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.