Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Darron Salzer | D'wight Lucas, a cadet at Freestate ChalleNGe Academy, pulls his bed covers tight as...... read more read more
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Editor's note: This is part two of a five-part series on the National Guard’s Youth ChalleNGe program.
The abrupt glare of a florescent light switching on streaked across the darkened room like lightning chasing away the night sky. Seconds later, locker doors slammed with a thunderous metallic crash, as the shrill cry of a whistle pierced the air. Just as suddenly, the stormy chaos was broken by a booming voice.
"Get out of bed," the voice commanded. "Get on line."
Startled, yet still barely awake, candidates at the Maryland National Guard's Freestate ChalleNGe Academy followed the voice's command and stumbled out of their bunks to line up in the hallway for morning roll call.
The early morning wake-up is something many of the candidates are still adjusting to. After roll call, as most brushed their teeth or changed into their gym clothes, a few candidates slunk back to their beds intent on just a few more minutes of sleep.
Those attempts were futile. The cadre members, who had awakened them with the crash of locker doors moments earlier, made sure of it. The thunder of metal-on-metal continued until all candidates were up and preparing for the day, even if they were unhappy about it.
"I [don't] like waking up at 4:30, having people slamming my locker tellin' me to get up," said Jordan Wisdom, 16, a candidate from Glen Burnie, Md. "Waking up having to make four corners on my bed and to 'dress-right-dress your shoes.' I didn't know what that meant and they [the cadre] were just yellin' it in my face."
Adjusting to the regimented structure of the academy is often difficult for many candidates, said cadre members.
"The biggest challenge with the kids has been getting them up on time, learning how to march and having someone instruct them on what they need to do day-in and day-out," said Sgt. Andre Johnson, a cadre member at Freestate.
Jordan agreed that early on there were many parts about academy life that were hard for him.
"When you have someone coming up to you telling you 'You're not allowed to do that' and 'You're not allowed to do what you want;' I was frustrated," he said, adding that at home he usually did whatever he wanted.
His frustrations subsided, he said, when he realized there was a benefit to the academy structure. Since then, he has learned to remain calm when cadre members challenge him or hold him accountable for his actions.
"I wasn't going to get [anywhere] in this program if I keep on tryin' to fight it," Jordan said.
That doesn't mean it still hasn't been a challenge for him.
"At first it was hard for me to stay focused and want to stick with the program," he said. "Now it's a lot easier, because once you start following the rules and do what everybody asks you to do and don't show disrespect, they make it easier for you."
It's also allowed him to reflect on why he came to the academy and what it will take for him to graduate.
"I've been trying to keep my head up in here, trying to keep myself in order and trying to keep myself motivated to get through the program," Jordan said.
Fueling that motivation are his goals to make his mom proud and proving to her he can follow through with something, he said. Though, that's only the beginning.
"I want to get my high school diploma," he said. "From there I want to go to a community college, or at least get my associates [degree], move on to my four year degree, go into computer science and take care of my mother like she took care of me.”
For now, though, Jordan's focus is on making it through the initial two weeks, which are designed to acclimate the teens to the basic structure and discipline expected of them during the five-and-a-half month resident phase at the academy. This is also the time when many teens are dropped from the program, often for failure to adapt to the standards, said cadre members.
After the first two weeks, candidates go through the Crossover Ceremony where they become cadets and officially begin the core of the program.
"From there they start academics and a variety of other things," said Charles Rose, program director at the academy, adding that the cadets' days will generally follow the same routine from here on out.
The day typically begins at 4:30 a.m. with organized physical fitness, and then barracks cleanup, before cadets are marched to breakfast. Afterward, they'll spend the next eight hours — two blocks of four hours with lunch in between — rotating through classes such as science, math, history and English.
There are also other subjects as well.
"Since this is a quasi-military environment they have leadership classes, military history … to get the fundamentals of what the military is," Jordan said.
These are not Jordan's favorites though.
"Math and science are the favorite parts of my day," he said. "With math, I always make sure I have all of my work and show all of my work so I can really understand how I'm supposed to do it."
It's a silver lining that Jordan said makes the days easier for him.
"I'm trying to look at the bright side of being here, and since they have subjects I like I might as well try to excel at them," he said.
Jordan said he also enjoys assisting other cadets who may have trouble with those subjects.
"I like helping people because you're changing their mindset from, 'I don't know how to do this' to 'I can do this,'" he said, adding he also tries to help his peers see the larger benefits of the academy.
"If all a cadet sees is that they are being told what to do, that's not what this program is about," he said. "It's about teaching you discipline, integrity and all that stuff."
The program is challenging, said Jordan, and sticking through it requires paying attention and listening.
"If you just listen, [the cadre] won't get all up in your case," he said. "If they say 'Go this way' you go that way. If you ask why, they're just going to give you a harder time."
For some, listening to instructions from the cadre and others is often easier said than done.
"The challenge I've had to overcome is learning to listen to and follow the directions that have been given to me," said Tameara Watford, 17, a cadet from Baltimore. "I had a lot of problems at home with not listening and letting other people speak."
Jordan said he often tells peers like Tameara that he tries to see the deeper meaning behind what the cadre are telling him.
"I know that everything [the cadre] say is for a reason and not out of disrespect," he said. "It's advice. It's to help me, even if they're yelling in my face.”
The cadre have noticed a change in Jordan since his first day at the academy.
"Prior to the Crossover Ceremony he was on the edge of being a problem," said Johnson, the cadre member. "Once he crossed over and got the uniform and was put into a leadership position, he's been completely night and day. He's taking control and command of the people in his squad and he's a tremendous young man."
As the cadets continue through the program, Jordan said he is looking forward to learning more about being a leader.
"The cadre told us that as we get further along in the program, we're going to have more responsibility," he said. "They'll be appointing certain cadets as leaders, like a platoon leader, to help run the program and make sure people are getting to class on time."
Jordan said he is looking forward to the opportunity to take on one of those positions.
"I know if I keep doing what I have to do as a cadet then it'll come," he said.
Now that he, Tameara and other cadets are settled in with the program, Jordan said everything he and his peers have endured thus far makes sense.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.16.2016 11:20 |
| Story ID: | 207262 |
| Location: | EDGEWOOD, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The ChalleNGe: Settling In (Part 2 of 5), by SFC Darron Salzer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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