Naval Academy Student Credits Charter School Rigor for Helping her Succeed

Above, Artemisia Saparoff speaks with Arnav Garg, a current Charter School grade eight student.

Franklin’s Artemisia Saparoff was home for the holidays, and while in Franklin visited with students at Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School -- the school she attended in grades 6-8 -- on Monday, Nov. 25. We got a chance to “chat” via email over the Thanksgiving period.

Observer: How did you end up at the Naval Academy, I think you mentioned that you got the idea from your father?

Artemisia: My dad did not have any naval connection, but his father was in the Army Reserve and his grand uncle served in the Army during World War II. His father had mentioned Annapolis to my dad a few times, and that's how my dad originally learned about the United States Naval Academy. While growing up, he considered the Air Force Academy but did not apply due to his poor eyesight. As such, I considered applying to the Air Force Academy too, but only ended up applying to Annapolis in the end.

Observer: Aside from requiring a formal nomination, it is also pretty selective. Do you know how many people you were competing with from within the state?

Artemisia: I am not sure how many applicants I competed with within Massachusetts.

Observer: And, who nominated you?

Artemisia: Congressman Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts District 4 nominated me for an appointment to USNA. He and his office were very helpful and I am grateful for their support.

Observer: Tell me about your Charter School experience...

Artemisia: I attended Charter for grades 6-8, and it was a blast! I worked hard and learned so much. I was also attending the Russian School of Mathematics (RSM) in Franklin at the same time. Of course I enjoyed my math and science classes, but Charter especially opened up my eyes to studying language and what it means to have good character, fundamentally being honest with both yourself and others. I quickly built a strong bond with my Charter classmates that still lives today. Some highlights were our trips to Quebec and Washington D.C., French and Latin classes, and participating in the Student Council as well as the school play.

Observer: What happened after Charter?

Artemisia: The rigor of Charter was definitely a fantastic preparation for Franklin High School. In fact, I found that some high school classes were actually less intensive than my middle school courses. As such, when I began taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses (such as AP U.S. History), I knew the right steps to take to achieve top grades. This is not only true for myself, but other Charter graduates from my class who moved on to Franklin High School as well—several of us graduated in the high school's top 5%!

Observer: That’s impressive that you have developed strengths in math as well as languages.

Artemisia: A unique capability that Charter provided me is with language. I continued studying both French and Latin out of Charter. I jumped into French III freshman year, finishing AP French my junior year, and AP Latin my senior year. Studying language provided a nice break from all the core courses, while giving me a useful skill for the future.

Observer: Wow, so what are your focusing on at the Naval Academy?

Artemisia: I'm pursuing a major in Quantitative Economics and a minor in Mandarin at the Academy.

Observer: That’s terrific, best of luck back at school!

Artemisia: Thanks!