Military Academy helps students get back on track

MARQUETTE — High school had its challenges for all of us, but for kids who are really struggling, there’s another option.

The Michigan Youth Challenge Academy is specifically designed for at risk students. They had a recruiting event Wednesday night in Marquette. The quasi–military academy accepts students between 16 and 18 who are failing or have dropped out of school.

“If you’ve seen a military movie, you’ve seen a lot of what we do. The marching, the rucksacks with the backpacks, we do all of those things. There’s a great deal of military formal PT, physical training. To these types of students the structure, the military style, is absolute. Many of them come from a world where there is no structure, there is no discipline, self–discipline, and when they come to our place, they flourish,” said Jimmie Jones, a recruiter for the program.

Part of the program is helping these kids become employable. That involves catching up on missed credits, and even getting ahead.

“Educationally, it’s about as good as it gets. If they earn them, they will get seven high school credits and they will have nineteen college credits through KCC in Battle Creek. We look very military, but at the end of the day we are a school,” Jones added.

If you’re interested in the program, classes begin on January seventeenth. You’ll want to apply quickly though, as the program fills up fast.

Follow this link for more information.

Photo Courtesy of Michigan Youth Challenge Academy