Christ the King seniors Abigail Marks, 17, and Jeffery Sithong, 17, shown in a recent picture taken at the school, will join fellow 2022 graduate Maria Reyes as “plebes” in the Class of 2027 at West Point in June. (Photos provided by Christ the King High School and by the Army National Guard) HUNTERSVILLE — Two Christ the King High School seniors and one recent graduate are on their way to West Point – a rare achievement, especially for a school with a senior class of 83.
Seniors Abigail Marks of Huntersville and Jeffrey Sithong of Salisbury won appointments to the U.S. Military Academy from North Carolina’s congressional representatives.
Mooresville’s Maria Reyes, class of 2022, will join them in the freshman or “plebe” class this fall, after spending the past year in ROTC at East Carolina University and in the National Guard.
“What a wonderful achievement for these students, who have distinguished themselves and will go on to serve our country,” said Christ the King’s Principal Carl Semmler. “It’s also a testament to the great education and character we are building here, in partnership with our families, with our faith always at center of what we do.”
Even West Point public information specialist Frank DeMaro noted the unusual achievement for a school the size of Christ the King to send three students to join the “Long Gray Line.” The phrase is used to describe the generations of graduates and cadets of the U.S. Military Academy, in a nod to their gray wool uniforms.
The three Christ the King students will join as many as 1,300 in their Corps of Cadets class, DeMaro said.
Students will bid their parents goodbye and report to campus June 26 to begin their “transformation” from civilian to military life. They’ll be sworn in, issued uniforms and supplies, get a haircut, learn to salute and march, and start physical training.
New cadets go through six weeks of what’s called “Beast Barracks,” a summer program that tests the limits of their physical, emotional and mental capacities. It culminates with a 12-mile march. Classes start the next day.
“I thought about (going to West Point) my sophomore and junior year,” Marks said. “I fully decided that that’s where I wanted to be after attending their summer leadership experience.”
The appeal, she said, was “just the environment and how everyone was pushing you to become better, and how everyone was helping each other out and just being a part of something bigger than myself.”
West Point overlooks the scenic Hudson River about 50 miles north of New York City and is renowned for its historic significance during the American Revolution. Marks and Reyes said it’s almost like a castle, with its classical architecture.
The education is tuition-free, and graduates are commissioned as officers in the U.S. Army, obligated to serve five years on active duty and three years in the U.S. Army Reserve.
“Considering it’s going to be my life for the next 12 years … you really gotta want it if you’re going in,” Marks said.
Her Catholic education at Christ the King, she said, provided a foundation. “I think the teachers here are very supportive. It’s like everyone at the school is pushing for your success.”
Family tradition
Sithong’s great-grandfather attended West Point. Two years ago, Sithong visited the college for a “ring” ceremony. His grandmother donated his great-grandfather’s class ring back to West Point, to be melted down to make new class rings.
After the visit, his mother asked if he might like to attend.
“I was just like, ‘Wow, I could really go here?’” he said. “Because it seems like an awesome place.”
He thought hard about the big career commitment. “There can also be a lot of benefits from that,” he said. “And I think the pros are a lot better than the cons.”
He remembers that moment when he returned home and his mother was holding mail from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.
“It was really awesome when I got that letter,” he said.
Gaining confidence
“Ria” Reyes also has a family legacy at West Point – on both sides of her family tree. She’s been visiting the campus her whole life.
Her father, Matt, was in the Class of ’89. Her mother, Catherine, was in the Class of ’90. They met at West Point and later married there.
When it came time to pick a college, Reyes wasn’t certain.
“I did consider West Point, but I wasn’t really confident in my ability to actually complete the program. I didn’t think I could do it.”
So she studied for a year at East Carolina.
Her experience with ROTC and the Guard while attending ECU convinced her she has what it takes to be a cadet.
Having gone through basic training and advanced training (in field artillery support) for the Guard, she’s got a leg up on her classmates in physical fitness and military protocol.
At the same time, she will start from scratch at West Point.
“It’s a little weird, because I will be one of the older people in my class,” she said. “I know I didn’t start my West Point journey at the same time.”
But she is more confident now.
Her father is proud of his daughter’s decision.
When his wife attended, about 10 percent of West Point cadets were women. That percentage has grown to 30 percent, but his daughter will still be in the minority.
“I wish it could be more like 50-50,” Reyes said. “But in basic training, the amount of females there was like 25 percent. … So I’m used to it.”
“I just gotta keep my head up, perform well,” she said. “I know my worth.”
— Stephen Guilfoyle
Abigail Marks
Age: 17
Parents: Paula and Doug Marks
Parish: St. Mark Church, Huntersville
Favorite subjects: Anything to do with math or science
Major: Undecided
Extracurricular: Cheerleading and track (shot put and discus)
Nomination: U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and U.S. Rep. Alma Adams
Family connection: Great-grandfather, U.S. Navy
Jeffrey Sithong
Age: 17
Parents: Alec and Carolyn Sithong
Parish: Sacred Heart
Favorite subject: Math
Major: Engineering
Extracurricular: Football (wide receiver) and basketball (forward)
Nomination: U.S. Sen. Ted Budd
Family connection: Great-grandfather, Class of 1953, West Point. Older brother Jacob, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Maria ‘Ria’ Reyes
Maria ‘Ria’ ReyesAge: 18
Parents: Matt and Catherine Reyes
Parish: St. Therese in Mooresville; Catholic Campus Ministry at East Carolina University
Favorite subjects: Music (trumpet); psychology and science
Major: At ECU, entrepreneurship; at West Point, psychology
Nomination: Capt. Tan Nguyen, commander basic training unit, and recommendation from U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis
Family connection: Mother and father, older brother Matt all graduated from West Point. Brother a serving captain currently attending U.S. Army Ranger School.