149th | Top boarding schools |
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Motto | Mens sana in corpore sano |
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Established | 1909 |
Type | Military, Private |
President | Dr. Wheeler L. Baker, Col., USMC, Ret. |
Dean | LTC Walter Sullivan |
Founder | T. Ryland Sanford & J. Hunt Hargrave |
Chaplain | Randel Clarke |
Location | Chatham, Virginia, Virginia, United States |
Campus | Rural |
Colors | Black and Orange |
Nickname | Tigers |
Hargrave Military Academy is a private American boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia.
Hargrave is a school affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a college and military preparatory program. The school serves boys from around the world from grades seven to twelve and has a post-graduate (PG) program, through which high school graduates can improve their athletic abilities, grades, and SAT scores in preparation for college.
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Hargrave Military Academy was founded in 1909 as the Chatham Training School. In 1925, it was renamed in honor of one of its founders J. Hunt Hargrave, a well-to-do local farmer. Chatham Training School and its predecessor, the Warren Training School, were general training schools for boys. The renaming was part of the school's evolution into a military high school.
On February 20, 1950, a fire ravaged the Academy. The fire and the rebuilding process was described by a former Hargrave president[1] in his book entitled From Ashes to Excellence: 1950-1970.
Hargrave has long been one of the Southern United States' leading military preparatory schools, and preparing young men for success in college is its stated primary goal.
The military department works hand-in-hand with the academic office and the faculty in providing an organized program. The school pursues a policy of student involvement in athletics, spiritual activities, and various other extracurricular activities are also an important part of intellectual and social maturity.
All students are encouraged to become involved outside the classroom and to be active participants in the Hargrave community.
Mens Sana In Corpore Sano is the Academy's motto, which is also found on the logo. The school is situated on a 214-acre (0.87 km2) campus with woods, pastures, trails, and ponds, in the hills of the Piedmont region of southern Virginia.
In addition to the extensive academic and athletic facilities, the campus also has the Owen R. Cheatham Chapel, Walter Cox Indoor Rifle Range, and an observatory. The Hargrave Rifle Team has gone 2 years undefeated in the VMSRL league, but was humiliatingly defeated this year by Fork Union Military Academy.
One of the purpose of Hargrave Military Academy is to get cadets ready for college. Both Standard and Advanced High School Diplomas are offered, as well as dual-enrollment classes through Danville Community College.
Hargrave is governed by a Board of Trustees, many of whom are alumni and community leaders. In addition, Hargrave has developed its own charitable foundation to allow philanthropists an opportunity to make gifts to the school.
The school is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is a member of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States and the National Association of Independent Schools.
The current president of Hargrave is Col. Wheeler L. Baker, USMC (ret.). Col. Baker has earned a doctorate in education. He succeeded Col. John Walter Ripley, USMC (ret.) as president in 1999.
Past presidents:
According to their website, "Hargrave's military program is designed to present an environment in which a Cadet may gain a sense of humor, commitment and fidelity. The daily exposure of a military environment assists Cadets in developing self-discipline, character, ethics, team building and leadership."[2] Military aspects include the wearing of uniforms, a military-style organization of personnel, ranks, and a chain of command.
The Corps of Cadets consists of a battalion divided into eight companies: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Golf, Band, and Headquarters. Most boarding high school cadets are distributed among Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie companies. Echo Company consists of all day students. Headquarters Company consists of the and Auxiliary Officers, who share a barracks with Battalion Staff; additionally, some Auxiliary Officers have rooms on other companies's barracks. Members of the Marching Band are assigned to the Band Company. Delta company is the middle school company, which includes seventh and eighth graders. Golf Company is the Post Graduate, or PG, company and includes some seniors who play on the PG Basketball and Football teams.
Cadets live with their respective companies on assigned barracks. Band Company is on Barracks 100, Battalion Staff and Headquarters Company live on Barracks 200, Golf Company on Barracks 300 and 400, Charlie Company, the largest company, on Barracks 500 and 600, Alpha company on Barracks 700, and Bravo Company has Barracks 800. Delta Company resides in the Junior School Buildings, which also house most of their classrooms. Almost all rooms on the barracks are set up for two cadets to share. Some cadets with leadership positions, such as Battalion or Company Staffs, have their own rooms.
Every six weeks grading period, an "Honor Company" is chosen. The honor company is the company with the best overall academic and military performance. For winning, the honor company is allowed to sleep in on Saturdays, eats first at mess, and display a streamer on their guidon.
The rank structure at Hargrave is similar to that of the United States Army, the only changes being the exclusion of the rank of Specialist and the replacement of Private E-1 with Basic Cadet (BC). New cadets and those who are stripped of their rank have no insignia. In their freshman year, cadets can achieve up to the rank of Private First Class or even corporal in a few rare cases. After going to Non Commissioned Officers (NCO) school, cadets are able to get up to the rank of sergeant. After Senior Non commissioned Officers (SNCO) school, cadets can get up to the rank of Command Sergeant Major. The week before the start of their senior year, cadets have the option of attending Officer Candidate School (OCS), which allows them to obtain commissioned officer ranks.
Grade | C-9 | C-8 | C-7 | C-6 | C-5 | C-4 | C-3 | C-2 | C-1 | |
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Insignia | ![]() |
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No Insignia |
Title | Sergeant Major | First Sergeant | master sergeant | Sergeant First Class | staff sergeant | sergeant | corporal | Private First Class | Private | Basic Cadet |
Abbreviation | SGM | 1SG | MSG | SFC | SSG | SGT | CPL | PFC | PVT | BC |
Grade | CO-6 | CO-5 | CO-4 | CO-3 | CO-2 | CO-1 |
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Insignia | ![]() |
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Title | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | First Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant |
Abbreviation | COL | LTC | MAJ | CPT | 1LT | 2LT |
An officer, can hold many leadership positions ranging from platoon leader to Battalion Commander. The corps is run by the cadet officers and supervised by the military faculty members. From 1970 to 1973, the corps had two battalion commanders and a corps commander. When the Corps was recombined into one battalion in 1973, the position of Battalion Commander became the highest leadership position. The Battalion Commander is the commanding officer of the corps. Past Battalion/Corps Commanders include:
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Any cadet that is caught violating a rule will receive punishment. There are many ways to get "stuck" and the severity of the stick reflects how many tours you will receive. A few examples include; disrespect to officer or NCO- 5 tours, poor judgment- 3 tours, gross poor judgment- 7 tours.
Marching times vary. Cadets will often march for 4 consecutive hours without water or bathroom breaks. If a bathroom break is desperately needed, the cadet may go, but puts their credit for marching at risk.
The picture of the bullring (right) depicts cadets marching with M1 Garand rifles, however this is very uncommon. Rifles are primarily used in ceremonial parades.
Any cadet who shows immense disrespect or violates a serious rule will be sent to the Motovational Platoon. "MOTO" is a last resort before being dismissed from the Academy. In MOTO, cadets are pushed to their limits with excessive physical training each day for about one week. Most cadets will have the choice to either attend MOTO or be dismissed if they are presented with the option.
The honor code restricts cadets from lying, cheating, or stealing. Any cadet that violates, or is accused of violating any part of the honor code is sent to the Honor Council which consists of a panel of cadets that are elected by the student body, where, if found guilty, will be sentenced to punishment based on the severity of the incident. Punishment usually comes in the form of Honor Council tours which must be marched in Full Parade Uniform, but can include Motivational Platoon for repeat offenders, or expulsion.
There are many different clubs and organizations that cadets can participate in while attending Hargrave, including:
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