It’s been almost a year since the 2020 Orcas High School graduate took the first step toward his future. A year that saw Jaydon Krisch work harder, study more and add 30 pounds of muscle to his runner’s frame.

Krisch recently completed a year in the U.S. Naval Academy’s Prep School, a requirement before attending Annapolis, where he’s headed at the end of June on the path of making the U.S. Navy his career.

So, how did the Orcas alum fare this past year? Were there any surprises?

Academics, he said.

“Academics were a lot harder than I expected. I did pretty well at OI, but I wasn’t prepared for the level of studying that was expected of us,” he said.

Krisch admits to initially thinking that once the “what it means to be in the Navy” section was over, the students would get a break. Not even close, he said.

“It was like a truck! Everything came at us at once!” Krisch said.

“Everything at once” included: waking at 5:30 a.m.; breakfast at 6 a.m.; classes that included math, physics, chemistry and engineering from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.; physical exercise, then “lots of homework.” Initially, he struggled.

“The first trimester was tough,” he said. The second one was better, and by the third: “I had to kick it in high gear.”

While Krisch found the prep school challenging, he also made scores of new friends, male and female. Since Congress authorized the admittance of women to the Naval Academy in 1975, classes have reflected that shift. He noted that at least one-third of his class was female. Enrollment in the Academy puts women at about 27 percent of the total.

“The student population is incredibly diverse,” he said, adding that students come from all over the country and its territories.

With help from the island’s Airhawks Flying Club, Krisch was able to earn his private pilot’s license before graduating last year. Prep school didn’t give him much time to fly though once he completed the semester he piloted a plane to Arizona to meet up with his family before joining them for the road trip back to Orcas.

Since he’s been home, he’s enjoying freedom from a rigorous schedule and sleeping. A lot.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but I learned how to get along on only six hours of sleep,” he said.

On June 30, he takes the oath as a Midshipman followed by six weeks of boot camp. After that will be an intense regime that includes school, sailing, boxing, wrestling and leadership training. Excited about the next step, Krisch is understandably a bit nervous. Still, he does not doubt the path he’s chosen.

“I’m doing well and excited for what’s next,” he said.