Schumacher stormed back to his dorm afterward, gathered his belongings, and threw everything in his truck, yelling and banging doors as he vented his rage. I never really felt like they were following financial aid procedures, one former staffer recalled. Grades 7 & 8 compete in the Middle School eSports League. Priced at roughly $45,000 for tuition, room and board, it is the last military academy in Pennsylvania. The most comprehensive account of abuses at Valley Forge came in 2015, when Robert Wood, the schools Title IX officer, filed an explosive whistleblower complaint alleging that child abuse and sexual misconduct cases had been mishandled. Alumnus Al Ciardi, a longtime critic of the board of trustees, denied that, saying the FBI had investigated and determined that the alleged threats were unfounded. [2] After a fire during the night of January 1718, 1929 destroyed the original single-building campus, the former Devon Park Hotel, the academy was moved to its present site in Wayne, Pennsylvania, the former Saint Luke's School. They did their best to prevent fights, and would rush injured kids to the hospital. Underweight cadets receive milk and cod liver oil, circa 1933. 1,163 Followers. But it also seeks to serve as a parallel administration in exile. Another difference is in the rank system, a hybrid of United States and British military ranks, and the insignia the school utilizes. Cadet Sergeants, Corporals, and Lance Corporals wear chevrons on the sleeve: red chevrons on grey for the infantry battalions; red chevrons on black for the mounted components and the band. VFMA is a private, all-male, boarding and day college preparatory school for students in grades 7-12 Initially, General Baker devised an American Revolutionary War motif for the school. He said the school didnt need another layer of bureaucracy.. The fictional Pencey maintained strict rules and excellent academicsvirtues, if ones Holden couldnt live up to. When a former TAC raised concerns about Symantha Hicksa Forge guidance counselor who, according to police records, was suspected of giving alcohol to minors and performing oral sex on a 16-year-olda school official allegedly tried to convince him not to go to the cops. Out on patrol that night, Schumacher told me, he felt on the brink of darkness.. The word snafu comes from a military acronym meaning situation normal: all fucked up. And thats a sentiment the Forge and like-minded institutions seem to be imprinting upon the next generation of military leaders. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. All cadets must pass a board and earn a "capshield" to be a member of the Corps of Cadets. His masterwork, The Catcher in the Rye, opens with Holden Caulfield at Pencey Prep, a fictionalized version of the Forge. We have to be honest about the fact that we are fed up with the current leadership failures at Valley Forge, Picone said. The British Officers Club of Philadelphia is based out of the VFMAC. Nestled 20 miles north of Philadelphia, the private institution teaches middle school, high school, and junior college students. But as he navigated the schools toxic environment in his new role, hed been feeling increasingly helpless and depressed. It brings out the best and the worst in people, he told me. One student stabbed a classmate with scissors; another bashed his peer with a baseball batneither met serious repercussions. These cadets were clearly out of line. VFMAC is an international leadership institution, with a middle school & high school for boys & a co-ed college, that uses a military model to educate students. I applied online. [20][21], The current[when?] This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and VFMAC also employs several British ex-Military personnel, most of whom wear the uniform and rank insignia of their respective British service. In the Spring Major 2021 season, two players (one middle school, and one high school) qualified for the national playoffs in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and finished the tournament in the top 16 players nationally for their respective league tournaments. Priced at roughly $45,000 for tuition, room and board, it is the last military academy in Pennsylvania. A few years ago, the school began rationing toilet paper. Students of color and female cadets were admitted, if not with open arms. Former Valley Forge president Walt Lord presided over a brief period of reform before stepping down. On a chilly evening in September 2020, Jordan Schumacher solemnly patrolled the grounds of Valley Forge Military Academy, near his wits end. During this period, students are trained in the customs and traditions of the school, a modified version of British military drills, and ceremonies. 680 Following. Lord felt confident he could tackle the Forges cultural issues. A recent post on a private Instagram account titled Valley Forge Sucks shows two cops peering into a schoolroom, with the caption: Normal day at the Forge., Valley Forge administrators declined to respond to detailed questions about the concerns raised in this story, or to make named staffers, administrators, or trustees available for interviews. In a grainy video recently shared on the Valley Forge Sucks Instagram, Rivera, now chief of staff, can be heard screaming Shut the fuck up! at a whimpering young cadet. This story has been updated to reflect that schools horses were given away, not sold. After classes, cadets participate in athletics and extracurricular activities. They have no clue.". The shield is of red and white vertical stripes with a blue field containing thirteen stars, one for each of the original states. Nearly 4,000 parents and alumni signed a petition imploring the board of trustees to work out their differences with Lord so that he could be reinstated. Presently, Cadets of the Sixth, Fifth, and Fourth Classes (Grades 7, 8, and 9) are assigned to the "C" Company; formerly, Cadets of the Middle School (Grades 7 and 8) were assigned to the "E" Battery. Accepted Offer. The decision to admit women into the junior college was made in 2005 by Longs successor, Charles Tony McGeorge, the Forges first civilian president. This could be the academys last year. Two female former cadets recalled to me how, after they were caught trying to sneak off campus, Rivera threatened to look in on their rooms at night when they slept. Today the collection consists of the full complement of voices, which consists of six B-flat soprano[citation needed] trumpets, six B-flat tenor trumpets, two G-bass trumpets, and two E-flat soprano[citation needed] trumpets. The AGs office regulates nonprofits. Weve started an eSports team, instead.. 