, simple gesture can have an incredible impact upon people’s lives. It meant something very special to those seniors…the fact that they are remembered and valued by these boys is a gift that will far outlast those flowers.  For our young men, it was a great reminder of the impact that a simple act of thoughtfulness can have.”

“As a school,” Morrison continued, “we are blessed to have positive role models like Mrs. Berrang interacting with our Cadets each and every day.  It’s people like Kathy Berrang that make Fishburne Military School such a special and life-changing place.”

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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Waynesboro, VA – It did not take Fishburne Military School Cadet Kyle Churchwell (Herndon, VA) long to find a way to help the United Service Organizations (USO) AND our troops all at the same time. Churchwell, assisted by Cadet Benjamin Weaver (Stuarts Draft, VA), delivered needed toiletry items to the USO Lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport on a recent Saturday. Churchwell, a sophomore in his first full year at Fishburne, headed up the effort, which involved many members of the school’s Cadet Corps. Churchwell said he came up with the idea as a way to “give back” to members of the military.

Cadet Churchwell collected and sorted gifts of small toiletry items and packaged them for use by service members heading to deployments or returning from assignments. The items, donated by his aunt, Mrs. Lisa Lombardozzi of Herndon, VA, included shaving cream, hand sanitizer, disposable razors, and lip moisturizer. He then encouraged his fellow cadets at Fishburne to add one more item to the packages: hand-written notes expressing gratitude for the soldiers’ sacrifice.

Churchwell ended up filling 200 bags with supplies, each one including a hand-written note from a Fishburne cadet. He and 8th-grade Cadet Weaver then gave up their weekend to deliver the bags to the USO Lounge at Washington Dulles International Airport. As service men and women pass through Dulles they have an opportunity to take one of the bags with them or to use it while they are there.

According to the Dulles USO Center Superintendent Andrea Tassan, shaving cream is always in short supply and many of the servicemen want to shave after a long flight overseas. “This was a well-thought-out donation,” noted Tassan. “What the boys brought was perfect.” She also observed that their time at the USO Lounge gave the cadets a chance to speak with soldiers directly.

After delivering the packages, Cadet Churchwell challenged other military schools to donate to a USO Center or lounge at an airport. “I’d like to see other schools outdo Fishburne’s 200 donations,” he said.

Fishburne Military School Superintendent COL Gary R. Morrison (VA) expressed pride in the effort put forward by Fishburne cadets to thank the troops and support the work of the USO. “Freedom is not free, and these boys get that,” he said.

The USO is dedicated to supporting service members and their loved ones. For more information about the USO, including how to donate, go to this link: https://www.uso.org/.

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command. 

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Waynesboro, VA — Fishburne Military School’s Winter Running Club completed their season this weekend by competing in Waynesboro’s 5th-annual Mad Anthony Mud Run. With over 400 runners participating, FMS made their presence known with four runners finishing in the top twenty-five. The 4.5-mile course challenges runners with obstacles such as tire pits, suspended balance beams, mountains of hay bales, a six-foot wall and, of course, MUD.

Given Waynesboro’s penchant for history, the varying obstacles throughout the course are named in recognition of different campaigns of battles during the career of General “Mad Anthony” Wayne such as “The Battle of Stony Point” and “The Battle of Fallen Timbers”. The race, however, isn’t just a friendly little hike through history. Temperatures for the race average 45 degrees and, at points throughout the course, mud is more than ankle-deep.

Fortunately, Fishburne’s Winter Running Club’s motto was “mental toughness,”  according to Team advisor and FMS Track Coach MSgt. Mike Anson USAF(Ret.). “The only way to properly prepare for track season is to run during the winter, otherwise you’re hopelessly behind when March 1st rolls around,” Anson explained. “There is no easy way to do this, or as Tom Petty wrote, ‘there ain’t no easy way out.'”

FMS also pitched in with volunteers for the event (including MSG Morton, who fired off the FMS cannon to begin the race). In a letter to Anson following the event, Waynesboro Parks and Recreation’s Athletic Director noted, “I can’t thank you and your FMS team enough for all of the help that was given to make the 5th Annual Mad Anthony Mud Run a success! As always, you and your team have gone above and beyond to ensure that all 427 participants had an exceptional time.”

Anson sees good things on the horizon for Fishburne Military School runners, based on the dedication the Winter Running Club showed in preparing for and conquering Mad Anthony. “The great thing about running is you get out of it exactly what you put in,” he says. “Life doesn’t always work that way in other areas. I’m really proud of the kids that showed up to practice when the wind chill was in the single digits. It would have been much easier to make excuses.”

Congratulations to all of the Winter Runners who gritted their way through tough conditions.

Out of over 400 runners:
Avery Romp (North Hero, VT), 11th place overall
Denver Druey (Pompano Beach, FL), 16th
Howard Marsh (Middlebrook, VA), 18th
CPT Roland van der Muhl (FMS Coach and Spanish Teacher), 23rd

Other finishers:
Seth Hembree (Cordova, MD)
Justin Payne (Waynesboro, VA)
Gareth Romp (North Hero, VT)
Kathy Berrang (FMS Student Services)
Evan LaQuaglia (Upper Marlboro, MD)

For more information about the Mad Anthony Mud Run visit: http://www.runthevalley.com/mad-anthony-mud-run/

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 Academics. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.

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