This week at the United States Naval Academy a tradition continues, with Commissioning Week, also once known as June Week.

Among the events and traditions taking place are the climb of the Herndon Monument, the fly overs by the Blue Angels, a sailing review, band concerts, the graduation ball, the color parade and hundreds of Midshipmen jumping into the reflecting pool after the last dress parade.

The graduation ceremony is Friday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and President Barack Obama will make the commencement address. It will be the 21st time a president has addressed the graduating Midshipmen since President James Garfield first did so in 1881. The hats will fly, the Blue Angels will thunder overhead, Anchors Aweigh will play and wedding bells will ring.

In my mind I still think of this week as June Week, even though it changed to May in 1979 . The pomp and ceremony of this week makes for some great photographic opportunities. I hope you enjoy the photo gallery and follow the events this week in the paper and online. I appriciate any feedback or comments or future ideas.

Other links of interest:

A brief history of the Naval Academy

Sound files of Anchors Aweigh

Presidential Attendance at Naval Academy Graduations

1881 - James A. Garfield
1902 - Theodore Roosevelt
1905 - Theodore Roosevelt
1912 - William Howard Taft
1914 - Woodrow Wilson
1916 - Woodrow Wilson
1921 - Warren G. Harding
1925 - Calvin Coolidge
1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt
1938 - Franklin D. Roosevelt
1958 - Dwight D. Eisenhower
1961 - John F. Kennedy
1974 - Richard M. Nixon
1978 - Jimmy Carter
1985 - Ronald Reagan
1992 - George H. W. Bush
1994 - Bill Clinton
1998 - Bill Clinton
2001 - George W. Bush
2005 - George W. Bush
2009 - Barack Obama