Once Lost But Now Found
Chapter 7 – Making the Grade
They had completed the first two weeks of the Academy and were now establishing a routine. For the most part, during study hours, the male cadets in Kate's class came by their room and introduced themselves. It was all part of the bonding that they knew the class needed to come together as one effective unit. The Senior Cadet class ahead of them were helpful in providing them tips on how to make it thru the academy and the main advice was developing unit cohesiveness so that the class functioned as one efficient unit.
A lot of the exercises and lessons presented to the class to complete required them coming together and using teamwork to perform the exercise. This was especially critical in achieving Senior Cadet Status. One of the many items needed to get to Senior Cadet status was to have perfect uniform and barracks inspections for several weeks running up to evaluation week. Evaluation Week started at week five, so the class had much to do before they got to that week. Another requirement was for all class members to successfully complete the Obstacle course during practice runs going into week five. By week five all the items required to pass basic had to be in place. It was the magic fifth week when TI's started evaluating the class for Senior status.
So within the class there was a lot of sharing on how to get things done. Those who had consistently perfect uniform inspections taught their fellow cadets on how to prepare their uniforms. One tip was to use only one uniform strictly for the weekly inspections and that uniform was to be kept in perfect appearance. After the weekly uniform inspection, and the following Parade and Review held on Friday afternoons before dinner, that uniform was then sent out to the Academy laundry for cleaning. When it came back it was again prepared for Inspection and Parade and Review.
For room inspections, cadets whose rooms consistently scored high in the Barracks Inspection taught others on how to make their rooms inspection ready at all times. Room inspections were unannounced, so beds had to be ready at all times during the day. Beds needed to have tight sheets and the corners were hospital corners. The test for a tight bed was for the inspector to drop a quarter on the bed sheet and if it bounced, it was tight.
One tip from Senior Class-men was to not sleep under your covers at night. If you chose to sleep under your covers, you would not have time to make up your bunk to inspection standards every morning. Unless you woke up 30 minutes before wake up call to prepare your bed. That was time consuming and risky if you woke up later than needed and you had little time to make your bed inspection ready.
So sleeping on your covers, instead of under them, meant all you had to do in the morning was pull the sheets tight and redo the corners making it again inspection ready. The wool blanket used for warmth was then folded in the manner required and then placed on the mattress at the foot of the bed. The only time the class slept under their covers was on Friday as Saturday was sheet turn-in day and new sheets were given to replace the used sheets. Thus, you had to re-make your bed only on laundry Saturdays anyway. This became a weekly routine.
Weekends, however, had mornings that had longer sleep in's, as it started an hour later than weekdays. So redoing beds on Saturdays was easily done with the longer morning hours. PT that day had no morning run. Weekends were less hectic than weekdays and designed by TI's to provide a break from the time rush and urgency of the past week.
These were the kind of exercises given to the class that required group unity and efficiency. The exercises were made to develop cohesion and cooperation. Kate's class was coming on its own in this area, and their TI's noticed it. This class was quicker than most previous classes in getting to where they were at and appeared to be one of those record setting classes.
Sundays required attendance during the non-denominational services, the highlight of which was a sermon by the Academy Chaplain that talked to character, service to others, and the duties and responsibilities of peacekeepers. The services were again design to teach the cadets the concept of duty and service, all core values to the NYPD.
Weekends were primarily for remedial studies, or PT conditioning for those that required it, and for working off demerits by cleaning Academy grounds or kitchen patrol (kp) duty, i.e., scrubbing pots, pans or cleaning the kitchen ovens and stoves, or being food servers on the chow line for weekend meals.
Kate, like her other classmates during these moments, had time to reflect on what had been achieved the past week. It provided time to renew motivation for graduation and mentally prepare for the coming week. It was also during these times that Kate felt the absence of her daughter Alexis and that of Rick. It was now going on three weeks and she had not been able to make any contact with her family as the class had no cell phone privileges. The sooner they got to Senior status the sooner they would be able to make contact with family and friends. That probably was one of the biggest motivations for the class to achieve Senior Cadet status.
