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Apr 28, 2006

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PARADE MAGAZINE VISITS YOUTH CHALLENGE

A reporter from Parade Magazine visited Freestate ChalleNGe Academy on Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Aberdeen, Md., on April 18, 2006 to examine and cover intervention programs for high school dropouts. Parade Magazine reaches 34 million readers and the anticipated publication date of the Freestate story is Fall 2006.

The reporter met with Freestate's program director, Col. Richard Young, who has headed the program since 1993 when it began as one of the country's five pilot Youth ChalleNGe sites. Young also helped start the ChalleNGe Invitational, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in June at the University of Maryland, College Park.

The Parade Magazine reporter explored classrooms where social studies, math, writing and science lessons where taking place. Peeking into the back of a writing class, she watched as students acted out dialogue during a lesson on drama while students across the hall called out answers to geometry formulas.

After visiting several classes, it was time for a half-mile march to the dining hall for lunch. On the way, the cadets shouted a call-and-response marching song with their cadre describing a life before Youth ChalleNGe and how they had now found "a home away from home."

At lunch, the reporter engaged two male and two female cadets in a roundtable discussion about their thoughts on Youth ChalleNGe, the public school system and life in general. Across half-eaten plates of tortellini, creamed corn and chocolate brownies, the cadets shared what makes the Youth ChalleNGe program worthwhile.

When asked why he chose such a rigorous program like Youth ChalleNGe rather than getting a GED on his own, one male cadet responded: "I needed a challenge." Though his family encouraged him not to drop out of school and to stop using drugs, he alone made the decision to change his life.

The cadets also spoke up about areas traditional high schools need to improve. Many said the learning format left them bored.

"Sometimes we would take notes for hours. I wasn't learning anything. I would learn more if I actually read something than if I just took notes on it," said another male cadet.

Classes at Youth ChalleNGe are small, allowing teachers to focus on the unique needs of each cadet. Many students who are dismissed as trouble makers in traditional schools really have a special need that goes undiagnosed or ignored altogether. Small class sizes help teachers spot these conditions more easily and develop effective solutions.

As the cadets scattered across the campus to afternoon classes and drill team practice, the reporter stood outside Freestate's main headquarters with Col. Young, school administrator Mike Bryant and Commandant Sgt. Stringfellow as they reflected on what it means to be a part of this program.

"We do it because we care," said Bryant, who leads the program's choir and coordinates special projects. As someone who witnesses the talent of the teens who pass through Freestate, Bryant knows someone needs to give them the second chance they deserve. "If we don't save them, who will?"

Please check future editions of the NGYF e-newsletter for information on other upcoming media stories.