CLEM

WOONSOCKET — Jameson T. Clem, valedictorian of Mount St. Charles Academy, won’t be just another college freshman this fall.

He will be known as a plebe, belong to a “company,” go to bed at 9:45 p.m. every night and wake up at 5 a.m. every morning, at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

“The naval academy would be an opportunity for me to use a lot of my talents and find ways to help people, help protect my country, help people in other countries,” says Clem, who pictures himself at the academy more than at the other schools he considered –– Dartmouth, Georgetown and even the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“It’s a good fit for him –– his personality and his respect for discipline and water and his patriotism,” says his mother, Lisette D. Clem. “We’re really proud of him.”

When Clem visited Annapolis last year, one thing struck him in particular as he watched the entire brigade line up in the courtyard for the “noon meal formation” –– a ritual cadets follow before they are allowed to have lunch.

“It showed how unified they were,” Clem says. “It showed that they were all there for the common purpose of their schooling and their training as [leaders].”

He knew it was the place for someone like him –– someone who has always been a leader.

A Boy Scout since he was 10, Clem followed in his father’s footsteps to become an Eagle Scout two years ago. He participated in the White Stag Leadership Development Program, teaching others how to be effective leaders. He led retreats at the Catholic Youth Organization in Woonsocket for several years.

In school, Clem served as class president and was involved in the peer ministry group, helping collect money and food for the underprivileged.

And though he is extremely comfortable in a leadership role, he knows exactly when to be a good follower –– a quality that he says will help him adjust to life as a first-year cadet at the academy.

Clem, who was also valedictorian in middle school, is also looking forward to just being a student again.

He will study history — his favorite subject — and is excited to pursue a variety of other disciplines such as government, psychology and anatomy.

When talking about Annapolis and his future goals, Clem is serious. But there is a quirky side to his personality. He would love to take ballroom dance lessons some day. He enjoys working with wood and taught himself how to build a tree house once by nailing “some stuff to trees.” Once a day, he makes it a point to have a hearty laugh –– sometimes finding himself on the verge of tears –– simply “to keep himself grounded,” his mother says.

If he doesn’t have one good laugh every single day, she adds, he feels he is missing out on something, and he starts worrying that he’s taking himself too seriously.

These days Clem is attending a six-week plebe camp at the naval academy, undergoing intense physical and mental training to prepare for the next few years. He is allowed to make three phone calls to his family during the camp and since no other electronic communication is allowed, he has been writing letters.

Some days are hard, he writes, but some days are good.

Next month, his parents, grandparents and younger sister will visit him for a few days. After that they will patiently wait for him to come home for Thanksgiving.

Life at the academy will get more and more rigorous in months to come, but Clem has known that all along.

“I felt that I had the ability to do it,” he says, “so I kind of had the responsibility to do it as well.”

njayakri@projo.com