Students get fresh start at academy
The California National Guard, San Joaquin County Office of Education, and local elected officials will celebrate the opening of the Discovery Challenge Academy with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. today at the Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop.
“What the Cal Guard accomplishes with its Challenge academies is as important as anything we do during wildfire season or on the battlefield overseas,” said Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, Adjutant General for the California National Guard. “We are a community-based force, and offering these youth a chance to redirect their lives is critical not only to their futures, but to the future of California’s communities.”
The Discovery Challenge Academy welcomed its inaugural class in January with 116 cadets. The program is a 51⁄2 month residential program in a military setting. During the academy, students earn 60 high school credits, serve at least 40 hours of community service, and compete for college scholarships.
Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, D-Stockton, wrote the law that authorized the academy and secured state funding for the program. Both she and Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, worked tirelessly to bring the Discovery Challenge Youth Academy to San Joaquin County.
“The National Guard Youth Challenge program has helped many at-risk young people learn valuable life skills, establish a strong work ethic, and develop a commitment to community service,” said McNerney. “I’m happy to have been able to help bring this vital, successful program here to San Joaquin County.”
“Building this program, from concept, to construction, to the first day of class, has been a reminder that it is always within our reach to change people’s lives with our work,” said Eggman. “I can’t wait to meet this first class of students mid-stream; to have made it this far, they have what it takes to finish strong.”
Congress established the Challenge program in 1993. Presently, there are 38 programs across the nation, with California being recognized for graduating more than 90 percent of its students. California’s other Challenge programs, Grizzly Youth Academy in San Luis Obispo and Sunburst Youth Academy in Los Alamitos, hold the highest retention rates in the nation.
The academy operates through the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE), the regional agency that provides educational leadership, resources, and customized services to assist school districts. The SJCOE promotes student achievement and accountability, serves San Joaquin County’s most at-risk students, and strives to create an environment in which every student, regardless of circumstances, has an opportunity for a quality education.
“The Discovery Challenge Academy is a result of the dedication and collaboration of our elected officials, the California National Guard, and the San Joaquin County Office of Education,” said James Mousalimas, San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools. “We now have an amazing program in San Joaquin County that will help hundreds of at-risk youth each year transform their lives so they can achieve success and be positive contributors to our community.”