Massanutten Military Academy
Encyclopedia
Massanutten Military Academy (MMA) is a coeducation
al college preparatory school
for grades 7 through 12 and one postgraduate year, located in Woodstock
, Virginia, United States
.
, was established by the Virginia Classis of the Reformed Church
in 1899. The school opened on 12 September 1899 with 56 students, half of which were boarders. From the beginning the school was coed With the first graduating class in 1902 consisting of 3 boys and 3 girls. In 1905 the first of two significant events in the history of the school occurred: Howard J. Benchoff was appointed the school president. He stayed in that position for nearly 5 decades, to be succeeded for the next decade and a half by his son.
During the early years of his stewardship Benchoff established several polices. The first was expanding the school size to include number of students, staff, buildings, and acreage. The second, as a result of an otherwise undocumented "incident", was limiting the boarding department to boys beginning in 1910. The last policy, and the second significant event in the school's early history, was adopting a military program. While the program was not implemented until 1917, early in his tenure Benchoff described the goal of a military program as "to train the boys with a discipline that is valuable and give them that easy and graceful carriage which is an accomplishment in any gentleman's claim to culture" In 1930 after receiving an application and inspecting the existing program, the U.S. War Department formally made the school a JrROTC
unit "placing it on a par with the highest rated military schools in the country"
Academy Presidents / Headmasters / Superintendents / Head of Schools
‡ Acting or Interim
The current commandant is Lieutenant Colonel Lester A. Layman, USA (Ret.).
Average enrollment is around 175 students.
MMA is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
patterned after the one at West Point. "A cadet will act honorably at all times. A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate dishonesty by fellow cadets." The Cadet Honor Council consists of juniors and seniors selected by the senior class and the faculty, as approved by the Head of School. When a suspected honor code violation is reported, the Honor Council faculty advisers convene the Council for a hearing at which the cadets involved are required to explain thei conduct. The Honor Council recommends punishment and/or other measures appropriate to educate the Cadet Corps about the expectations of honorable behavior. Final approval lies with the Head of School. Continued, repeated violations of the Honor Code may warrant dismissal from the Academy.
(JROTC) is consistently recognized as an Honor Unit with Distinction.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al college preparatory school
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for grades 7 through 12 and one postgraduate year, located in Woodstock
Woodstock, Virginia
Woodstock is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States. It has a population of 5,097 according to the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Shenandoah County....
, Virginia, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Mission
The Academy's self professed mission statement is "to provide a structured learning environment that produces confident, capable, productive citizens who are prepared for leadership and service." Its motto is Non Nobis Solum, which means "not for ourselves alone." The Academy's founders established the school based on the principles of Courage, Purity, and Industry. The Academy's goal is to maintain an environment that is free of distractions which develops the academic and social abilities of all students to their fullest potential. Students are taught that learning is a lifelong process to be appreciated and enjoyed.History
The Massanutten Academy, named for the nearby mountainMassanutten Mountain
Massanutten Mountain is a synclinal ridge in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in the U.S. state of Virginia.-Geography:The mountain bisects the Shenandoah Valley just east of Strasburg in Shenandoah County in the north, to its highest peak east of Harrisonburg in Rockingham County in the...
, was established by the Virginia Classis of the Reformed Church
Evangelical and Reformed Church
The Evangelical and Reformed Church was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States with the Evangelical Synod of North America . After the 1934 merger, a minority within the RCUS seceded in order to...
in 1899. The school opened on 12 September 1899 with 56 students, half of which were boarders. From the beginning the school was coed With the first graduating class in 1902 consisting of 3 boys and 3 girls. In 1905 the first of two significant events in the history of the school occurred: Howard J. Benchoff was appointed the school president. He stayed in that position for nearly 5 decades, to be succeeded for the next decade and a half by his son.
During the early years of his stewardship Benchoff established several polices. The first was expanding the school size to include number of students, staff, buildings, and acreage. The second, as a result of an otherwise undocumented "incident", was limiting the boarding department to boys beginning in 1910. The last policy, and the second significant event in the school's early history, was adopting a military program. While the program was not implemented until 1917, early in his tenure Benchoff described the goal of a military program as "to train the boys with a discipline that is valuable and give them that easy and graceful carriage which is an accomplishment in any gentleman's claim to culture" In 1930 after receiving an application and inspecting the existing program, the U.S. War Department formally made the school a JrROTC
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
unit "placing it on a par with the highest rated military schools in the country"
Academy Presidents / Headmasters / Superintendents / Head of Schools
-
- 1899-1903 J. Silor Garrison
- 1903-1905 Robert Raymond Jones
- 1905-1952 Howard J. Benchoff
- 1952-1955 Robert J. Benchoff ‡
- 1955-1968 Robert J. Benchoff
- 1968-1969 Gordon Bowman Sr. ‡
- 1969-1974 Lloyd D. Graham
- 1974-1975 Gordon Bowman II ‡
-
- 1975-1991 W. Crawford Moon
- 1991-1993 Robert L. Oesterling
- 1993-1994 Robert Rossi
- 1994-2001 Jack Albert
- 2001-2008 Col. Roy F. Zinser
- 2008-2009 Thomas N. Connors ‡
- 2009-present Craig Jones
‡ Acting or Interim
Administration
Craig Jones is the current Head of School.The current commandant is Lieutenant Colonel Lester A. Layman, USA (Ret.).
Average enrollment is around 175 students.
MMA is fully accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Honor Code
As part of its mission to produce citizens who are prepared for leadership and service, the academy has a Cadet Honor CodeHonor code
An honour code or honour system is a set of rules or principles governing a community based on a set of rules or ideals that define what constitutes honorable behavior within that community. The use of an honor code depends on the idea that people can be trusted to act honorably...
patterned after the one at West Point. "A cadet will act honorably at all times. A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate dishonesty by fellow cadets." The Cadet Honor Council consists of juniors and seniors selected by the senior class and the faculty, as approved by the Head of School. When a suspected honor code violation is reported, the Honor Council faculty advisers convene the Council for a hearing at which the cadets involved are required to explain thei conduct. The Honor Council recommends punishment and/or other measures appropriate to educate the Cadet Corps about the expectations of honorable behavior. Final approval lies with the Head of School. Continued, repeated violations of the Honor Code may warrant dismissal from the Academy.
JROTC Program
Today, the military structure plays a crucial role in the education of every cadet by creating a stable environment that is conducive to learning. MMA’s Junior Reserve Officers' Training CorpsJunior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a Federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States...
(JROTC) is consistently recognized as an Honor Unit with Distinction.
Notable alumni
- Jack Ham, professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player; College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
and Pro Football Hall of FamePro Football Hall of FameThe Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees... - Admiral Alfred C. RichmondAlfred C. RichmondAlfred Carroll Richmond was a retired United States Coast Guard admiral who served as the 11th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1954 to 1962, the second longest tenure of any U.S. Coast Guard Commandant....
, Commandant United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
(1954–62) - Michael WarehimeMichael Warehime-References:...
, Chairman Snyder's of HanoverSnyder's of HanoverSnyder's of Hanover is a bakery and snack food distribution company based in Hanover, Pennsylvania, specializing in pretzels. Snyder's of Hanover is the #1 pretzel company in the United States , and also the global leader in pretzel sales. Snyder's of Hanover is the #2 salty snack foods company... - Sgt. James R McIlvaine '01, Killed in Action, Iraq, April 30, 2009