From a dad in Los Angeles:

My daughter recently turned 16. She got her driver’s license on her birthday. This Fall, she will be a junior in high school. [She] decided two years ago to join the Navy Junior ROTC unit at the high school. Says she wants to fly as a Blue Angel pilot one day. Summer school has been cancelled for LA Unified School District, so her 2010 Summer schedule includes a 4-day NJROTC sailing academy, 6-day NJROTC leadership academy (returning today, July 3), 5-day NJROTC staff training, and 7 days …. for NJROTC math & engineering program. None of this counts toward graduation credit. At the sail academy in Coronado, California, they had three groups of 40 kids come through for four days each. None of the kids had any previous sailing experience, but by camps’ end, they were able to fully crew 27-ft boats by themselves. When awards were handed out following the final 2.5 hour regata, only the winning teams were given awards. [My daughter] was close, but came home with only a participation pin and a glorious experience. [She] sets her own schedule, gets decent grades (not straight A’s, but decent), and already at 16 doesn’t suffer fools. [My daughter] is a great kid – and she is one of many.