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206 cadet candidates graduate USAFA Prep School

U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs / Published May 18, 2018

Prep School
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Cadet candidates march during the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School Graduation Parade at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 16, 2018. The school prepares a diverse group of cadet candidates through academics, military training and character development to succeed and lead at the Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)

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Cadet candidates salute during the playing of the National Anthem as part of the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School Graduation Parade at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., May 16, 2018. The school prepares a diverse group of cadet candidates through academics, military training and character development to succeed and lead at the Academy. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee)

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Graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School pose for a photo at the U.S. Air Force Academy May 17, 2018, before the Prep School's graduation ceremony in Arnold Hall. In all, 206 young men and women graduated. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Holden Faul)

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --

Families, friends and faculty celebrated the graduation of 206 Air Force Academy Prep School cadet candidates May 17.

“It’s our highest graduation rate in 15 years,” said Prep school commander Col. Jaqueline Breeden during the graduation ceremony in Arnold Hall.

Two-hundred-thirty-seven cadet candidates were admitted into the Prep School. Of the graduates, 195 received appointments to the Academy and are scheduled to report for Basic Cadet Training in June. The other graduates will pursue other educational paths.

Successful completion of the Prep School’s 10-month curriculum often but not always results in an appointment to the Academy. The Prep School commander provides recommendations on who should receive an appointment to the Academy Board, the final appointment authority.

Shawn Campbell of Michigan was at the ceremony in Arnold Hall to watch his son, Kris Campbell, graduate.

“I just think this is a great program for anyone coming out of high school,” Shawn Campbell said. “Where else can you get a 10 month rehearsal for success?”

Cadet 1st Class Christopher Hartman, a 2014 Prep School graduate, was the event’s featured speaker.

“The secret to success? It’s the people to the left and to the right of you right now,” he said to the graduates. “I owe an enormous amount of my success to my classmates and you will too.”

Hartman is scheduled to graduate and receive his commission as a second lieutenant May 23.