Op-Ed by Dan Boren:
Tuesday, August 09, 2005

WASHINGTON D.C - While serving in Congress I have made it a priority to be diligent in sorting out government waste and making budget decisions that reflect our priorities.  However, I believe it is important to point out instances where government is making a positive impact on our society.  It was my pleasure to learn of such a program a few months ago in Pryor, Oklahoma.

 

I was recently invited to visit the Thunderbird Academy and speak at their Spring 2005 commencement.  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which authorizes the program, it was rewarding to see firsthand how our tax dollars were being used to serve our state.       

 

Unlike many of our state’s youth-serving programs, the Academy provides troubled and misguided youth with an alternative to traditional juvenile justice programs. Each year, the Academy, part of 29 National Guard Youth Challenge programs nationwide, runs two six month courses for up to 239 troubled Oklahoma teens, ages 16-18. 

 

The Thunderbird Academy is a second chance schooling option for at-risk youth.  All of its cadets are high school dropouts and several have experienced a number of adversities such as parental neglect and abuse. It’s not surprising that many of them have problems with authority and have had minor brushes with the law.  The Academy’s instructors work to turn hostility into productivity and transform troubled teens into cadets.   

 

During a rigorous 17-week residential course, the Academy applies military discipline to improve conduct and teach life skills, trades, and self-respect. The core principles of leadership, citizenship, and academic excellence are imbedded in the Academy’s teaching philosophy.  Through a regimented lifestyle of exercise and learning, cadets earn their GED and many even earn college credits. 

 

In Oklahoma, the number high school dropouts in 2003-04 were 6,080.  Of those, roughly half were students from adverse home situations.  Although Oklahoma schools have done well in reducing dropouts in recent years, the number continues to rise nationally.  Across our country, nearly 3,000 kids drop out of school every day and 68% of the adults in our nation’s correctional facilities are high school dropouts. 

 

The Thunderbird Academy has graduated 2118 students since 1993.  Many of them are now making good on the investment that has been made in them. In fact, 51% of graduates successfully join the work force; 19% join the U.S. Military; and, 20% continue their education by attending college or vocational schools. 

 

These successes are a testament to the dedicated instructors and mentors that work with Thunderbird’s cadets. Under their direction, cadets experience the rewards of motivation and learn skills to prepare them for the challenges of today’s economy. 

 

Many of today's troubled youth require more structure and personal development than our public schools can give them.  The Thunderbird Academy builds character and work ethic by reinforcing the values of faith, hard work, and personal responsibility.  These values are the backbone of a successful future.     

 

Too many people feel that where you start out dictates where you should end up, but turning setbacks into comebacks is what America is all about.  The Thunderbird Youth Academy instills disciplines and complements values in otherwise at-risk youth.  It has a positive impact on society and is a meaningful use of taxpayer resources that I will continue to support.

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