Milestone Announcements

MILITARY

Mark Schell, a former student of Timberlake High School and resident of Spirit Lake, is set to graduate from the United States Air Force Academy and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 26, 2021. The Air Force Academy is one of the nation's five federal service academies, which are among the most prestigious public institutions in the United States. Acceptance to a service academy requires the completion of a lengthy and thorough admissions process, including congressional nominations. Schell was nominated by Sen. Mike Crapo, Sen. James Risch, and former Congressman Raul Labrador to attend the Air Force Academy.

While at the Air Force Academy, Schell became an instructor pilot for the 94th Flying Training Squadron. In this role, he was one of the youngest instructor pilots in the United States Air Force and taught fellow cadets basic airmanship skills in unpowered glider aircraft. He was also selected to serve in key leadership positions. During the 2020 Fall Semester, he led 1,100 of the Air Force Academy's 4,400 cadets as the Group 2 Commander. Schell was consistently on merit lists, and will graduate the Academy in the top 200 of his class of 1,100. Recently, he was recognized by the History Department for being the top student in the discipline, maintaining a 3.97 major's GPA.

After graduating, Schell will attend graduate school at San Diego State University to study history and attain his master's degree. He was one of only 70 cadets to receive a fully-funded scholarship to continue their academic studies beyond the Air Force Academy, Schell was also selected to attend pilot training, and will begin training after completing his graduate degree.

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