President's Message

May 2007

     Welcome aboard! The United States Naval Academy Parents' Club of Northern Virginia extends a very warm welcome to our Midshipmen, their families and friends.  Whether your Midshipman arrived at the Academy from high school, the Naval Academy Preparatory School, via the Naval Academy Foundation, the fleet, or transferring from another college, we are happy to have you join us and trust that you find the necessary information that you are seeking!

      The USNA Parents' Club of Virginia was founded in 1993 to provide information and support to the families of Midshipmen from the Northern Virginia area.  The Club name was later changed to "Parents' Club of Northern Virginia" to match its geographical limits, generally from the Rapidan/Rappahannock Rivers north to the Potomac and west to the West Virginia border.  We also "share" the District of Columbia with the USNA Parents' Club of Maryland so that DC parents can choose to join whichever club is more convenient.  Our club is run by volunteers; it is a non-profit organization with dues structured to cover operating costs.  We enjoy ourselves and hope that you will join the club and participate in the activities that most interest you!

      We provide support directly for the Mids (cookies during exams, flags for graduation…) but the principal focus of the club is to support the parents of midshipmen throughout the entire Naval Academy experience.  Each year presents a new set of circumstances for the parents to understand as they adjust to a midshipman's regimen at the Naval Academy, and we've found it helpful to have a parent network to share experiences and information.  Plebe year always generates the most questions.  Summer training, academic degree selection, curriculum, extra-curricular activities, service selection, and graduation/commissioning generate their own set of unique questions by the parents. 

      Our club hosts a number of social events annually, providing opportunities for our members to meet with other USNA families, and, hopefully, enrich our common experience.  Major activities include:

•       A picnic prior to Induction day for the prospective class to welcome the incoming plebes and their families.

•       A pre-game tailgate picnic at a home football game at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

•       The annual All-Service Academies Ball in December during the leave period.

•       The annual Spring Dinner to elect club officers and honor the parents of graduating Midshipmen. We invite a senior Naval Academy official to address the club membership.

      Midshipmen are always welcome guests of the club at all of our events and meetings.  Our primary means of passing information is via email to our club members.  Each class has representatives that serve on our Board of Directors, which meets about once per month to plan activities and coordinate events. 

    If you ever have a question, and you will, an answer or help is just a phone call or email away.    Please feel free to contact the club officers listed below. In addition, the Internet has made access to information (and your Midshipman) much easier than in the past.  The U.S. Naval Academy official website, www.usna.edu, is the authoritative source of official information on policies, events and schedules. There is also a USNA-sponsored web site with good informative and authoritative information which I highly recommend, especially for Plebe parents, at www.usna.com.  Another informal website with useful resources for parents can be found at: www.usna-net.org.

            Go Navy!!!,

            Roy Radcliffe
            President, NVNAPC
            Class of 1982