school diploma. Two: We will build your body and military skills and expand on your military training. Three: Before you walk across the stage to accept your diploma, you will perform at least eight hours of community service.”
Back to school The academy’s academic program is associated with Lib- erty Online, a branch of Liberty University in Virginia. Faculty members examine incoming recruits’ high school transcripts and develop custom lesson plans, augmenting any weak points in their education. Students may earn college credit while at the academy via dual enrollment; anywhere from one-half to three credits can be trans- ferred to a destination university after graduation. Each student is issued a laptop computer, and because
lesson plans from Liberty University are self-paced, stu- dents can learn at their own speed. “I remind them that how hard they work dictates how long they’re here,” says Sarver. “If you work very hard, you can be out very quickly. If you like to take your time, you might be here a little lon- ger than the average soldier.” Many of these students had no direction or goals before
enrolling in the Patriot Academy, so guidance counselors regularly review students’ transcripts to assess their prog- ress and then sit down with them to help chart the right course — whether it’s to college, a vocational school, or the job market. In addition, says Sarver, because they’re part of a company in which NCOs oversee their daily activities, students “receive a lot of mentoring on how they’re doing and what they can do to make better soldiers.”
On the right track College-bound students may take their entrance exams while still enrolled at the academy,
The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe
The Patriot Academy isn’t the only Army National Guard initiative de- signed to help young people. Autho- rized by Congress and established in 1998, the National Guard Youth Chal- leNGe is another program that gives high school dropouts an opportunity to turn their lives around. However, says Patriot Academy
Commandant Col. Perry Sarver Jr., USA, the Patriot Academy and the Youth ChalleNGe are like “apples and oranges. [The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe’s] primary mission is fo- cusing on life coping skills,” he notes, “while [Patriot Academy] kids are sol- diers working for their diplomas.” Usually located at or near National
[CONTINUES ON PAGE 73]
Guard or Army bases, the Youth Chal- leNGe program is divided into three phases. In the pre-residential phase, recruits are assessed to determine their eligibility. Then comes a 20-week residential phase during which the challeNGe cadre helps build cadets’ self-concept and job skills. Partway through this phase, entrants are matched with mentors who work with them to develop a life plan for the post-residential phase. Recruits also are enrolled in an academic regimen to prepare for the GED exam. During the 12-month post-resi-
dential phase, cadets return to their community where they build on the gains made during the challenge. Most graduates enter either the job market or the military. The National Guard reports a 96-percent success rate for the program.
Soldiers earning their degrees through the National Guard Patriot Academy partici- pate in statewide testing required of all ac- credited high schools in Indiana.
PHOTOS: ABOVE AND PREVIOUS PAGE, CAPT. KYLE J. KEY, ARNG AU G U S T 2 0 1 0 MI L I T A R Y O F F I C E R 5 9
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