Grizzly Youth Academy cadets graduate in ceremony at Cal Poly

On Friday, 202 cadets graduated from the Grizzly Youth Academy for at-risk youth at a ceremony held at Cal Poly.

The commencement marked that 33rd class to graduate since the institute, which serves teens from Central and Northern California, opened in 1998.

The academy is a charter school operated by the California National Guard at Camp San Luis Obispo. It started 16 years ago with 73 students ages 16 to 18 and has since seen more than 4,000 youth complete the program.

The academy’s 22-week voluntary residential education and leadership program includes the Grizzly Challenge Charter High School, run by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, which gives cadets the opportunity to earn more than 60 high school credits.

On Friday, 65 of the 202 cadets earned their high school diplomas. Many of the other students will return to high school to get their diplomas.

This week also marked a ribbon-cutting celebration for the academy to celebrate a $3.2 million expansion that will provide classroom space for an additional 60 female cadets. The program will grow to 275 students.

“These new classrooms, supported by both state and federal funding, will open the door to new opportunities for dozens of youth looking for a better path,” said U.S. Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, in news release. “With this expansion, the Grizzly Charter School will be able to further its mission, while providing more students access to curriculum centered on the values of self-discipline and education they need to succeed.”

This story was originally published December 19, 2014 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Grizzly Youth Academy cadets graduate in ceremony at Cal Poly."