9/8/2010
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By Alyx Sariol | Photos courtesy of Army and Navy Academy

Army and Navy Academy celebrates its centennial with a 100-gun salute the past, present and future.

Carlsbad’s Army and Navy Academy prides itself on preparing loyal, responsible and courageous young men for the real world. The academy’s reputation marks an entire century of progress as the school celebrates its 100th year of serving San Diego County. Cadets, alumni and family will salute the academy’s success this October in a centennial celebration that not only highlights the past, but also looks forward to the next 100 years. “As we look to the future, we expect to continue to teach, train and motivate our students to achieve excellence in all they do,” says school President Stephen M. Bliss, a retired Army brigadier general. “Never has our program been more relevant to the needs of our society than it is now.”

Originally located in Pacific Beach, the school was founded in 1910 as the San Diego Army and Navy Academy. Retired Col. Thomas A. Davis established the academy to “educate and develop good character in young men.” An inaugural class of 13 carried out Col. Davis’s desire to promote both academic excellence and militarylike discipline at the academy. After earning accreditation in 1913, the number of enrolled cadets quickly outgrew the Pacific Beach facilities.

While the next two decades saw a number of building expansions and new construction to meet the growing needs of the academy, national economic troubles in the wake of the Depression eventually took a toll on the school. After 25 years of educating young men, the school’s property was foreclosed on in 1936.

Not to be discouraged, Col. Davis relocated to Carlsbad later in the year and formed the new Davis Military Academy. Thirty-seven cadets continued the academic and military traditions that fall on their new oceanfront campus.

The 1938 academic year brought two big changes: The school reverted back to the San Diego Army and Navy Academy title once the Pacific Beach campus had been sold, and Col. Davis retired. Leadership changed hands several times in the following years, yet still maintained the founding father’s core vision for the school. The academy established itself as a nonprofit organization in 1941, and officially became the Army and Navy Academy in 1943. As they say, the rest is history.

More than 6,000 boys have since passed through the thriving Carlsbad institution. Each fall, approximately 300 cadets spanning grades seven through 12 gather at the oceanfront campus on Carlsbad Boulevard. They divide into smaller companies based on grade year and experience as they prepare for the challenging school year before them.

“We have them separated so the cadets can really form a tight-knit group,” Nicole Knight, the academy’s marketing director, says. “The lower classes do have senior leaders, but they also lead themselves.”

A tough, but supportive, college preparatory curriculum that follows University of California standards awaits the cadets. Class size varies by course, with most classes averaging no more than 15 students.

“Cadets get the individualized attention that they need here because the class sizes are much smaller than public schools,” Knight says.

Mandated study hall, academic counseling and tutoring sessions also maintain the supportive educational environment long after the school day is finished.

The military-style structured environment is also incorporated into the academy’s boarding school program. Here, boarding cadets are presented with daily challenges that require them to assume a high level of responsibility. Years before they head off to college, cadets learn to respect and cohabitate with others despite whatever differences they may have. They must also take charge of their living space, keeping them to the school’s standards for daily room inspections.

“Students really learn to be responsible for themselves,” Knight says. “They learn how to pick up after themselves, do their laundry and manage their money. That’s pretty impressive for a high school student.” Although limited, a cadet’s free time is usually filled with school-related extracurricular activities, including the competitive athletic teams and any of the school’s 22 clubs. An onsite recreation hall also offers a distraction from school, complete with a pool table and video game consoles.

The academy’s rigorous daily schedule is sure to intimidate the faint of heart, but those cadets who push through find themselves well prepared for life in higher academia. A majority of cadets pursue a college-level education after graduation, averaging 95 percent, with a small percentage entering the armed services or attending a service academy.

“They really have an advantage when they get to college,” Knight says. “Their training here helps them avoid most distractions that the average college freshman faces.”

While the academy’s campus closely resembles that of a college, with nearly every need accommodated right on site, cadets make the time to give back to the local community through volunteer hours and service projects.

Cadets involved with the Key Club, Beta Club and Interact Club head out into the area to volunteer. Through these groups, cadets have worked alongside the Carlsbad Rotary, hosted annual blood drives and organized beach cleanups.

“People don’t really know just how much the cadets do in the community, but they do a lot of different things throughout the year,” Knight says. Army and Navy’s economic impact report estimates that cadets contributed $50,000 worth of volunteer hours to Carlsbad in 2008-2009.

Moving forward, there are no plans for slowing down. The school recently launched a large-scale campus renovation that will not only update the original buildings to make them more sophisticated, but also add more dormitories. Construction on a new stone and iron fence begins soon.

As the school applauds its successful past and bright future, the North County community is invited to join in the centennial activities to be hosted this October. Past, present and future cadets will be on hand to celebrate the momentous occasion, standing as a testament to Col. Davis’s original core mission.

“The ‘Davis Model’ for running the academy has stood the test of time,” Bliss says. “We relish the opportunity to continue to serve today’s youth and prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders.”

Receiving Basic Training in Life at ANA - written by Tim Grenda
I arrived at Army and Navy Academy in the fall of 1983, at age 13, and according to my parents, in need of some direction and discipline the nuns at my Catholic school could not impart. During the four years I spent at ANA, I got plenty of direction and discipline, but also much more. I developed many lifelong friendships, fond memories and unfailing tidiness.

I left ANA before my senior year to graduate from a “regular” high school, but my time there was fun, challenging and rewarding. There are some funny memories, too, like the time one of my dorm mates rushed into my room late one night carrying the wooden bucket he’d swiped from the well on the Senior Lawn as a prank. Underclassmen like us were forbidden from even setting foot on the Senior Lawn, much less taking the prized bucket as a trophy. I insisted he leave my room, with his bucket. For two years during high school, I roomed with Jason Simpson, the son of O.J. Simpson, who at that time was only known as a television commentator and former NFL great. I also was honored to play in the Warrior Marching Band and even appeared as an extra in the opening scenes of the 1988 movie “Little Nikita.” (I’m the cymbal player in the back row.)

Of course, it’s easy to feel old when I return to campus to find my former room, Fagan Hall 10, converted into the office of Barry Friedman, the academy’s director of advancement. There is now a dormitory named for the Creans, the family behind the Fleetwood Enterprises motorhome empire: I attended ANA with brothers Robbie and Cornelius Crean, grandsons of the company’s founder.

As for Major David Stoll—the tough-as-nails but entirely loveable man who ran the Junior School and its drill team, known as Stoll’s Guard, when I was in eighth grade—he now stands as a bronzed bust on a shady corner of the Senior Lawn, right about where he would stand and oversee our formations.

Time has marched on since I left ANA. But I’m proud to see the academy that had such a significant impact on my becoming the husband and father I am today is still shaping the futures of so many young cadets.