SOMETHING TO CHEER EVERY YEAR!

Each year hundreds of brand new officers graduate from the Air Force Academy.  The fact that the AFA is right here in our back yard is a real source of pride for Southern Colorado.  This should be too.  These young men and women who are about to serve all of us in the United States Air Force are the cream of the crop. 

Each year the Academy's Public Affairs Office sends out facts and figures about the graduating cadets.  It's a lot of very interesting information, and we tend to pick up and use bits and pieces of it in various stories on 11 News.   Ever heard the term TMI?..too much information.  But in this case it's a good thing!   We can't put it all on TV, but there's no time limit for "The Written Ward"

So with a tip of the hat, or a toss of the hat to all the Academy Cadets....here is Air Force Academy News Release # 115G, dated May 24th, 2010.

STATS FOR THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY’S CLASS OF 2010

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The following statistics are for the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Class of 2010, current as of May 24, 2010:

When They Entered on 29 June 2006:

 1,720 were offered appointments

 1,334 were processed into the Academy

                80.0% or 1065 males                                                                       Number of Scouts:  316

                20.0% or 269 females                                                                     Boy Scouts:  105

                24.0% or 321 minorities                                                                 Girl Scouts:  31

                47.2% or 630 pilot qualified                                                          Gold Award:  5

                19 International students                                                             Eagle Scouts:  175           

High School: 

Average GPA:  3.84

Average SAT scores: 620 Verbal, 652 Math

Average ACT scores: 28.3 English, 29.4 Reading, 29.1 Math, 28.5 Science

As They Graduate on 26 May 2010 (as of  24 May 2010):

Graduating: 1001 will walk across the stage

                Men: 814 (81.3%)    Women: 187 (18.7%)

                Minorities: 240 (23.9%) 45 African American, 76 Hispanic, 93 Asian-Pacific Islander, 26 Native

                                                American

International Students:  15  (one each from Colombia, Algeria, Guatemala, Thailand, Taiwan, Trinidad, Korea, Romania, Tunisia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Bolivia, Singapore, Kenya, Belize):  Total international grads for all years: 281.

Average Cumulative GPA:  2.94                                                  

Adjusted Attrition Rate:  341 or 26.1%                 

Sets of Twins:  2

Fourth-Child Graduates:  1

Third-Child Graduates: 1

Second-Child Graduates (other than twins): 45

Second Generation Graduates:  60

A very impressive class of cadets who all just did a very impressive thing - they finished their top-notch education at The Air Force Academy. Thanks very much to the Public Affairs Office at the Air Force Academy for always getting us good information.

Congratulations to the class of 2010 for what you've already done, and thanks in advance for what you're about to do - for all of us - as officers in the U.S. Air Force!

Enjoy your day on Wednesday and the celebrations that follow...you've earned it!

We'll talk again soon.

Don Ward