Stanislaus do not train our tudent cadets We Military Academy for a military career. We T ! & n our successful living by ustn and bearing. Usln pdwical exercim and military typ we help cadets learn to re- discip'line spec&authwb, develop an ability to practlce safety first and follow r u l e s , demonstrate appropriatl- " " -- " > -- - - - - --. . -.- I ' i stanklaus amty Office of b A Education i Cam, Charter & Alternative Education
-:I -, - * WONOR PLlN,E ; I I Julrlol: - Student Cadets in Grades 6-8 I B. Allard mpu* The ptugmrn features: I EXTRAGURRICUUR ACTIVITIES Study Skills 0 : M i l Skills meld Trips Campouts and Hiking - ~ ~ c t e r f r a i n i n g Drum end Bu@e Corp , .?::-- .P&&alActlvHy i : MHitary Fitness ! w u r d c u l a r ~ct~vfiies i I:L,.- . WMMUNITYEUPPORT -Student Cadets in Community volunteers and service clubs are partners In supporting this new program for our youth. The program features a "fast track" academic program with trimesters beginning in August, CORE BELIEFS WHO CAN ATI'END November and March. Each day begins with Discipline Respect Honor and Drill & Ceremony. Cadets physical training The Academy is open to any student enrolled Commitment Courage then attend classes leading to a high school in the Stanislaus County Alternative Education diploma or a GED Certiffcate. CAHSEE Prep Program. Parents must be aware of the strict COURAGE Courses and tutoring will also be available. disciplinary and military environment and agree to all of its conditions prior to their chi Id enroll- SKlU TRAINING ing in the program. The goal of the Academy's The program also features: rigorous requirements is to produce a high Career Planning school graduate proud of his/her accornptish- ments. Mentorship Job Shadowing % - * r ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Publlc Speaking Skllls Work Experience Stanislaus Military Academy offers two aca- Conflict Resolution demic programs to hetp meet the needs of a tl students. COMMITMENT
v L 7 CORE VALUES OF SMA @iaimmm Pledging my loyalty to SMA 1 . and to the leadership and,, ,$.he ,& $ I - cadets of the corps. ~haracter.~ - . - Controlling my behaviol 2. DISCIPrE ; A through hard work and training : 'to correct and improve my 3, to authority and to RESPECB- Submitt regulations o the rules and f SMA. Meeting the challenge to do my best at all times and in all - P 7 Stenislaw County OfRce o Education Tom Changnon, Superintendent f 1
b - HORIZON HIGHLIGHTS
BY MATTHEW ANDREWS t PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA FENECH, SCOE I T ' S a crisp November evening in Downtown Modesto, first three months of existence, the Academy has gradu- and close to 50 high school students are gathered at the ated more than 50 students from their basic and advanced Martin G. Petersen Event Center for a graduation. Parents "boot camps," and they expect that number to increase as sit in the crows and talk anxiously to one another, stopping the program gains popularity. intermittently to snap pictures of their child, while adminis- trators and teachers dressed in suits and ties sit on the Bigler believes that a lot of the Academy's success is due to stage and offer congratulatory speeches and well wishes. the fact that it offers discipline and structure to many kids The air is celebratory and triumphant. that aren't provided this with their friends, at home, or at school, and it allows them to form tight bonds with other But this ceremony is different than a typical high school students. He explains that many kids turn to gangs to find graduation. Rather than overflowing with joy and relief, these things, and by offering them in a different context, the these students are reserved and rigid. They stand like stat- Academy serves as an effective "anti-gang." "We take all of ues: Bodies frozen in place, hands parallel to their sides, the elements that draw kids to gangs--the similar dress, the eyes fixed forward. And instead of the traditional cap and language, the structure, the adventure, the brotherhood- gown, the graduates are dressed from head to toe in mili- and turn them into something positive." tary fatigues. And so far, it seems to be working. Many of the kids that They are the new graduates of the Stanislaus Military join the Academy were involved with gangs and drugs, or Academy, an alternative education program that seeks to have trouble dealing with authority figures, and after only a provide at-risk youth with a structured, disciplined frame- few short months, these kids are leaving the program as work that promotes quality education and character build- changed men and women. "The impact is phenomenal," ing. says Bigler, "I've seen more lives changed by this program than any other." PROM IDFA TO REAIJTY IN ONE YFWR The Stanislaus Military Academy is the brainchild of Stanis- STUDENTS TAKING OWNERSHIP laus County Superintendent Tom Changnon, who was in- Doug Ash, a counselor at Allard, has been impressed with spired after hearing a presentation on a similar program at the way that students have taken ownership of their respon- a superintendent's conference in the Fall of 2008. Upon sibilities in the program and take the initiative to better returning, he enlisted the help of Director of Community themselves. "We're setting kids up for them to improve their Support Services Fred Bigler, and began turning the vision own lives," he said, "And now these kids are engaged, of having a military academy in Stanislaus County a reality. they're respectful, and their mature." Over the next year, Changnon and Bigler sought the help of both educators and veterans to help craft the outline of "This program takes kids that no one wants, and it gives the program, and in the Fall of 2009 the Academy wel- them a shot," adds Allard Principal Alberto Velarde, "These comed its first batch of recruits. kids want a chance, and this program has given them hope." The Academy meets at John B. Allard School in Turlock, and acts as a "school within a school." Students who are Bigler goes on to explain that other Allard students are see- expelled from other county high schools are sent to Allard ing the changes in these students and developing a desire and given three options: conventional classroom educa- to change as well. "These kids are changing the culture of tion, independent study, and the Stanislaus Military Acad- the entire school," he says. emy. Those that choose the Academy are exposed to a unique style of education that helps the students get back Changnon adds that the change is not isolated to schools, on track with their course credits. Students are given typi- but it extends to the communities outside the school walls to cal coursework-science, math, arts, and social studies- parents, neighbors, and friends. "This program was de- but they also learn drill formations, marches, survival skills, signed to change live," he says, "And we're seeing that and first aid, and they wear military fatigues at all times. change impact families, which ripples out into the rest of the "We seek to build kids up within the parameters of a military community." system," explains Bigler. Bigler acknowledges that the program is not right for every- In addition to normal class time, cadets participate in week- one, but notes that it's a welcome addition to the county's long "boot camps" that involve team building exercises, arsenal of education tools and programs. "It's about giving character-building tasks, and education in remote locations, kids the choice, " he says, "Because when they make the such as the Boy Scout Camp in Livingston. New students choice to be a part of something like this, they're more will- start as recruits, and once they graduate from "boot camp," ing to make the effort." they become Cadets, and then graduate through another program to become Advanced Cadets. As they move up So as the students gather together with their families in through the ranks, the students earn ranks and are Downtown Modesto, they're not just celebrating their trans- awarded with places of leadership among the students. formation to a Cadet or a high school graduate, but to a new person. And the Stanislaus Military Academy hopes SUCCESS AND MORE they can help kids become new people for years to come. So far, the program has been widely successful. In their For more information, visit stance.org/SCOE/career-altEd. Stanislaus Magazine
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