KINGWOOD — Tonya Harper, of Charleston, said she believes the program offered by the National Guard’s ChalleNGe Academy is amazing.
Harper’s son, Kaden Harper, was one of the 174 cadets who graduated from the academy Friday.
“He learned a lot while he was here,” Tonya Harper said. “He always wanted to be in the military. We are signing papers for him to join the Army today.”
She said the ChalleNGe Academy taught her son basic skills, how to set goals and problem-solving “I would highly recommend the ChalleNGe Academy,” she said.
Alex McCune, of Martinsburg, agreed. He said he is proud of his son, Alex McCune Jr.
“I believe this program is excellent. My son was bullied in public school,” McCune said. “He’s passed his electrician’s test and is leaning toward becoming an electrician.”
The ChalleNGe Academy is at Camp Dawson in Kingwood. The 22-week program offers cadets the opportunity to complete high school and receive optional certifications in hazardous materials awareness, automobile service excellence training in brakes, servsafe food protection, fire fighter1/HazMat certification and an intro to higher education college course for one credit hour.
Angela Shively said her son, Michael, changed a lot. She said his stay at the ChalleNGe Academy helped him learn structure and discipline.
“When he came home on break, he had lost some weight. I think the program is wonderful,” Shively said.
Thomas Watson, of Belington, said he was there to see his son Devin graduate.
“I think every teen should go through the program,” he said. “It teaches responsibility and respect.”
Robert Matheny, who attended the graduation with his mother April, said he is hopeful he will be one of the people accepted to attend the ChalleNGe Academy in January. April Matheny said her son is waiting for his acceptance letter that he should receive before Christmas.
“He wants more one-on-one help, especially with math,” she said. Robert said they were there for a friend’s graduation
Friday’s class was the 51st to graduate. Of the graduates, 134 were males and 39 females. The cadets represented 33 counties, the largest representation being from Kanawha County. This class brought the number of graduates to 4,360.
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