A Day in the Life of a Cadet
Most Samo students would cringe at the thought of having to wake up everyday at 6:00 a.m., turning the lights out at 10:00 p.m. and having less than two hours of free time, yet one Viking not only experienced this but learned from it. As a junior, Samuel Clark (’14) spent a year at the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California, an experience not many can relate to.His experience began when he arrived at the school and was immediately classified as a “plebe,” the lowest rank at the school. After passing an important test on the rules of the academy, Clark was promoted to the “private” ranking, mirroring the classification system in the military. According to Clark, this system, along with uniforms and strict rules, created a sense of order at the school.“Well, at first I really wanted to conform, as did all the new kids, but once we got into the swing of things we started not to care as much. I missed people expressing themselves and all the different kinds of people at Samo,” Clark said.Clark and his classmates stayed in confined rooms with roommates that they inevitably became close to because of their mutual thoughts about the school. They shared unappealing meals with all 300 7th to 12th grade boys who attended the school, and that was just the beginning.The Army and Navy Academy states that its purpose is to educate and develop good character in young men. The way it went about this was by implementing ridged rules.Clark said there was 24/7 video surveillance, and adults coming to check on students every two hours during the night, along with random drug testing and physical punishments. These included tasks such as doing push-ups or cleaning the gym floors on all fours to work off demerits.According to Clark, this environment leads to students who know how to follow orders and can deal with stressful situations. Nevertheless, there are many misconceptions about students who attend military school. Most of these students do not go on to enroll in the military, but this doesn’t mean that they don’t take something from their experience.“I don’t regret going there at all — I think it really changed me a lot. It made me appreciate things a lot more, and the friends I made [there] I would never trade back,” Clark said.According to Clark, a year away from home is just what he needed to make him truly appreciate everything he had. Samo became a new place, a place where guys can interact with girls, where students can express themselves by what they wear. This proved to be very different from Clark’s time at the Army and Navy Academy, where the most exciting nights were those with four packets of Ramen.“What I missed about being home the most was actually hanging out with my friends in a normal way. But still, I have friends [at the academy] I know I will be friends with for life,” Clark said. frios-fetchko@thesamohi.com
Sam Clark's Daily Schedule:6:00- Wake up for morning formation 3:00-5:00- Physical training 5:00-6:45- Free time 7:00-9:00- Mandatory study hall 9:00-10:00- Meeting with your company 10:00- Lights out