Camden Military Academy

Last updated
Camden Military Academy
Camden Military Academy logo.png
Address
Camden Military Academy
520 Hwy 1 North

29020

United States
Coordinates 34°16′44″N80°33′46″W / 34.27889°N 80.56278°W / 34.27889; -80.56278 Coordinates: 34°16′44″N80°33′46″W / 34.27889°N 80.56278°W / 34.27889; -80.56278
Information
Founded1958(65 years ago) (1958)
Headmaster Eric Boland
CommandantLTC Brad Lawing USA, ret.
Grades7–Post-grad
Enrollment300
Color(s)Camden blue and white   
Historical colors
MascotSpartans
YearbookExcalibur
Website www.camdenmilitary.com

Camden Military Academy (CMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in Camden, South Carolina, United States. The State of South Carolina has recognized the institution as the official state military academy of South Carolina. [1] Camden Military Academy accepts male students in grades 7 through 12, also offering a post-graduate year.

Contents

Academy overview

Chapel and administrative building in 2007 Admin and Chapel Camden Military Academy Camden South Carolina.JPG
Chapel and administrative building in 2007

As of the 2022–2023 school year, Camden Military Academy has an enrollment of approximately 270 students. [2] All students are part of the Corps of Cadets, participate in JROTC, and live on campus.[ citation needed ] 34% of cadets are students of color [2] and 7% are also international students.[ citation needed ] The teacher-student ratio is 1:12. Classes taught at Camden are accredited by Cognia (formerly SACS). Dual-credit college courses accredited to University of South Carolina Lancaster are also offered to juniors and seniors.[ citation needed ]

Many varsity athletics are offered to cadets, such as football, cross country, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, wrestling, and track. The academy's mascot is the Camden Spartan. Other extracurricular activities that are popular are Boy Scouts of America, Civil Air Patrol, and the Blackjacks drill team. Certain cadets are also selected to take part in Junior Leadership, a group of student leaders selected by teachers in each Kershaw County high school.[ citation needed ]

History

Colonel James F. Risher, President of Carlisle Military School and Camden Military Academy Risher.png
Colonel James F. Risher, President of Carlisle Military School and Camden Military Academy

Camden Military Academy traces back its tradition from three institutions: Carlisle Military School (1892–1977), Camden Academy (1950–1957), and the present-day Camden Military Academy. The current campus was also formerly occupied by the Southern Aviation School (1940–1944).

Carlisle Military School was founded in 1892 in the city of Bamberg, South Carolina as the Carlisle Fitting School of Wofford College. In 1932, Colonel James F. Risher took over the school and continued to run it as an all-male military boarding school. In 1958, his son Colonel William Risher became Headmaster at Carlisle. The school operated until 1977, closing not too long after James F. Risher's death in 1973. [3]

Cadets conduct a parade in 2018. Camden Military Academy BC and Color Guard, Graduation 2018.png
Cadets conduct a parade in 2018.

The Southern Aviation School was founded in 1940 by Woodward Field (Camden airport) to train pilots during World War II. The academy built many classrooms and barracks to house American and British pilots. Over 6,000 pilots graduated from the academy. After the academy closed in 1944, German prisoners of war were briefly kept in the barracks. The campus and airfield were then left nearly abandoned with many warplanes left behind until 1950. Some buildings built for the Southern Aviation School have been refurbished and are still in use today. [4] [5]

Camden Academy was founded in 1950 by the citizens of Camden as an all-male military boarding school built on the former campus of the Southern Aviation School. The school lasted until 1957. [3] In 1958, Colonel James F. Risher, the president of Carlisle Military School, purchased Camden Academy in 1958, and the name was changed to Camden Military Academy. His son Lanning P. Risher was the school's first headmaster and served in the position for 36 years, while his other son William Risher was put in charge of Carlisle. In 1974, Lanning Risher led Camden Military Academy through a reorganization as a non-profit, tax-exempt institution. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemper Military School</span> Military, private school in Boonville, Missouri, United States

Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Founded in 1844, Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington School, Somerset</span> Public school in Somerset, England

Wellington School is a co-educational independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for pupils aged 3–18 located in Wellington, Somerset, England. Wellington School was founded in 1837.

An academic honor code or honor system in the United States is a set of rules or ethical principles governing an academic community based on ideals that define what constitutes honorable behaviour within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the notion that people can be trusted to act honorably. Those who are in violation of the honor code can be subject to various sanctions, including expulsion from the institution. or in other words, honor code is like a pledge taken by students to the effect that they will uphold academic integrity and ethical behavior and will not engage in any kind of cheating, stealing, and misrepresentation. One of the first such codes was created at the College of William & Mary in the early 18th Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Ridge Military Academy</span> Historic school building in North Carolina, United States

Oak Ridge Military Academy (ORMA) is a college-preparatory military school in northwestern Guilford County, North Carolina. The school is the third oldest military academy in the United States and the first military boarding school to admit girls. The academy is located in the town of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps</span> Commissioning source for US Air Force and Space Force officers

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). A subordinate command of the Air University within the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AFROTC is aligned under the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Citadel</span> U.S. military college in Charleston, South Carolina

The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, commonly known simply as The Citadel, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. Established in 1842, it is one of six senior military colleges in the United States. It has 18 academic departments divided into five schools offering 31 majors and 57 minors. The military program is made up of cadets pursuing bachelor's degrees who live on campus. The non-military programs offer 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, as well as evening and online programs with seven online graduate degrees, three online undergraduate degrees, and three certificate programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TMI Episcopal</span> Private independent school in San Antonio, Texas, United States

