mcilnayc's blog

As the summer months give way to the cooler weather and the colorful fall foliage, we are forever thankful for so many things; a wonderful Corps of Cadets from all over the world who have bonded together to reach their academic goals. We are thankful to our international parents who have entrusted us to look after their sons; to our faculty and staff who mentor and encourage, to our school President, Rear Admiral J. Scott Burhoe for his passionate leadership, to our Board of Trustees who help govern our school, and to the many people who interact with the cadets on a day-to-day basis.

This fall has been a very busy time in the International Department. I am so very proud of the academic progress being made by our international cadets. Many are taking honors and AP classes and continuuing to challenge themselves in order to be accepted into the very best colleges and universities.

Spare time has been spent on field trips and doing for others with Community Service Projects. Our International Club has been having fundraisers to raise and collect money for children in need. We hope to buy presents for the children of 20 families in need over the Christmas season.

The international cadets have enjoyed the field trips to movies, restaurants, and shopping. This winter we have plans to go bowling, mini-race car driving, and to a huge indoor heated water park. In the months of spring we will be touring places of history in Virginia and visiting the University of Virginia. There is always lots to do. 

Our next school enrollment is in January, so please let me know if you are interested in obtaining more information about our school and how to apply.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving as we give back to others, we wish you peace, blessings, a love of life and a love for your fellow man.

I truly can't believe it is December, and almost Christmas. Where has the year gone?

We began the 2010/2011 school year with 40 international students and are expecting 3 more to join us in January. This year our international student's homelands are Burundi, Sudan, Canada, China, Egypt, Jamaica, South Korea, Mexico, Norway, and Poland.

Academics take up a big part of our program, but servant leadership, athletics, and just having fun balance out each day. We have rolling enrollment, so you can still apply and become part of this great FUMA family.

2010 Graduation is just days away.It is hard to believe that another academic year has come and gone. This is certainly a bitter/sweet time as we say farewell to our seniors and postgrads, yet are so very proud of their accomplishments.FUMA will graduate 12 International Students.

In honor of our International Canadian cadets, FUMA helped celebrate a Canadian Thanksgiving on Oct. 12, 2009. Favorite traditional recipes were sent in by our Canadian families, duplicated and served to our entire corps of cadets. The Canadian cadets sat at a table of honor joined by General John Jackson, President of FUMA, and several other faculty and family members. The turkey was carved and the meal was served to them "family style". It was enjoyed and appreciated by one and all. Other International dinners will follow throughout the year. Stayed tuned..........

This summer has gone by so very quickly. Here it is August, and school will be resuming soon. I have to admit, FUMA just isn't FUMA without our boys, so we are really looking forward to seeing our returning students and welcoming new ones. This year we will welcome international students from United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Mexico, Iceland, Canada,and Ireland, just to name a few. We have an exciting year planned!