Spearfish native Paul Gainey has been appointed to the United States Naval Academy.

Gainey previously served as Senate page for U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson. Gainey is a senior at Spearfish High School.

"The Naval Academy offers one of the best educations in the nation and provides the greatest opportunity to serve the United States. I see this as the next step in an ongoing process of bettering myself in order to fulfill my obligations to our nation," Gainey wrote in his application to Johnson.