Stoddard To Attend United States Naval Academy’s Summer Leadership Seminar

BILOXI, Miss. – St. Patrick Catholic High School junior, Clayton Stoddard has been selected to the 2019 United States Naval Academy Summer Leadership Seminar. The honor of attending the Summer Leadership Seminar is only given to 850 high school rising juniors and seniors across the United States.

Stoddard has been hoping for a position in this seminar since he first heard about the leadership seminar when he was in the eighth grade. Getting the news that he had been accepted has been a long time coming.

“Since then, I’ve considered this my first opportunity to get my foot in the door for an opportunity to attend the United States Naval Academy,” said Stoddard.

Stoddard is eager to meet new people and take in all this opportunity has to offer. Principal Dr. Matt Buckley echoed that sentiment saying, “On behalf of the administration, faculty, and staff of St. Patrick Catholic High School, I am extremely proud of Clayton for being selected during the first round to attend the United States Naval Academy’s Summer Leadership Seminar. This is a great opportunity for Clayton, and I look forward to hearing more about the experience this fall and seeing what ideas and skills he learns and brings back to his peers at St. Patrick.”

“I believe meeting new people similar to me in academics and dreams for the future will be very beneficial in creating relationships and opportunities for my future,” said Stoddard.

The seminar introduces students who wish to attend undergrad at the Naval Academy to the school life and to get a glimpse of the academic, athletic, and professional training it provides. In 2017, Forbes named the Naval Academy the top ranked public college in the United States. Stoddard’s selection as a seminar participant serves as the preliminary application to the Naval Academy.

Seminar attendees will be participating in workshops which include the following topics:

Information Technology
Naval Architecture
Mechanical Engineering
Ocean Engineering
Aerospace Flight Testing
Systems Engineering
Microcomputer Design
Seamanship and Navigation
Yard Patrol Craft (YP) Cruise
Ethics and Character Development
Oceanography
Mathematics
History
Meteorology
Literature
Chemistry
Political Science
Language Studies
Martial Arts
Economics
​
“I’m absolutely the most excited about being able to spend time on campus and take some courses to prepare myself not only for the academy but for college wherever I may end up,” said Stoddard.

St. Patrick Catholic High School is a faith-based, college preparatory high school in Biloxi, Mississippi. Established in 2007, St. Patrick is the premier secondary educational institution in South Mississippi and strives each day to Educate Scholars, Train Disciples, and Support Champions. St. Patrick is proud to report a 100% college matriculation rate, ACT and SAT scores that far exceed the state and national averages, and a rich history of Catholic education founded in the traditional roots of our legacy schools of St. John High School, Mercy Cross High School, Notre Dame High School, and Sacred Heart Academy.