1928 - 2005. The officer ranks used above were briefly reinstated in 20142016. Valley Forge Military Academy is an international leadership institution, comprised of a middle school and high school for boys in grades 7-12. These concerns were echoed in an audit undertaken on behalf of a board member by the Healey Education Foundation, which warned that Valley Forge is not going to survive by looking backwards. A draft report, leaked to the press in 2019 and cited in a lawsuit that was later dismissed, noted that enrollment had declined 40 percent in the previous five years, and the school was nearly $7 million in debt. The Chapel contains a 1961 M. P. Moller Pipe Organ donated by the Richard King Mellon family. One mother told me that ever since her boy was raped at Valley Forge, a trauma incurred many years ago, he sleeps with a hunting knife under his pillow. When Helgeson arrived at the academy in 2017, the school had some challenges, he said. A spokeswoman for the school denied these allegations, saying the gift was used for the exact purpose for which it was intended.. With school leaders doing little to address the fraught campus atmosphere, Schumacher had taken it upon himself to patrol the grounds as often as possible. As he returned from the shower one night, a door flung open and five cadets dragged him into a room and attempted to penetrate him, first with fingers, then a coat hanger: I struggled for a little bit, but five, six other peoplenumbers just kinda won that. Soon after, he fought off another tooth-pasting attempt. In her 2019 resignation letter, she called the present governance structure and apathetic attitude of the trustees not only troubling but reprehensible.. He now represents the former cadet who filed the tooth-pasting lawsuit, and three others who allege that, as minors, they, too, experienced tooth-pasting and other abuse at the Forge from 2014 to 2018. Salinger, and . It also has a Drum and Bugle Corps legacy (through the use of brass instruments), and starting from AY 2011-2012, it also has a fife player on its rosters. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. the crest comprises an eagle with wings displayed and a scroll bearing the motto 'Courage, Honor, Conquer.' (Long sued the school, claiming the allegations were cooked up by a trustee who disapproved of his management style. Former chairmanBill Floyd held that position for 12 years and has been on the board for 15 years total. Nobody knew where the money was going, one recalled. What we got was silence. According to internal documents, police records, legal complaints, and interviews with more than 50 sources close to the school, including current and former cadets, parents, staff, and board members, campus leaders have allowed an environment of neglect, abuse, and impunity to fester. The Valley Forge Military Academy, a long-standing Main Line private school that in recent years has faced declining enrollment and allegations of mismanagement, has been denied in a bid to open a publicly funded charter school. The Valley Forge Military Academy and College Regimental Band is world-famous[clarification needed][citation needed] and has traveled to Europe many times in recent years to perform.[17]. VFMA does not offer the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. It's us but for your ears. 2 days ago VFMA is a member of the PIAA and competes in 13 inter-school sports teams, and VFMC is a member of the NJCAA, Region 19, with 11 men's and women's sports. In March 2019, Lord resigned after less than a year on the job, citing a lack of integrity by the trustees. Thus, the system is somewhat "inverted" from the "Form" system in use at some schools and more closely parallels West Point and the other FSAs. In a lawsuit filed last year in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, a former student alleged that he was sodomized with a lacrosse stick as part of the hazing ritual called toothpasting. Brian Kent, a lawyer for the former student and his parents, said the Title IX lawsuit is ongoing and is now in the discovery phase. [11] For the 201718 school year, the academy had 213 students in grades 712.[12]. [5] On February 27, 2017, three juveniles were charged with assault in which they allegedly beat another cadet with a lacrosse stick in a hazing ritual called "Toothpasting". Field Music directly reflects the British military volunteer Corps of Drums. Valley Forge is one of roughly 40 accredited military schools nationally . As punishment, they were ordered to paint the commandants house. At least five cadets I interviewed identified Rivera, a former helicopter pilot who didnt respond to multiple requests for comment, as one of the most abusive TACs. Reserve, National Guard, and Retired Officers and NCOs, serving in their respective ranks, wear the rank and accouterments of their respective service arm. But I can say if we wont stand together, we all will fall.. After "Third Mess" or the evening meal, cadets return to their barracks for study hall. Citing falling enrollment, weak finances, Valley Forge Military Academy and College. Among the foundations leaders is the schools previous president, Walter Lord, a retired two-star Army major general. English demanded a say in day-to-day decisions but neglected systemic issues, according to the former trustee, who adds that most board members were disengaged: Everyone told war stories. Former, unused, and honorary ranks are in italics. [23] Graduates who are commissioned serve in the reserve components (Army Reserve or Army National Guard) while completing their bachelor's degrees. And then there was the 18-year-old cadet who never made it to graduation. The school has established a tradition with the British monarchy; it follows an American military academy model and practices the Army tradition. Numerous parents have spoken of the ways, large and small, that their children were scarred by the Forge, and many former cadets, Schumacher included, have sought therapy to process their experiences. As he sped off, he began crying. 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