| academy embraces transition Florida Air's move to co-ed smooth; first girls will graduate in May
Melbourne -- At Florida Air Academy, one of only two military boarding schools in the state, students are trained in discipline and structure. They march in formation and wear uniforms each day. But they occasionally shed their fatigues to try electives in drama, pilates and yoga, thanks to the addition of the academy's first female cadets. Senior Sara Williamson said infiltrating the barriers of a school with nearly 400 boys and 45 years of military tradition was relatively simple. She is one of a handful of the first female cadets who enrolled in summer 2005. "The more I got into it, the more this turned into home," she said. "These boys are like my brothers." Ten girls will join Williamson in May as the first girls to graduate from FAA. School officials said the move to become co-ed was motivated by requests from parents who wanted children of different genders to attend the same school. Famous military institutions such as the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., have been co-ed for nearly 30 years. "Single-sex schools have their merits, but they are not contemporary," said Col. William Orris, director of admissions. "We felt it was time for us to get with the times." Eighty-five girls have joined the school of 480 sixth-through-12th graders, and President James Dwight said FAA would have 100 girls in January. The girls said life at the academy isn't about mascara or miniskirts but about bonding with classmates on a deeper level. When everyone is in uniform, they said, it's harder to form a clique and easier to be open-minded. "I can relate to people better here because we are all in the same position," said sophomore Jordan Davis, a former student of DeLaura Middle in Satellite Beach. "I can tell the guys things. They can be my friends, too." Williamson, whose parents pay nearly $26,000 a year for her education, including room and board, lives in FAA's Blatt Hall, where she supervises and guides many of the younger girls. The hall formerly housed the president's office but was converted to a dormitory when girls were added. Day students pay about $8,500 a year. The female cadets said they're pretty sure that boys have learned just as much as they have. The young men worked on hygiene and manners to impress their new classmates, many of the young cadets said. They've also improved studying habits to compete with their female counterparts. "The girls have brought the school up to another level," junior Nick Twyman said. "It makes the focus more on academics, and all in a good way." Excelling in activities Male cadets rushed to join pilates or other electives they thought might help them meet the ladies. But it was nearly all boys when they showed up to class, said Hunter Gaylor, a junior from Indian Harbor Beach whose little sister, Maddison, is in seventh grade at the academy. While the boys were stretching on yoga mats, the girls began to excel in activities that were once male-dominated. They've entered the school's famous flight program, gained access to the rocket club and are working on a stronghold in sports. Eighth-grader Jessica Maddox shocked the boys when she showed up for wrestling tryouts, she said. She's on the team now, wrestling girls and boys from other schools who are in her weight class. She also persuaded one of her girlfriends to join. "A lot of guys didn't believe I wrestled," she said. "They thought girls could not do it, but I taught them that I can." Some challenges But not all experiences are pleasant, some cadets said. Like other teenagers, girls and boys at the academy said they fight over members of the opposite sex, over territory or over possessions. Williamson said one roommate went so far as taping off her side of the room. "We're best friends now," she said. FAA officials also said going co-ed was easier than they thought. "This was the right move at the right time," President Dwight said. "Not to say that there aren't hiccups." "It takes a while to adjust," he said, adding that the school's goal is 50/50 ratio. Admissions director Orris said one male cadet switched schools because he like the structure and formality of a a single-sex program. "We are not in the business of making little soldiers," he said. "Structure does take place, but that is not our mantra. You may see a formation, but that is just a vehicle. "That's really not what it's about."
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