TMI Episcopal is a private school in San Antonio. Previously known as Texas Military Institute, TMI is a selective coeducational Episcopal college preparatory school with a military tradition in San Antonio, Texas for boarding and day students. It is the flagship school, and sole secondary school, of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. TMI is the oldest Episcopal college preparatory school in the American Southwest. Founded as West Texas School for Boys, the school was later known as West Texas Military Academy, and popularly nicknamed 'West Point on the Rio Grande', though it is several hours from the Rio Grande itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley Forge Military Academy and College</span> Private boarding school in the United States

Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in tradition and form, the high school portion of VFMAC, Valley Forge Military Academy, is a college-preparatory boarding institution specializing in student leadership. VFMAC's administration is composed almost entirely of current or retired military and the board of trustees is almost entirely alumni. Some graduates pursue careers in the armed services and VFMAC has graduated one Rhodes Scholarship recipient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church Grammar School</span> School in Australia

Christ Church Grammar School is a multi-campus independent Anglican single-sex early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys. Located in Perth, Western Australia, the school's main campus overlooks Freshwater Bay on the Swan River, in the suburb of Claremont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staunton Military Academy</span> School

Staunton Military Academy was a private all-male military school located in Staunton, Virginia. Founded in 1884, the academy closed in 1976. The school was highly regarded for its academic and military programs, and many notable American political and military leaders are graduates, including Sen. Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican presidential candidate, and his son, Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr., 1960's folk singer Phil Ochs, and John Dean, a White House Counsel who was a central figure in the Watergate scandal of the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hargrave Military Academy</span> School in Chatham, Virginia, United States

Hargrave Military Academy (HMA) is a private, all-male, military boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia. Hargrave is 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 for grade 7 through post-graduate (PG). Hargrave was named a National School of Character in 2016. Hargrave is accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and nationally by AdvancEd, and is a member of the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States and the National Association of Independent Schools. The school's campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri Military Academy</span> Private preparatory school in Mexico, Missouri, United States

The Missouri Military Academy (MMA) is a private preparatory school established on November 22, 1889, in Mexico, Missouri. The academy is a selective, all male, boarding school, grades 7 to 12. As a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) Honor Unit With Distinction, it has the privilege of nominating cadets to the U.S. Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, and Coast Guard Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States</span>

The Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the United States (AMCSUS) is a nonprofit service organization of schools with military programs approved by the Department of Defense and which maintain good standing in their regional accrediting organizations. The purpose, as put forth in the AMCSUS Constitution, is "to promote the common interest of all members and to advance their welfare; promote and maintain high scholastic, military and ethical standards in member schools; represent the mutual interests of the member schools before the Department of Defense as well as the general public; foster and extend patriotism and respect for duly constituted authority; and cultivate citizens who love peace and who strive to maintain it."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodward Field (airport)</span> Airport in near Camden, South Carolina

Woodward Field is a county-owned public-use airport located 3 nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Camden, a city in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. It is also known as the Kershaw County Airport. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Military Academy</span> American College-preparatory school

Western Military Academy was a private military preparatory school located in Alton, Illinois, United States. It operated from 1879 to 1971. The campus is part of the National Register of Historic Places District (ID.78001167). The school motto was Mens Sana in Corpore Sano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlisle Military School</span> School in Bamberg, South Carolina, United States

Carlisle Military School was established in 1892 at Bamberg, South Carolina, as The Carlisle Fitting School of Wofford College and closed in 1977. This school was named in honor of Dr. James H. Carlisle, who was the president of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina (1875–1902) and one of the most preeminent educators in the history of South Carolina. Dr. Carlisle stated that "The student ought to be educated not simply or chiefly because he intends to become a farmer, lawyer, or statesman, but because he is a human being - with inlets of joy, with possibilities of effort and action that no trade or calling can satisfy or exhaust".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of The Citadel</span>

The History of The Citadel began in the early 1820s with the formation of a militia and state arsenal in response to an alleged slave revolt in 1822. By 1842 the arsenal grew into an academy, with the Legislature establishing it as the South Carolina Military Academy. Cadets played a key role in the Civil War, by firing upon a federal ship three months before the war began. Many Confederate officers attended the school. Renamed in 1910 as The Citadel, the school's academic reputation grew. After moving the campus near Hampton Park in 1922, the college has grown substantially. Sixteen years after legal segregation ended in public schools, the Citadel saw the graduation of its first Black student, Charles D. Foster. After an equally rocky journey forward, the Citadel graduated its first female Cadet in 1999. The school has produced many military officers, business, and political leaders throughout its history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Texas at Arlington (1895–1917)</span>

The history of the University of Texas at Arlington began with the foundation of Arlington College in 1895, which was the first of a series of private schools to exist on the site of the present university. It consisted of first through tenth grades and enrolled between 75 and 150 students on a campus that consisted initially of only a two-story schoolhouse. It was created largely due to the underfunded and generally inadequate public schools in the city. Arlington College closed in July 1902, after Arlington voters passed a proposition to create an independent school district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willie H. Fuller</span> American soldier in the Tuskegee Airmen

Willie Howell Fuller was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot, and combat flight instructor with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". He was the first black flight instructor for the single engine planes at Tuskegee. He was the only black flight instructor until December 1944. He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots. He flew 76 combat missions.

References

  1. "Museums & Honored Sites". South Carolina Legislature Online Website. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Search for Private Schools - School Detail for CAMDEN MILITARY ACADEMY". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  3. 1 2 3 "History of the Military School". Camden Military Academy. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. Gilbert S. Guinn (10 August 2016). "Southern Aviation School". University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. John Puhl. "Training Our Pilots". The National WWII Museum. Retrieved 14 November 2017.