Jack Clark had a sense of familiarity when he arrived at the Naval Academy on Thursday morning to be inducted into the class of 2028. For 10 years, the Broadneck High School graduate and his water polo team practiced there, a sport that got him recruited to the academy.

“Once he started playing [water polo] and got exposed to the Naval Academy and seeing all the midshipmen, it just strengthened his desire to come here,” said his dad, Shane Clark.

One of 23 incoming freshman from Anne Arundel County, Clark lined up with the nearly 1,200 students from around the country at Alumni Hall on Thursday morning for the first day of Plebe Summer, a rigorous six-week program that prepares first-year students for the next four years at the academy.

“I have a family background of military service and I’ve always just wanted to serve, and I felt like the Naval Academy was just right,” Jack Clark said.

Throughout the day, the plebes — as freshmen are known — receive uniforms, undergo medical examinations and the men get a mandatory buzz cut. Once they look the part, they are taught how to salute and receive a copy of “Reef Points,” a 225-page introduction to the academy they are expected to memorize.

The plebes are encouraged to use any downtime throughout the day to start studying the guide and may be quizzed on it at any point.

“The plebes come in knowing that they know nothing,” Brigade Master Chief Jay Holley said. “Plebe Summer is just as much an opportunity for the first midshipmen to learn how to lead and to put into practice the things that they’ve learned over time.”

During the summer session, students lose access to their phones and most of their personal possessions. Each inductee is issued a large white bag, known as a “Santa sack,” which they carry throughout the day, gathering the uniforms and gear that will be their sole belongings for the summer. At the end of the day, they haul the stuffed sack back to their new dormitories.

Midshipman MaryClare Oliver spent the day helping during the induction process. She remembers her induction day fondly, as it took place during the height of the pandemic in summer 2020. Though her family couldn’t be there because of the quarantine requirements, she settled in quickly.

“Plebe Summer feels really long, your plebe year feels really long, but then the rest of the time goes really fast,” Oliver said. “You get to do fun stuff. …We got to go to the rifle range, and you get to do obstacle courses.”

The first years will spend the next several weeks learning the basics of military protocol, seamanship, weaponry and physical training.

“Knowing that this connects me to 200 years of naval officers, it’s just amazing,” said Rockville native Elizabeth Pearson, a recent graduate of St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.

The day culminates at 6 p.m., when the plebes take the oath to become midshipmen. Then, they say goodbye to their family who they won’t see until mid-August.

Many of them have family members that went through the Naval Academy. Caleb Kang, a freshman from Louisville, Kentucky, arrived in Annapolis with his sister Samantha, a rising sophomore. He’s been interested in attending since watching his sister’s induction.

“I feel ready now,” Kang said. “I came last year and I was just sitting, and now I’m actually here. I am excited to learn how to shoot … wear all the uniforms and be engaged in everything.”

Induction Day marks the beginning of a nine-year commitment for the plebes; four years at the Naval Academy and then five years of active military service.

Clark says he feels a sense of pride for this next journey.

“I want to take away a good experience, learning the military background, the military experience more and be able to put that in my life,” Clark said.