WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:03.500 (intro synthesizer music) 00:03.745 --> 00:07.631 - Challenge Academy is a challenge in and of itself. 00:07.631 --> 00:10.290 - All there in the name, Mountaineer Challenge Academy. 00:10.290 --> 00:13.992 - Mountaineer Challenge Academy is a quasi military 00:13.992 --> 00:16.784 educational environment where we cater to students 00:16.784 --> 00:20.534 who may be at risk, whether it's academically 00:21.363 --> 00:25.030 or in any kind of at risk familial situation 00:26.161 --> 00:27.745 where our students come here 00:27.745 --> 00:29.841 to get a very structured environment 00:29.841 --> 00:32.690 in order to obtain their high school diploma. 00:32.690 --> 00:35.399 - When I was a recruiter and I was on the road a lot, 00:35.399 --> 00:37.547 I always had families telling me that 00:37.547 --> 00:39.241 "you know you sent me back a child 00:39.241 --> 00:42.659 that was much more mature, much more self disciplined." 00:42.659 --> 00:46.659 And families look at that as important as MCA certificate 00:46.659 --> 00:47.976 or high school diploma. 00:47.976 --> 00:49.588 We work the whole person. 00:49.588 --> 00:52.924 - [Elizabeth] We really focus on the whole person. 00:52.924 --> 00:56.257 With our eight core components we're working on citizenship, 00:56.257 --> 00:58.567 we're working on building their confidence, 00:58.567 --> 01:02.272 we're working on building, you know them academically. 01:02.272 --> 01:05.683 - About a few months before coming here, I finally woke up 01:05.683 --> 01:08.681 and realized that I needed to change my life. 01:08.681 --> 01:10.264 I had tried before, 01:10.330 --> 01:13.541 but I just kept falling down the wrong paths 01:13.541 --> 01:17.458 and and I told myself it was time for a change, 01:17.740 --> 01:19.068 that I was gonna do it. 01:19.068 --> 01:20.530 - I pretty much had straight F's, 01:20.530 --> 01:22.540 I was missing probably up to 12 credits. 01:22.540 --> 01:24.342 And I had the option of credit recovery 01:24.342 --> 01:25.744 but I knew I wasn't going to do it, 01:25.744 --> 01:27.219 I knew I was about to drop out. 01:27.219 --> 01:29.029 It's not like I had someone to really encourage me, 01:29.029 --> 01:31.018 to say you know you know let's just get up 01:31.018 --> 01:32.367 go to school you know you should do this. 01:32.367 --> 01:34.533 It's kinda I had to make those decisions on my own 01:34.533 --> 01:36.652 and it's kinda like I just gave up. 01:36.652 --> 01:38.985 And so when I had the option 01:39.163 --> 01:42.605 of Mountaineer Challenge Academy, I just took it 01:42.605 --> 01:44.046 and I was like I don't care how hard it is, 01:44.046 --> 01:45.638 I'm going to finish it. 01:45.638 --> 01:48.911 - At home there was a lot of domestic violence going on. 01:48.911 --> 01:52.161 Um there's a lot of turmoil in my house 01:52.213 --> 01:53.787 and in my community. 01:53.787 --> 01:55.661 I wasn't doing well at school, 01:55.661 --> 01:57.702 um I wasn't doing good in the 01:57.702 --> 01:59.169 public school system in general. 01:59.169 --> 02:01.836 Um I was placed on probation for 02:03.680 --> 02:06.253 you know violating several rules in my community 02:06.253 --> 02:08.449 and I wanted a fresh start for myself, 02:08.449 --> 02:10.271 I wanted something better. 02:10.271 --> 02:12.488 - [Elizabeth] Every class we're growing. 02:12.488 --> 02:16.647 Every class we have um more of our student population 02:16.647 --> 02:19.037 who is graduating with their high school diploma. 02:19.037 --> 02:22.034 - [Bob] 85% of our students walk out of here 02:22.034 --> 02:23.430 with a high school diploma. 02:23.430 --> 02:25.319 There's benefit to be had 02:25.319 --> 02:28.486 would you receive your diploma or not. 02:28.537 --> 02:31.127 - I found myself at Mountaineer Challenge Academy 02:31.127 --> 02:34.171 that I never thought I'd see for a very long time, 02:34.171 --> 02:35.671 or ever see again. 02:36.307 --> 02:38.724 And I'm starting to become that person again 02:38.724 --> 02:40.724 which makes me so happy. 02:41.314 --> 02:42.716 (crying) 02:42.716 --> 02:45.412 - Makes you feel pretty good because you know 02:45.412 --> 02:49.829 most people in my life haven't really believed in me. 02:51.331 --> 02:53.302 (crying) 02:53.302 --> 02:56.288 To prove them wrong would mean everything 02:56.288 --> 02:59.871 to um walk across the stage with my diploma 02:59.946 --> 03:04.279 and say hey I did it, it would mean everything so... 03:06.489 --> 03:08.785 - [Bob] There are 40 challenge programs across the country. 03:08.785 --> 03:12.152 One of the great opportunities West Virginia's been afforded 03:12.152 --> 03:14.893 is there's a Job Challenge component 03:14.893 --> 03:16.594 expected to be starting. 03:16.594 --> 03:17.819 The Job Challenge will be is 03:17.819 --> 03:20.508 an extension of the Residential Phase. 03:20.508 --> 03:22.946 You know we have the kids for 22 weeks 03:22.946 --> 03:26.182 and we're going to be now be able to offer 03:26.182 --> 03:30.015 a six months additional Job Readiness Program. 03:31.309 --> 03:34.559 - I hope what we take away from this is 03:34.754 --> 03:39.671 not about our structure, more about the partnership between 03:39.768 --> 03:41.657 State Department of Education, 03:41.657 --> 03:44.040 the county school systems across the state of West Virginia, 03:44.040 --> 03:46.757 and the Guard and Challenge Academy 03:46.757 --> 03:49.181 and by being partnered together 03:49.181 --> 03:50.616 we can serve all the 03:50.616 --> 03:52.705 population of the state of West Virginia 03:52.705 --> 03:56.872 and achieve greater level of success for the state 03:57.118 --> 04:00.817 by focusing on also helping those young people 04:00.817 --> 04:04.315 who just are not thriving in the current environment 04:04.315 --> 04:05.837 in their school systems. 04:05.837 --> 04:09.242 - [Bob] If you don't have family members in the challenge, 04:09.242 --> 04:11.325 you know someone who has. 04:11.563 --> 04:14.563 (synthesizer music)