The top graduate is Christopher Dean Galvin of Austin, Texas who was a mechanical engineering major. He will be commissioned as a Navy Ensign and will train as a submariner.

This is the 163rd traditional graduation ceremony. Since 1845, approximately 79,900 midshipmen have graduated from the Naval Academy. Since 1980, more than 4100 women including the class of 2013 have graduated from the United States Naval Academy.

Pres. Barack Obama addressed the graduates this morning at about 1020am. The president was joined on the rostrum by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Vice Adm. Michael Miller Superintendent of the Naval Academy, and Capt. Bob Clark Commandant of midshipmen among other military and political officials.

Due to the federal government sequestration, there was no fly over by any military aircraft at today’s ceremony. Security was tight in the stadium with everyone having to pass through metal detectors and having her belongings searched by Secret Service agents.

The midshipmen of 20^th Company have earned the honor of being designated as the spring 2013 color company through their accomplishments during the last semester.

The Color Parade is the oldest parade at the U.S. Naval Academy, a tradition which began in 1867.   Midshipmen anticipate this parade as their last full dress parade while at the academy.  The highlight of the Color Parade is the formal presentation of the color company pennant to the company that has excelled in academics, athletics and professional accomplishments.

Diane (Lovewell) Melton, Color Girl 1963

One newer tradition at the USNA is the “Another Link In The Chain” program. This program, developed by the USNA Alumni Association, creates a bind between the current class and the one that graduated 50 years prior.  Their class ring will have some element from the Class of 1963 into the design to cement the bond between the two. This year’s class is “linked” with the Class of 1963 and there were rings from ’63 that were donated and the gold was used to create the ones for ’13..  In addition to members of the Class of ’63, there was a special guest– the Color Girl (now called Color Honoree) from 1963, Diane Melton (nee Lovewell) from Arlington, VA.

Midshipman 1^st Class Brooke Pitcher, of East Hampton, Conn., served as the spring semester color company commander.  At graduation, she will be commissioned as an ensign and will train as a Navy pilot. Pitcher will receive the Stewart Wight Hannah Memorial Trophy.  The silver bowl will be displayed in Bancroft Hall throughout the year and is inscribed with the spring semester color company number and the name of the new Color Company commander.

A color honoree is selected by the winning spring semester company commander. Pitcher has selected her mother, Kelly Fabrycki Pitcher of Hartford, Conn., as the 2013 color honoree.

Midshipman 1^st Class Chloe J. Staab, of the 14th Company, from Chino Hills, Calif. served as the fall semester color company commander.  At graduation, she’ll be commissioned as a Navy ensign and will serve as a surface warfare officer aboard the U.S.S. New Orleans. Staab will receive the Forrestal Award, an engraved silver tray presented in honor of the nation’s first Secretary of Defense, James V. Forrestal, donated by the late Charles P. McCormick.

For more information about May events at the Naval Academy, visit http://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/. For more information about the Naval Academy please visit www.usna.edu or our Facebook page.

To view our full gallery of images and video from the Color Parade, please go here!

All images (c) 2013, Glenn A. Miller Photography

The panel consists of two representatives from each of the 12 high school clusters, one representing elementary schools and one representing secondary schools, two at-large representatives, and three representatives appointed by other parent groups in the county. Members serve two-year terms.

The following positions will be vacant at the end of this school year, either because of term expiration or because a member will not be returning to the panel:

• Annapolis Cluster secondary schools representative
• Arundel Cluster secondary schools representative
• Broadneck Cluster secondary schools representative
• Chesapeake Cluster elementary schools representative
• Chesapeake Cluster secondary schools representative
• Glen Burnie Cluster secondary schools representative
• Meade Cluster elementary schools representative
• Meade Cluster secondary schools representative
• North County Cluster secondary schools representative
• Northeast Cluster elementary schools representative
• Northeast Cluster secondary schools representative
• Old Mill cluster elementary schools representative
• Old Mill Cluster secondary schools representative
• Severna Park Cluster secondary schools representative
• South River cluster elementary schools representative
• South River Cluster secondary schools representative
• Southern Cluster secondary schools representative
• At-large representative

Applications, which can be found here, must be received at the Board of Education by the close of business on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. The Board will appoint representatives to these positions as well as confirm the representatives of the Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs, the Special Education Citizen Advisory Committee, and the Superintendent’s Parent Involvement Advisory Council, at a subsequent Board meeting.

Members may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The committee is required to meet at least four times a year, but has met monthly this year. Meetings are generally held at the Parham Building, located at 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis. The meetings and membership in the CAC are open to anyone, regardless of whether they have children in AACPS or not.

