The 96th Corps of Cadets has returned to Valley Forge Military Academy & College to begin the new academic year.

The new VFMAC plebe class arrived earlier to begin preliminary training. The Corps of Cadets represents 15 states and five countries, including China, Kuwait, Mongolia, Russia, and Mexico.

 “The traditions of VFMAC remain in place and have proven instrumental in developing our Cadets,” said Col Stuart B. Helgeson, USMCR (Ret), president of VFMAC. “In addition to these traditions, we have adjusted to embrace essential elements of education so crucial to academic success.”

All Valley Forge cadets experience state-of-the-art science labs, STEM classes, regional experiential learning, international education opportunities, and a presence in the greater Philadelphia community.

 Plebes, new students, arrive one week in advance of returning Cadets. During the plebe period, they learn to think beyond themselves and function as a unit. They undergo a rigorous training program, developing physical and mental competence during the first several weeks of the academic year.

They become full-fledged Cadets after completing the Crucible, a test of what they have learned during the plebe system.

The Five Cornerstones are applied consistently throughout the entire academic year and help strengthen each plebe into Valley Forge cadets. The Five Cornerstones are Academic Excellence, Character Development, Personal Motivation, Physical Development, and Leadership.

 “By design, our classes are smaller,” said Lauren Wochok, dean of VFMA. “This enables our teachers to be deeply engaged in the individual learning progress of each Cadet. Students who arrive here as C students soon find they are achieving As and Bs.”

 VFMC plebes who are part of the Early Commissioning Program spend part of the summer at a US Army basic camp for initial training to commission in two years as an Army officer. Those plebes in the non-military Citizen Leader program arrive on campus and undergo the military-style plebe system, preparing them to be part of the 96th Corps of Cadets.

 “VFMC plebes and Cadets will earn their AA or AS degrees in any one of 10 degree programs,” said Robert F. Smith, Ph.D., M.Ed., provost of VFMC. “This incoming college class has seven graduates of VFMA – four in the ECP and three Citizen Leaders.”

 Established in 1928, Valley Forge Military Academy and College is an international leadership institution comprising middle school, high school, and junior college. VFMA is a private independent boarding school for boys in grades 7-12. VFMC has been designated by the governor of Pennsylvania and the legislature as the Military College of Pennsylvania.