(Pictured left to right: RMA Fine Arts Department Chair Mitch Freeman with Logan Whitmore)

Congratulations to Cadet Staff Sergeant (C/SSG) Logan P. Whitmore, a freshman at Riverside Military Academy, who won 1st Place (9th grade level) in the State of Georgia at the Kiwanis Art Showcase on April 27.

C/SSG Whitmore entered his painting, “The Floating Staircase,” in the mixed media category of the Kiwanis Club of Gainesville Art Showcase in March at the Quinlan Visual Arts Center, and he received the 1st Place Ribbon for 9th grade.

Following the Gainesville competition, his painting was selected to compete at the State level in the Georgia District Kiwanis Foundation Art & Music Showcase in Carrollton, Georgia. He won the 1st Place Medal out of all 9th grade art entries for the State!

On May 8, C/SSG Whitmore received a JROTC Academic Achievement Award for finishing in the top 10% of his class for the school year at Riverside Military Academy. He was a participant in the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG) State German Convention held in January. He is also a member of Riverside's track team.

Cadet Sergeant (C/SGT) Zhongkun Jin has been selected as this year's Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) Student at Riverside Military Academy.

The Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program honors Georgia's outstanding high school seniors and the teachers who have been most instrumental in their academic development. To obtain the STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on one test date on the three-part SAT taken through the November test date of their senior year and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average.

C/SGT Jin arrived at RMA in 2011 from Beijing, China. He has distinguished himself in both academics and citizenship as a member of the National Honor Society, the Horton Society, the National Science Honor Society, and the Entrepreneur Club. He has participated as a member of the rifle team and the tennis team. He was also a member of RMA’s prize winning Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS). In 2012, he won the RMA Science Award. He is also a regular recipient of the Gold Star, which is RMA’s high honor roll. His teachers praise his outstanding work ethic and dramatic progress in the English language.

Cadet Jin chose Mr. Andy Jobson as his STAR Teacher. Mr. Jobson began teaching at RMA in 1995 after earning his BA at Tulane University and his MA at the University of Georgia. He has served as both History Department Chair and Academic Dean, and he currently serves as English Department Chair. He was selected to be a grader for Advanced Placement exams for several years, and he was chosen as the 2002 RMA Star Teacher. Mr. Jobson speaks enthusiastically of Cadet Jin's hard work, positive attitude, and excellent achievements.

Congratulations to the Riverside Military Academy STAR Student and Teacher!

Riverside Military Academy, located in Gainesville, GA, has been awarded “Best of 2012” in the Georgia Private Schools & Religious Schools category on Kudzu, the leading source of local business information and consumer reviews. Over 5 million businesses competed across 30 categories, and winners were awarded based on the highest number of votes received on Kudzu.com.

“Consumers value companies who appreciate their business and provide superior service. We wanted to create an open forum where the best companies could be recognized by Kudzu users,” said Fran Wills, General Manager of Kudzu.

Riverside Military Academy has remained one of the nation’s best military, college preparatory schools in the nation for over 105 years. Riverside has a Corps of Cadets consisting of over 450 students in grades 7-12 from 25 states and 22 countries. The Academy’s distinctive and positive educational environment motivates and challenges young men to reach their true potential.

“Riverside is proud to be voted a ‘Best of 2012’ company in the Private Schools & Religious Schools category of Kudzu.com. We are thrilled that our positive impact on students and their families is being recognized on this level, and we’re grateful to all of our supporters,” said Adriane Seymour, Director of Communications & Public Relations at Riverside Military Academy.

Gainesville, GA– On November 10, the Riverside Military Academy Corps of Cadets marched in the 31^st Annual Atlanta Veteran's Day Parade in downtown Atlanta.  The parade judges once again awarded the RMA Corps of Cadets the coveted President’s Trophy for best marching unit.  This is Riverside’s fourth consecutive win of this prestigious award.

The Atlanta Veteran’s Day Parade, produced by the Georgia Veterans Day Parade Association of Atlanta, Inc. (GVDPA), is one of the nation's largest Veteran's Day events.  The parade begins at 11:11 a.m. in remembrance of the ceasefire agreement signed in 1918 to end WWI, or the Great War, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

This year’s parade theme was “Welcome Home Iraqi War Veterans,” which paid tribute to the official end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  The parade Grand Marshal was actor/producer Tim Abell.  He is the host of Outdoor Channel's Grateful Nation, a television show which takes wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan on outdoor adventures around the world and learns about their military service and sacrifice.  Abell is also a former Army Ranger and the 2012 Chairman of the Board for the Ranger/Special Operations mentoring program, GallantFew.

Riverside Military Academy, founded in 1907, is one of the premier college preparatory academies for young men in grades 7-12.  The RMA Corps of Cadets consists of over 400 cadets from 22 countries.  The Academy is located one hour north of Atlanta, Georgia.  Please visit www.riversidemilitary.com for more information.

