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Jun 14, 2006

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LOCAL YOUTHS AMONG PROGRAM GRADUATES
By Dan de Carbonel
STATESMAN JOURNAL, OR

Seven students from Salem and three from Keizer will be among those graduating from the Oregon National Guard Youth Challenge Program at 11 a.m. today at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond.

The Challenge program, which recently was named one of the top three military alternative-education programs in the nation, serves nearly 300 students ages 16 to 18 each year who have dropped-out of traditional schools or who require a more-structured educational environment.

In addition to traditional high school curriculum, the school stresses citizenship, health, physical fitness, community service and the development of life coping skills and job skills, said Kay Fristad of the Oregon National Guard.

Students from Dallas, Silverton, Turner and Woodburn also are among the graduates.

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