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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Erin VanCleve couldn't stand being in the classroom a year ago. Now, the 17-year-old former Greenview student wants to be a teacher.
VanCleve was one of 235 cadets who graduated from Lincoln's Challenge Academy on Dec. 11 after spending 22 weeks in the intense, quasi-military program administered by the Illinois Air National Guard.
The academy takes "at-risk" students who have dropped out of traditional high schools and places them in a rigorous environment at the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. Many of the students in the program earn their GED diplomas — and, in cases like VanCleve's, emerge as better people.
"The difference in her today from 5 1/2 months ago is night and day," her father, Juston VanCleve, said at last month's graduation ceremony at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. "We're proud of her."
Col. Stephen Baggerly of the Illinois Air National Guard said the teens find their way to the program in a variety of ways.
"We have some students who come in because of poor relations with parents, get tied into the wrong crowd or have certain disciplinary issues," he said. "What we try to do is give them the skills to be a good citizen."
The first two weeks are similar to a military boot camp. During the rest of the program, the cadets take classes to prepare for their GED exam and also learn about leadership and responsibility, Baggerly said.
Cadets also learn life skills such as how to balance a checkbook, how to write a resume and how to interview for a job. After the 22-week residential phase, the cadets are paired with a mentor for one year.
Baggerly said this year's class was down about 60 students from last year. The Illinois Air National Guard is working on ways to better market the program, he said.
"We know there is a large need out there," Baggerly said.
For Erin VanCleve, Lincoln's Challenge was the change of scenery she needed, she said.
She dropped out of Greenview High School her sophomore year because she found school boring. She learned about Lincoln's Challenge through her cousin, who had recently graduated from the program, she said.
The first few weeks of boot camp were tough, but VanCleve said she emerged a more confident, focused and disciplined person.
Her plan is to take a few classes at Lincoln Land Community College, then enlist in the Illinois Air National Guard and return to college to earn a teaching degree, she said.
That's not something that would have happened 5 1/2 months ago, her father said.
"She was going down a path she shouldn't go but chose to do this instead," Juston VanCleve said. "I'm glad she did."
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Source: The (Springfield) State Journal-Register, http://bit.ly/1wj427N
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Information from: The State Journal-Register, http://www.sj-r.com
This is an Illinois Exchange story shared by The (Springfield) State Journal-Register.
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