Schools

Blue Hills Regional Alum to Graduate from U.S. Naval Academy

Canton native to become U.S. Marine Corps pilot.

Editor's note: This article was written byJudy Bass, the public relations director for Blue Hills.

When Ari Polivy looks back at the nearly four demanding years he has spent at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he states emphatically, “I wouldn’t have chosen any other path.”

When he graduates on May 29, 2012 as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, that path will take an exalted turn as he prepares for the next phase of his career – being a Marine Corps pilot.

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Polivy, 22, of Canton, was just as intensely focused and determined back when he was a student concentrating in Electronics l in Canton. It is a measure of this impressive young man’s character that he has succeeded in so many endeavors in both high school and at the Naval Academy.

Ranked in the top five percent of the Blue Hills Class of 2007, Polivy had a GPA of 3.6, was captain of the Blue Hills swim team, played varsity lacrosse, was a Math team member, served as the student representative to the Blue Hills District School Committee, and was the school’s National Honor Society Chapter Vice President. 

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He was on Student Council, competed in SkillsUSA in Robotics (SkillsUSA is a national organization for vocational students that fosters professionalism, good citizenship, workplace ability, and leadership), and served on the Greater Boston Regional Student Advisory Council.

After spending a year at Norwich University in Vermont following his Blue Hills graduation, Polivy entered the Naval Academy.  As he recently affirmed, he leads “an extremely demanding life” filled with extreme mental and physical rigors that would definitely test anyone’s mettle.

Even on a Saturday night, Polivy said, whether he is in uniform or not, his job is 24/7.  At all times, he is expected to conduct himself with the dignity befitting his position.  As he knows, “Most people can tell from 100 feet away that you are in the military.”

It is a humbling responsibility that Polivy takes on willingly and with immense pride. 

Polivy’s arduous daily schedule hints at the challenging nature of the life he leads.  He rises at 6 or 6:30 a.m., goes to class, grabs lunch, attends more classes, and has physical education five days a week to ensure that he stays in tip-top shape.  After dinner, he hits the books to study until midnight or later.  “Then I do it all over again the next day,” he said.

“I am getting one of the best educations in the country as well as military training at the same time,” Polivy explained.

In addition to his academics, Polivy also takes mandatory courses in subjects like leadership, ethical and moral decision-making, military law, and seamanship and navigation.  Skipping a class means “serious consequences and punishment,” he noted.

There have been numerous experiences that he’s had that are unique to the military.  “I’ve had more opportunities than any college student would have by the time they’re thirty,” Polivy said proudly.  For example, he has learned to shoot nearly every type of weapon, assisted in driving ships, spent thirty days on the glaciers of Alaska, and done a six-week electrical engineering internship this past summer at Draper Labs in Cambridge – and he is still only 22 years old.

Part of his education meant taking on a significant leadership role.  As a senior, Polivy is in charge of 160 other students – 40 of them freshmen – assigned to him. 

“I am their go-to person,” he said.  “If these freshmen don’t know something, I’m like their little Bible of knowledge.”

Ensuring the freshmen are meeting the standard of the Naval Academy in every aspect is the underlying idea behind his job. Evolutions of training he plans include physical training, professional knowledge, and a list of tasks that must be completed each week. Polivy stands ready for the task – and he clearly savors it.

“I love it,” he said with genuine zeal.  “It’s the greatest feeling in the world knowing I’m leaving a legacy in this place at the hands of 40 freshmen.”

He reflects on his own education at Blue Hills with sincere gratitude.  Polivy will graduate in the spring with a degree in Electrical Engineering, an achievement made possible by having such a solid foundation in the basics from his high school days.  He also expressed his appreciation to retired Electronics teacher George Driscoll, with whom he still keeps in touch.  Driscoll, who served in the Navy himself, took Polivy “under his wing,” and served as a valued mentor as well as an instructor.

Another of Polivy’s Blue Hills Electronics teachers, Manuel Cerqueira, said this: “Congratulations go to Ari Polivy for his appointment to become a Marine pilot! We knew he was headed for success. Ari was the top student in his Electronics class.  He loved projects that would challenge him beyond the regular curriculum.

“Ari was a key member on the Electrathon (electric car) team, and a driver at the NASCAR track in Loudon, N.H.  He brought Blue Hills to a respectable third place finish against national competitors.

We are proud and glad to see him continuing to build on this foundation of success. Congratulations Ari!  Can’t wait to see what’s next [for you]!” 

Actually, what’s next for Polivy will be every bit as grueling as the past four years have been, if not more so. 

During junior year, he said, students apply for the career they want to pursue.  Polivy, who picked Marine training, had to undergo physical evaluations, endurance tests, an aviation test, and have an interview.  As he drily remarked, “It’s not something you can walk yourself into.”

All these test results are ultimately submitted to a Board for its consideration, Polivy said. 

After the Naval Academy, he anticipates heading to The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia for six months of training to be a Marine platoon commander, followed by flight training lasting anywhere from 18 to 36 months in Pensacola, Florida.  Then Polivy must make an eight-year commitment to serve as a Marine pilot.

The momentousness of what lies in front of him does not faze Polivy in the least. 

“Helping people is what I like to do,” he said firmly, especially if it means “stepping up and doing the right thing when others can’t or aren’t able to.”


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