White appointed to U.S. Naval Academy

Josh White, 18, son of Lindsey and Valerie White of Bragg City, Mo., has received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received his nomination from Senator Jim Talent and Congresswoman JoAnn Emerson in December. He was notified on March 16 that he had received the appointment. Leroy Gravseth, the Blue and Gold officer for this area, presented Whie with his certificate of appointment. He will report for induction on June 29.

White graduated on May 15 from Hayti High School as valedictorian of his senior class with a grade point average of 100.086. He has had many accomplishments throughout his high school career, including quarterback for the football team and catcher in baseball. This year he was president of the Student Council, National Honor Society and Future Teachers of America . He was also vice president of the senior class. White has received numerous academic class awards--the Kodak-Eastman Leadership Award, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, the Scholar-Athlete Award, The George Washington Carver Award, The DAR Good Citizenship Award and the Missouri College Preparatory Certificate. For two summers White volunteered a the Shelby County Opportunity Camp for underprivileged minorities in the Memphis area as camp counselor, being named Counselor of the Year in 2004. He also attended Missouri Boy's State the summer of 2004.

White is the grandson of Mary Margaret Turnage and the late Oscar Turnage of Kennett and Linda White and the late Ralph White of the Stanley community.

This year over 12,000 young men and women applied to the Naval Academy. This number was cut to approximately 8,000 because of disqualifications, medically or academically. Four thousand of the 8,000 would receive nominations from congressmen, senators or the vice president from 50 states and 19 foreign countries. The academy then chooses 1,200 out of the 4,000 to receive appointments through a battery of criteria and interviews.

The Princeton Review ranked the Naval Academy as No. 5 for the toughest to be accepted to and No. 8 for best overall undergraduate academic experience. The 2004 edition of the U.S. News and World Report's "America's Best Colleges" ranks the engineering program at the Naval Academy fourth in the nation. At the United States Naval Academy, the students are challenged morally, mentally and physically like never before in their lives. Students go to the academy because they yearn for a challenge and want to be part of something larger than themselves. The Naval Academy is the undergraduate college of the Navy and Marine Corps. It is a four-year honor, integrity and leadership laboratory that uses a total-immersion program to blend academics, professional training, leadership experience, physical education, competitive sports and extracurricular activities. Upon graduations from USNA, a midshipman receives a commission as an ensign in the United States navy or as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, along with a bachelor of science degree in one of 19 different academic majors.