RMA superintendent leaving

GAINESVILLE - Col. Michael Hughes, superintendent of Gainesville's Riverside Military Academy since 1999, has accepted a new position as a head of a school in Nevada, and will be leaving Riverside at the end of the current school year.

In an announcement to the school's employees and families today, Jerry Blackstock, chairman of the Riverside board of trustees, said, "Col. Hughes is a talented and dynamic leader, and he has been instrumental to Riverside Military Academy's success and growth during the past five years. While we are disappointed to lose a leader of his caliber, Riverside is poised for continued growth in both enrollment and its programs, and we wish him well in this new endeavor."

Hughes came to Riverside in 1999, from the U.S. Military Academy, where he was director of the school's Center for Enhanced Performance, which provided individual counseling and guidance in academics, athletics and military leadership to 1,200 cadets each year. A graduate of West Point, Hughes also holds a master's degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in counselor education from the University of Virginia.

"Riverside Military Academy has a long and proud heritage as one of the country's finest college preparatory schools for young men. As we move forward toward the academy's centennial in 2007, we are committed to maintaining this tradition of success and have no plans to change the direction of the academy's programs," Blackstock said.

Riverside's recently completed $90 million reconstruction program has transformed the Gainesville campus into one of the finest academic settings in the country. The academy's growth has also been seen in its academic and athletic programs. This year, the academy began enrolling day students as members of the Corps of Cadets, which represents more than 400 students from about 30 states and 10 countries.

To facilitate a smooth leadership transition, Col. Hughes will remain at Riverside through the end of the school year, and the board will begin the search for a new head of school immediately.

Hughes will be going to the Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain in Summerlin, Nev., a fast-growing community near Las Vegas.