Battalion Commander: C/LTC Max Weiner

Battalion Staff

Battalion Commander: C/LTC Max Weiner, Miami, FL
Battalion XO: C/MAJ Gage Bolden, Braselton, GA
Battalion Command SGM: C/CSM John-Mark MacFarlane, Marion, MA
Battalion S-1: C/CPT Michael Sims, Gainesville, GA
Battalion S-2: C/CPT Robinson Whitaker, Columbus, GA
Battalion S-3: C/MAJ Eric Chow, Jacksonville, FL
Battalion S-4: C/CPT Reid Schwartz, East Point, GA
Battalion S-5: C/CPT Nicolas Pitchon, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Cadet Honor Commander: C/MAJ Alec Navin, Milton, GA

Company Commanders

Band Co. Commander: C/CPT Tae-Woo Kim, Ulsan City, South Korea

Alpha Co. Commander: C/CPT Skyler Toney, Cumming, GA

Bravo Co. Commander: C/CPT Connor Johnson,  Canton, GA

Charlie Co. Commander: C/CPT Philip Sheffield,  St. Simons Island, GA

Delta Co. Commander: C/CPT Hamza Krisni,  Casablanca, Morocco

Echo Co. Commander: C/CPT Thomas Burnam,  Snellville, GA

Foxtrot Co. Commander: C/CPT Christopher Harvey,  Macon, GA

Golf Co. Commander: C/CPT Andre Bastian,   Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to our 2012-13 Battalion Staff members, Company Commanders, and all other RMA cadets receiving leadership positions in the Corps of Cadets!

Riverside Military Academy will host the 2012 Army JROTC Summer Leadership Camp June 4-8 and the Navy JROTC Leadership Academy June 11-15.

Army JROTC cadets are evaluated in leadership positions while participating in events such as rappelling, drown-proofing exercises, land navigation, rock climbing at Mt. Yonah National Park, rifle marksmanship training, canoeing on the Chattahoochee River, and a Cadet Challenge Physical Fitness test. Participants are divided into teams of 15 while competing for overall awards and trophies with individual awards presented in several areas. Cadets also enjoy time for activities including ultimate Frisbee, soccer, softball, flag football, and water volleyball.

The end of camp week culminates in visits from the U.S. National Guard and the U.S. Army. On Friday, the National Guard will provide a climbing wall and go-carts for the cadets. Cadets will also have the opportunity to experience rides in a UH-60 Helicopter.

This camp is sponsored by the U.S. Army Cadet Command JROTC. The event is designed to allow cadets to put into practice what they learned in JROTC throughout the school year. As camp headquarters, RMA will host 20 other JROTC programs from across the state comprised of approximately 500 cadets and 75 instructors.

The Navy JROTC Leadership Academy, held by NJROTC Area Twelve at RMA, will consist of 220 cadets from 60 NJROTC units across Georgia and North Florida. Only the top 3% of enrolled cadets typically earn the privilege of attending this camp. NJROTC Leadership Academy graduates are expected to impart the skills and knowledge gained from the camp to their cadet units.

NJROTC cadets receive over 40 academic hours in leadership techniques, planning, time management, organization, team work, and decision-making skills as well as physical fitness and drill training. Graduates of the Leadership Academy usually return to their units to fill top leadership positions.

The NJROTC Leadership Academy will end with a graduation ceremony consisting of a march-on of cadets, an awards presentation for honor graduates, pinning of the Silver Cord for each graduate, and a formal pass-in-review.

Riverside Military Academy Cadet Major (C/MAJ) Alec H. Ruppenthal received official acceptances to both The U.S. Military Academy-West Point and The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis prior to his May 2012 graduation from Riverside.

A member of the Battalion Staff, C/MAJ Ruppenthal served as Honor Court Chairman for the RMA Corps of Cadets, which consists of more than 400 students. All Riverside cadets commit to the following honor code: A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do. The Honor Court Chairman and the company honor representatives educate cadets about the Honor Code and uphold the honor system at Riverside.

C/MAJ Ruppenthal is also a member of both the National Honor Society (NHS) and the Horton Society. He earned membership in the NHS by demonstrating the qualities held in high esteem by the society: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. The Horton Society, one of Riverside's oldest and most prestigious organizations, was named in honor of Colonel O.R. Horton who served RMA from 1919-1939. The Society embraces school spirit and seeks to emulate the highest ideals of integrity and selfless service.

C/MAJ Ruppenthal attended RMA since 2006 when he entered the Academy in the 7th grade. He was valedictorian for Riverside's Class of 2012, and he was nominated as Riverside's STAR Student for this academic year. He participated on the RMA varsity baseball, cross country, and swim teams. He was voted MIP of the cross country team, and he received the JROTC Superior Cadet Award.

Cadet Ruppenthal has chosen to attend the U.S. Naval Academy beginning Fall 2012.

During Fall semester, several Riverside Military Academy cadets were nominated for participation in the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program.  RMA has received notification that Cadet Sergeant First Class Michael Sims, a junior, has been selected as a finalist for the program in the area of Social Studies!

The Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school juniors and seniors.  A function of the Georgia Department of Education, it takes place on the campus of ValdostaStateUniversity.  The 2012 program will mark the 49^th year since its introduction, making it the longest continually running program of its kind in the nation.  Since the program is fully funded by the Georgia General Assembly, there is no charge for students to attend.

More than 2,800 students from across the state were interviewed and auditioned over three weekends in January and February.  From those nominees, 690 finalists were chosen to participate in the 2012 program.

Students will arrive on the campus of VSU on Sunday, June 24.  During the four week program, students spend mornings in their major area of nomination exploring topics not usually found in the typical high school classroom.  In the afternoons, students choose another area in which to study.  The curriculum in all areas is challenging and engaging.  Evenings are filled with seminars, activities, concerts and performances. 

Mr. Dale Lyles, GHP Director, said, “GHP is such a competitive program that even being nominated is an accomplishment.  I congratulate Michael Sims and look forward to meeting him and his parents in June.”  He added that many, if not most, of GHP’s past participants regard it as one of the most life-changing events in their lives.

RMA sophomore cadets Staff Sergeant Harrison Summerour (Math) and Sergeant Benjamin Jobson (Music – Violin) have been designated as alternates for the program.