Midshipmen participate in Great American Smokeout

2/1/2010: Every year the American Cancer Society marks a date for the Great American Smokeout, encouraging smokers to permanently quit smoking that day. Susan Hennessy, wellness coordinator at the Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, and Ellen Sherman, who works with the Midshipmen Welfare Fund (MWF), organized the event during which 36 Midshipmen gave up tobacco for at least a 24-hour period. Full story

Midshipmen receive introduction to motorcycles

2/3/2010: Cape Fox Professional Services brought the Honda Safe Motorcycle Awareness and Recognition Trainer (SMART) to the Naval Academy Jan. 21 to help raise awareness and promote motorcycle safety. According to the Naval Safety Center statistics, motorcycle mishaps are among the highest causes of death among Sailors over the last several years. Already in fiscal year 2010, eight Sailors and Marines have suffered fatal accidents. Full story

Recruiting boosts Navy prospects

2/7/2010: Navy football fashioned one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2009, going 10-4 with signature victories over perennial powerhouse Notre Dame and Missouri of the Big 12 Conference. Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo and staff capitalized on that on-field success by putting together arguably the finest recruiting class in recent program history. The Midshipmen landed 19 "direct-entry" recruits, many of which had scholarship offers from other Football Bowl Division (formally Division 1-A) schools. Full story

Naval Academy closed Monday

2/8/2010: The Naval Academy is closed today except for essential support operations and all classes are cancelled. Essential support personnel are required to report with others granted administrative leave.

Sources Say: Something Wiccan this way comes? Not yet

2/11/2010: Will pagans, druids and Wiccans find a place to worship by Gate 1 at the Naval Academy? Or possibly Hospital Point? The Air Force earlier this week announced it has set aside an outdoor place of worship for the earth-centered believers. Naval Academy officials said they had no demand for such a spot. Full story

Academy grads provide aid in Haiti

2/12/2010: Graduates of the Naval Academy serve all over the world and often find themselves in situations they could not have imagined as midshipmen. For the academy graduates on board USS Higgins (DDG 76), diverting to Haiti to participate in relief operations in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake provided a unique ending to a deployment that was anything but ordinary. Full story

Naval Academy Midshipmen assist snowbound citizens

2/15/2010: In the wake of record-setting snowstorms for the Naval Academy and Annapolis area, midshipmen volunteered Feb. 11 to clear snow from local driveways, walkways and rooftops to support the local community. Individually and in groups, midshipmen pitched in to help, both in the downtown areas near the Academy and in the neighborhoods of their local sponsors. Full story

Mids eager for this shot

2/16/2010: Well along in rehearsal at the Naval Academy's Mahan Hall, the cast of Annie Get Your Gun seemed ideally suited to American composer Irving Berlin's musical story of American heroine Annie Oakley. At a recent rehearsal, cast members leaped from their seats onto the stage when the music director summoned them for the opening number, There's no business like Show Business. Berlin would have been pleased by these enthusiastic midshipmen - few of whom were even born at the time of his death. Full story

First-class battalion receptions at Alumni House

2/17/2010: During the months of January and February, the USNA Alumni Association & Foundation host battalions at the Alumni House. Regarded as a "Welcome Aboard" reception for the Class of 2010, staff along with representatives from the Class of 1960 will have the opportunity to speak with the midshipmen. The reception gives the graduating midshipmen a chance to candidly speak with and meet the Alumni Association & Foundation staff and members of their 50-year counterpart class. The Class of 1960 sponsors the Class of 2010 during their four years at the Naval Academy. Representatives from the Class of 1960 will present the 1/C Midshipmen with their ensign/2nd lieutenant bars at graduation in May. More information and photos

Brazilian Midshipmen visit Naval Academy

2/19/2010: Each year, two midshipmen from the Brazilian Naval Academy, Escola Naval, in Rio de Janeiro visit the U.S. Naval Academy for a two-week internship where they are each paired with a midshipman sponsor and attend various academy events. Full story

Commander,  Naval Surface Forces welcomes new surface warriors from USNA

2/20/2010: Future surface warfare officers (SWOs) from the Naval Academy's Class of 2010 selected orders to their first ships at Ship Selection night Feb. 11. Full story

Annapolis has a significant place in black history

2/21/2010: Annapolis, with its narrow, cobbled streets overlooking the water, its cute boutiques and taverns, and its historic state Capital and impressive U.S. Naval Academy, provides for a great Washington escape, even in the bleakness of winter. But during Black History Month, Annapolis also provides a great African American history lesson. Full story

Naval Academy takes air at physical readiness

2/23/2010: Don't call is "gym class" because you won't find dodge ball in this curriculum. As one-third of the U.S. Naval Academy's core mission "to develop midshipmen morally, mentally and physically," physical education is not something that's taken lightly. For these midshipmen, gone are their high school days where "running the mile" was one of the most physically demanding activities. The Academy's physical education program is far more strenuous and requires a better understanding of the importance of lifelong physical fitness. The focus has evolved into truly developing their physical fitness, athletic skill and competitive spirit. Full story