Annapolis Guide 8.30.26 - Flipbook - Page 32
32 Annapolis Guide | Sunday, August 30, 2026
EDUCATION
SET SAIL FOR SERVICE
A guide to the US Naval
Academy academic year
By Katharine Wilson
Anne Arundel County is home to the
U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, one of
five service academies in the country.
Academy graduates become commissioned officers in the U.S. armed forces.
The college had an undergraduate enrollment of more than 4,400 students in
2026.
Gen. Michael J. Borgschulte became
the 66th superintendent of the academy
in August 2025. He became the first Marine to hold the post in the academy’s
179-year history.
COMMISSIONING WEEK
Since its founding in 1845, the academy has graduated more than 91,000
midshipmen, according to USNA data.
In May, 1,059 officers graduated; 775 of
them went into the U.S. Navy and 267
commissioned into the U.S. Marine
Corps.
The Blue Angels perform annually
during Commissioning Week, or graduation week.
The celebratory week kicks off with
Sea Trials, a capstone event for freshmen, or fourth-class midshipmen, designed to test teamwork and reinforce
bonds as a company and class. This approximately 14-hour evaluation is designed similarly to the Marine Corps
Crucible and the Navy’s Battle Station
recruit program.
Sea Trials conclude with the Herndon
Monument Climb, during which hundreds of first-year midshipmen take
turns scaling a 21-foot obelisk covered in
vegetable shortening. The class works
together to replace a hat, known as a
Dixie Cup, with an upperclassman’s cap.
The Class of 2029 completed the feat
in 2 hours, 17 minutes — beating the
previous class by more than a minute.
At the end of the week, fourth-year
midshipmen participate in a graduation
and commissioning ceremony. The affair is marked by a keynote address,
typically given by the president, vice
president or secretary of defense.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave the
commencement address at the 2026
graduation.
Newly commissioned Naval and Marine officers toss their covers into the air to celebrate graduation. The U.S. Naval Academy holds its
Class of 2026 Commissioning and Graduation Ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. PAUL W. GILLESPIE/STAFF PHOTOS
INDUCTION DAY AND
PLEBE SUMMER
The incoming class of 2030 was inducted into the academy in June to start
their nine-year service commitment.
About 1,100 inductees reported to the
academy for Plebe Summer, the sixweek program that prepares freshmen
for life at the academy.
SHIP SELECTION
Each February, academy seniors, or
midshipmen first class, participate in
Ship Selection.
This year, more than 250 midshipmen
were part of the ceremony held in front
of peers, faculty and family. Similar to a
sports draft, announcers call midshipmen one by one to select from a lengthy
list of ships stationed at naval bases
around the world. The draft order is
based on a combination of academic,
military and physical conditioning
achievements.
The first to choose their ship this year
was Jackson Smits, from Shawano, Wisconsin. Smits chose the USS Paul Ignatius out of Rota, Spain.
Midshipman First Class Avery Morrison, of Annapolis, chooses the USS Ronald Reagan in
February 2026. The Naval Academy held the Class of 2026 Surface Warfare Officer Ship
Selection ceremony in Alumni Hall.