Hannah and Matthew LeBlanc

An Annapolis High School student-teacher with the University of Maryland was killed this weekend in a traffic accident in the town of Deerfield, outside of Madison, Wisconsin. Hanna LeBlanc and her husband, were stopped at an intersection in their vehicle and were hit by another vehicle as they attempted to cross the highway.

Both were taken to the University of Wisconsin Hospital where Ms. LeBlanc passed away and her husband remains in critical condition according to The Courier. The LeBlancs had been married almost 2-years.

Annapolis High School sent home a letter last night advising the students and staff of her death.  LeBlanc has made quite a mark on Annapolis High School and was loved by her students and respected by her peers.

Though Ms. LeBlanc had been with our school only since August, she was very popular not only among the math students she taught but among our entire student body and faculty. Ms. LeBlanc had an ability to see the positive in every person she met, and quickly came to love our school, staff, and students. She absolutely loved what she did here, and often arrived early and stayed late because she was so dedicated and passionate about what she was doing. She was here just a short time, but made an enormous impact on us all.

The school is making counselors available to students as needed.

All images © 2013, Kevin Carroll for Eye On Annapolis

The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the Naval Academy. Demonstrating the teamwork and perseverance they have learned during their first year at the Academy, the plebes build a human pyramid to remove the “Dixie Cup” hat at the top of the lard-covered monument and replace it with an upperclassman’s hat.

The monument is 21 feet tall and is covered with 50 pounds of lard (Crisco) by midshipmen of the 1st Company. The first recorded time was the Class of 1965 with a time of 3 minutes. The fastest time was accomplished by the Class of 1972 in 1 minute, 30 seconds (no grease). The longest time goes to the Class of 1998 which took more than 4 hours to climb.

Additional photos will follow shortly.

Registration is under way, and camps are filled on a first-come basis. The 237 camps are a mix of perennial favorites of chef challenges, all-day sports, duct tape art, nature exploration and music and theater blended with new ones, such as combining Legos® with electronics, Chinese painting, dog training, model United Nations, guitar playing, fabric creations via computer and multiple engineering options.

Both full-day and half-day, one-and-two-week camps are available throughout the summer, from June 20 through Aug. 2. Activities are geared to campers as young as those entering first grade through older teens preparing for their senior year in high school. Preschool mini-camps also are available for 3-to-5 year olds. Camps vary in cost and fees. Both before-and-after camp options are offered as an additional service.

To see all the camps and to register, visit www.aacc.edu/kic/summer.cfm. For information, call 410-777-2325.

Rooted in the original New Orleans jazz music of the early 1900s, the Crabtowne Stompers fuses its music with more modern funk and jazz elements similar to the music of today’s popular groups Bonerama and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The creative improvisational and compositional techniques of its members makes the Crabtowne Stompers’ music truly innovative and unique.

The Electric Brigade is the Navy’s premier popular music ensemble and has been entertaining audiences around the world since 1979. Acting as the United States Naval Academy’s musical ambassadors to the nation, EB serves as a major public relations tool for the Navy, supporting Navy Recruiting by acquainting young Americans with the Armed Forces. With its unique brand of high-energy performance, this elite group has set the standard in popular-music entertainment for United States Navy Bands all over the world. EB’s repertoire includes the most current and popular music, as well as rhythm and blues, dance, Motown, classic rock, modern rock, soul, hip-hop, swing, country, and disco.

In case of inclement weather the festival will be held in the Mitscher Hall auditorium and seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Visitors to the Naval Academy may walk through Gate 1 (King George Street) and Gate 3 (Maryland Avenue) of the academy and will be required to show valid, government-issued picture identification. Vehicles without Department of Defense decals are not permitted on Naval Academy grounds.  Authorized vehicles may enter through Gate 1 (King George Street) or Gate 8 (Maryland Route 450).  Handicapped visitors with proper decals and identification are permitted through Gate 1 during normal business hours and may be subject to a vehicle inspection. All bags are subject to search.

For more information about Commissioning Week activities please visit http://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/. For more information about the Naval Academy visit our webpage www.usna.edu or our Facebook page.

Each year, the roughly 1,000 members of the academy’s plebe (freshman) class form a human pyramid around the 21-foot tall Herndon Monument to remove a plebe hat, or “dixie cup,” that upperclassmen have placed on the top of the obelisk. The midshipman who makes it to the top then replaces the “dixie cup” with a midshipman’s hat.

The event will begin with a recognition of the accomplishments of the Class of 2016 by Naval Academy Superintendent, Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller and will conclude with an award to the Class of 2016.