April 19th, 2018 - by Martha McCann, Michael '13 Sponsor: 2019 Parents Photos

 

Over the eleven years  Cookie Cafe has existed, we have been asked by the Administration, from time to time, to highlight certain efforts of  the Academy. Yesterday, at the request of Andrew Baransky, KP'14, who is working at the Academy with Kings Point's Coordinator - Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, Cookie Cafe helped reinforce the themes of respect and prevention of sexual assault.  Andrew is working hard to raise awareness of appropriate behavior not only with the Regiment while the mids are at the Academy, but also to have the students take these lessons with them when they enter the work force upon graduation and hopefully become agents of change in the industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, the SAPR program's color of teal was visible on cakes, cupcakes and in the decorations that festooned Land Hall. Andrew, with the help of his mom Nancy, even baked for this Cookie Cafe. His earnest efforts to make Kings Point a safer place for all midshipmen are admirable and the Cookie Cafe moms were happy to support this important Program.

Thank you to the Class of 2019 moms who presented lovely home baked goods and provided the funds for an extensive array of fruit. With this kind of financial backing, we have been able to purchase a great variety of fruit such as pineapple, berries, apples, bananas, grapes, several kinds of citrus fruits and pears. The Regiment's enthusiasm for the fruit has been incredible.

Over the past year we have alluded to the fact that there has been a significant reduction in the admission of New York students to the Academy. While for many years it would not be uncommon for 40 cadets to be admitted each year from the New York area, especially Long Island, in the past 4 years only about 10 midshipmen per year have been New Yorkers. As a result, Cookie Cafe has been operating with fewer and fewer local moms on a weekly basis as our pool shrinks. We have been blessed with aid from out-of-town parents, but their participation isn't always present every week. As a result, instead of 27 or 28 Cookie Cafes each school year, we will probably cut back to an every-other-week schedule next year. We are unhappy that this is happening, but with several moms graduating or having already graduated we have to be mindful of over working our volunteers. We have requested that the Academy serve more fruit at lunch in Delano (now fruit is primarily served at breakfast, which many mids skip in an attempt to gain a few more minutes of sleep), perhaps mitigating some of the effects of not holding CC each week. We are also hoping that a Social Director will be hired by next year, providing the students with other extracurricular cultural and social opportunities, thereby reducing the mids reliance on Cookie Cafe for a relaxing outlet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, we are most grateful for all the parental support we receive. Through Cookie Cafe, we have met an extraordinary group of moms, dads, aunts, uncles and grandparents who have traveled from all over the United States to help us.  Their generosity towards the Regiment would heartened anyone who cares to come to CC in the goodness of  people, leaving little doubt why the mids are such wonderful young adults. We have also recently added an enthusiastic volunteer addition to our CC crew - Julie, wife of the new USMMA Music Director. Both of them seem to be very supportive of the Regiment and it is obvious that they are a great addition to the Kings Point family.

One more thought - long time Cookie Cafe volunteer Stephanie Germanakos' daughter Adrienne is married to Josh McCormick KP '14. Both are serving in the United States Army with Adrienne serving as an Army nurse after graduating the University of Maine.  Last year we sent Josh and Adrienne cookies from Cookie Cafe, mostly the Girl Scout cookies donated to us by the Long Island Girl Scout organization. Josh's unit and Adrienne's nurse friends were thrilled to receive these goodies and we have been remiss in failing to relay their lovely "thank you" to the Kings Point family for remembering them. Adrienne's brother Luke is at Kings Point now and her sister Hope is entering the Academy this summer as a plebe. We at Cookie Cafe are always touched by the lovely young people whose paths cross ours. Stephanie has had to cut back in volunteering with us and we hope to see her again soon. We are most grateful for her faithful attendance at CC.

Back to Stories Page