KINGWOOD, W.Va. – A class of 73 cadets will graduate from the West Virginia National Guard’s Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy Thursday, June 3 at Camp Dawson in Preston County.
The class has 61 boys and 12 girls from 23 counties in the state and more than 90 percent will graduate with a high school diploma. After graduation, 42 will enter the workforce, nine plan to join the military, four will attend college and 18 will enter the vocational trades.
Sydnei Watson is a 16-year-old from Charleston who struggled during the pandemic with distance learning and came to the ChalleNGe Academy for discipline and direction.
“I was struggling a lot in online school because I worked better in the in-person classes,” Watson said,” So, the online gave me the opportunity to skip out on all the work I had to do.”
The ChalleNGe Academy is a 22-week resident program similar to a military boot camp for at-risk 16 to 18-year-olds. In addition to traditional academic and some vocational training, the academy features rappelling, hiking, organized athletics and land navigation.
“At first it was absolutely terrifying, I went in expecting to get screamed at and told to do all this stuff,” Watson said,” When I actually got there I was just told what to do and once I did it I was not screamed at.”
While learning about resume writing, interview skills and what a career path might be, the academy teaches soft skills like being on time, being reliable, life planning and courtesy.
Shawn Madden, 17, of South Charleston, was also struggling with online learning and was looking for a way to improve his life and prepare for the future.
“I learned a lot about how to treat other people and how I like to be treated,” Madden said,” I also learned how to be respectful and kind even though I may not want to be like that- I’ve learned how to control my anger.”
After graduation, Madden says he will join the military, likely the U.S. Army.
“I learned from a friend of mine who actually attended the ChalleNGe Academy about it,” Madden said,” I want to go into the military, so I think this is probably a good fit for me because it will help me educationally and it would help me in my life goals.”
After graduation, Watson plans to find work in the area and return for the Mountaineer Job ChalleNGe Program. The Mountaineer Job ChalleNGe Program is available to select graduates to learn further about medical careers, horizontal construction, manufacturing and pre-apprenticeships.
“I plan to, once I graduate I am going to get a job and eventually come back and do the job challenge to get my CDL,” Watson said.
Following graduation, cadets participate in a one year Post-Residential follow-up program.
The Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy has been in operation since 1993.