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Three seniors at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas have received and accepted appointments to federal service academies. The students received a total of five offers of appointment among them, and one is the first female student from her school who was offered and has accepted admission to the academy she will attend. This fall, William “’Liam” Bell, will attend the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.; Trenton Melcher will enroll in the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Allison Toonen will matriculate at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. All are captains in TMI’s 120-member Corps of Cadets, a nationally recognized JROTC program that has been designated an Honor Unit with Distinction. Bell serves as battalion athletics/IT officer, Melcher is Alpha Company commander and Toonen is battalion adjutant.  William Bell As a member of TMI’s swim team, Bell earned all-conference honors all four years of high school and was named this year to the all-state swim team of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS). He has worked as a lifeguard and water-safety instructor for two years at Blossom Athletic Center in the North East Independent School District. Last year, Bell was a participant in the Academy Introduction Mission (AIM), a summer program for rising seniors interested in applying to the Coast Guard Academy. He is the son of Franklin and Carolyn Bell.  Trenton Melcher He is involved in mentorship programs at TMI, is a member of the Choral Scholars program at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and will perform the title role in the TMI Spring Play, “Sweeney Todd,” April 19-21. Melcher played varsity basketball all four years and was named the TAPPS all-district first team and all-state second team this year. Last year, he attended summer seminars at the Air Force and Naval Academies.  Allison Toonen Last year, Toonen was awarded a merit scholarship from the T. A. Wilson & Ben A. Franks Charitable Trust. She is co-editor of the TMI yearbook and is a leading member of TMI’s Community Service Corps, for which she initiated the school’s involvement in Habitat for Humanity and the Living Water ministry, a well-digging project that brings clean drinking water to communities in Latin America. The first team from TMI will go to Honduras this summer as a result of Toonen’s efforts. She attended the Naval Academy Summer Seminar last year and will be the first female TMI graduate to attend that academy. Two of the students also were accepted at other service academies, Bell at the U.S Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and Melcher at the Naval Academy. “For such a small school, TMI’s appointments are rather extraordinary, because distribution is based on spots per area, not spots per school,” says Richard Villarreal, USNA area admissions representative. TMI’s Class of 2007 numbers 53 students.
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