Adm. J.C. Harvey Jr., commander, United States Fleet Forces Command, and Vice Adm. Anthony L. Winns, the Navy’s inspector general, were invited by CPS to participate in the Principal for a Day program at Rickover Naval Academy and Simeon Career Academy, respectively.

The Principal for a Day program was created in 1998 by the office of the mayor of Chicago to allow businesses and organizations an opportunity to visit a school and shadow the principal to increase awareness of the accomplishments and challenges in CPS.

‘‘You are indeed fortunate to be residents of the city of Chicago, where you have dynamic leadership at every level — from the mayor all the way down to the people who bring education to the students, who are deeply committed to giving you the tools you need for success in your life,” Harvey told the more than 400 members of the Rickover Naval Academy Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) unit.

Rickover Naval Academy is a CPS high school where all the students are NJROTC cadets. It is one of six military academies in Chicago. The school’s mission is to empower cadets to meet and exceed academic standards through a challenging and engaging curriculum that promotes programs to prepare cadets for post-secondary education and⁄or independent living. They provide leadership training, experiences and activities to serve as a foundation for a lifetime of success. The military component is woven into the entire curriculum to motivate young people to become better scholars, leaders and citizens.

‘‘You represent the power and the promise of our people,” Harvey said. ‘‘Whether you plan on joining the Navy or not, nothing will have a greater impact on your potential success than your education.”

Harvey also told the students that their education at Rickover Naval Academy ‘‘will give you the firm foundation and discipline to succeed in college — not just to survive in college, but to succeed in college — and will be the foundation you will build upon for the rest of your life. You must never stop learning. And just as important, you must always be ready to apply what you have learned to your lives.”

Both Harvey and Winns toured the respective schools and visited with students. Harvey received a brief from cadet leadership about Rickover Naval Academy, observed a drill practice and attended a physics class.

At Simeon Career Academy, which is not a military academy but does have an NJROTC unit, Winns attended classes with the non-NJROTC students and a promotion ceremony of several cadets in the unit.

‘‘Personally, this was a thrill of a lifetime to be the Principal for a Day and spend my time with the students at Simeon Career Academy,” said Winns, who has served as inspector general since 2007. ‘‘I truly believe education is the key to success in our world, and I knew I needed to give back to this important program.”

Winns said the NJROTC unit at Simeon Career Academy is also important because ‘‘it provides students and our young people with the citizenship, education and discipline that they need in order to be successful in life.”

Many of the students at both schools were honored to be visited by the admirals.

‘‘It’s an honor every time any kind of leadership, civilian or military, comes to Rickover. It always motivates me and keeps me going,” said Cadet Lt. Cmdr. Leslie Gallardo, a senior and battalion commander at Rickover Naval Academy. ‘‘It was especially an honor to have such a high-ranking admiral here. He (Harvey) wasn’t here to tell us to go Navy but to be a success in our life.”

Retired Cmdr. Mike Tooker, the commandant of Rickover Naval Academy, said Harvey’s visit was extremely beneficial to the students in a number of ways.

‘‘From an administrator’s perspective, VIP visits allow us to validate the investment they are making in our program. The simple act of walking through our passageway, visiting a classroom and speaking with cadets quickly tells both Chicago public schools and Navy affiliates that we’re doing well, fulfilling our mandate of providing a high quality education with an emphasis on academic performance, leadership and citizenship,” Tooker said.

Following their time at each school, the admirals attended a lunch at the downtown Chicago Hilton hosted by Chicago’s Mayor Richard M. Daly.

For information about Principal for a Day, visit www.pfad.cps.k12.il.us⁄. For information about NJROTC, visit https:⁄⁄www. njrotc.navy.mil⁄.