The Fayette Citizen-News Page

Wednesday, June 5, 2002

Two Starr's Mill grads accepted at Air Force Academy

By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@TheCitizenNews.com

The United States Air Force Academy has offered an appointments to Jonathan Ferro and Bret Stevens, both graduates of Starr's Mill High School.

Jonathan earned many awards during his four years, including Gifted English Student of the Year. He was active in the Beta Club, National Honor Society, Key Club, Math Team, the Interact Club and the Class of 2002 Executive Board and Student Government.

He served as a tutor and camp counselor for children with Muscular Dystrophy and was the Science Olympiad coach for Rising Starr Middle School his freshman year. He ran both track and cross-country, was on the high honor role all four years, and was the 2002 Starr's Mill Valedictorian.

Jonathan's hope for the future? Majoring in Mechanical Engineering and looking forward to someday flying the F-22.

Bret, along with approximately 30 percent of the Academy's freshman class, will have some college credits under his belt when he heads out to Colorado Springs this month. Though he was awarded a four-year ROTC Scholarship to attend Georgia Tech last year, instead he decided to take advantage of a Falcon Foundation Scholarship and attended Northwestern Preparatory School in California.

While at Starr's Mill, Bret was a member of the Key Club for four years, active in student government, the Younglife Youth Group, and was a Boys State 2000 delegate.

He was on the Varsity Track and Field team for two years, and the Varsity Swim Team for four years.

Major Scott Smith, Admissions Liaison Officer for the Air Force Academy, was excited with the appointments. "With a 14 percent acceptance rate, the Academy is ranked as the ninth most competitive in the nation in terms of admissions, making it more difficult to get into than MIT, the United States Naval Academy, West Point, Yale, Brown, Georgetown and Yale.

"I suspect the competition will only get stiffer as the Academy receives more and more national attention. Last year the Princeton Review ranks the Air Force Academy number one in overall college experience, and this year the U. S. News and World Report ranked the Academy second for top aeronautics and astronautics in the country. Many years we have had a disproportionate number of students selected from the county.

"In reality two appointments is terrific," he concluded.


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