The Loft
Rick Castle was cradling his baby daughter while he feed her the breast milk Kate had stored in the freezer for use during her absence. The supply was near zero and soon Rick would have to start using the powdered baby formula they had for Alexis' meals. His baby daughter had been more difficult to care for since her mother's departure for the Academy. Rick did not know if this was because he was now solo, or if the baby herself was feeling her mother's absence that made her more restless and wanting attention.
"Hey there sweet pea, drink up, daddy's here. I know you miss mommy, but daddy misses her also. She will be back to us in a couple of weeks, maybe sooner, if we are lucky. So drink up and then sleep."
When he was done feeding, he placed Alexis over one shoulder patting her back softly and humming a tune, the same tune he had heard Kate hum to their daughter. He did not hum as nicely as Kate, but it was enough to lull their daughter to sleep. When she was indeed sleeping, he placed Alexis in her crib by his bed, and then tried to get some sleep himself before his baby girl woke up again needing attention.
He dreamt of Kate and of them being together with their daughter. He hoped when Kate returned that Alexis would remember her mommy. By the time of Kate's return, it would be about a two-month separation from them. Their baby was almost four months when she left, so by the time Kate returned, Alexis would be close to six months.
It was possible that they might see Kate sooner than expected for the weekends. Rick knew that Kate and her class would be granted weekend privileges once the class gained senior class status. That normally occurred around the seventh week (by conservative guessing) into the program, but it was not assured. The class had to pass all requirements to obtain that status. In his and Kate's research on the Academy curriculum they had found this out. The record for the longest time to senior status was 10 weeks, the standard range was around six to eight weeks. Having had no contact with Kate since she entered the Academy, they did not know how her class was doing. Five weeks had been the record for shortest time to senior class status, but there were few classes that did that. If it took Kate's class the low number of standard range to gain senior class status; it could be sooner than the seven weeks they had guessed on.
Rick could not wait for Kate to graduate and then officially become a member of the NYPD. She would start out as a probationary patrol officer for a year before gaining permanent status; but Kate's goal was to become a Detective. That would take years after gaining her permanent status. Rick knew Kate had it in her to do that and he and Alexis would be there to give her motivation to reach her goal. They both missed her and could not wait to her to return.
Weekends At The Academy
A majority of Cadets had the afternoons to themselves on weekends, if they had no remedial class or PT conditioning classes. On Saturday, wakeup call was an hour later than weekdays, then they did PT, which had no 1 mile run, attended breakfast, and then it was firing at the range the remainder of he morning. Kate already had qualified on the pistol, so all she needed to do was tie or better her score on those morning range shoots. The people who did not qualify in the morning also had an afternoon shooting session, and then they cleaned the weapons for the whole class. Of course, those who had qualified had the afternoon off and did not clean the weapons. The reward for qualifying or requalifying.
Two shooting ribbons were given to the graduating class: one for fastest to qualify in the class and a consistency ribbon for requalifying at each session after the initial qualification. A few had qualified on the first shooting. Kate was one of them and in the running for both ribbons. Everyone got a consistency ribbon. The consistency ribbon was given in three categories. If you requalified every week after your initial qualification, you got a 'E' on you shooting ribbon for Expert. If you missed two or less of the requals sessions after your initial qual, you got an 'S' on your ribbon for Sharpshooter. All others who qualified simply got the shooting ribbon with no letter designation on the ribbon. One requirement for being a senior class was that all members of the class had to initially qualify for the shooting consistency ribbon before evaluation week.
On Sundays, you attended chapel service in the morning. Again, if you had no remedial classes, after lunch you had the afternoon off for study hours. If you needed extra range time, Sundays afternoons were spent at the Range. Kate wound up being a coach for many of her classmates still trying to achieve initial qualification.
Kate was up on all her academic class, and when she was not coaching at the Sunday range shooting, she had extra time on her hands. So, Kate normally had time for extra reading or just reflections. Her afternoon reflections were always the same. She thought of Rick and her daughter Alexis. It was those thoughts that got her ready for the next week. Then for Sunday evening study hours, she would review the course material for her academic classes, just to keep sharp on her subjects. Even with this routine, she often had an extra hour after review, to reflect, and always her thoughts went back to Alexis and Rick.