With a festive holiday atmosphere, the Wisconsin Challenge Academy celebrated the graduation of its 51st class during a Dec. 16 ceremony at Baraboo High School.
The graduating class featured 98 cadets from 33 counties, including four cadets from Shawano and Menominee counties. Local graduates were Aaliyah Pyatskowit, Christian Norman and Gunnar Majewski, all of Shawano, and Peter Hawpetoss, of Keshena.
This fall, the Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy celebrated 25 years of helping young adults in jeopardy of not graduating high school learn the values, skills, education and self-discipline to successfully transition to adulthood. The Challenge Academy is a free, voluntary program with two phases — a 22-week residential phase at its Fort McCoy campus, and a 12-month post-residential phase where cadets, with the guidance of mentors, put their action plans into effect.
Cadets are immersed in a highly structured environment at Fort McCoy. During their residence at the Challenge Academy, cadets work outside their comfort zones to develop their physical and mental capacities, their abilities to work with peers and colleagues, and their skills to resolve challenges and problems.
Cadets typically start their days at 5:20 a.m. and end at 9 p.m. Outside distractions such as TVs, cell phones, video games and the internet are eliminated to help cadets focus on their academic and personal objectives.
Each graduate of the program earned his or her high school equivalency diploma and a minimum of seven free, fully transferable college credits.
Upon graduation, each graduate is assigned a mentor who will help each cadet follow their post-graduation plans to achieve education, employment and life goals.
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