If a school district is interested in establishing a Junior Guard program, officials must first determine if there is a local national guard member who has the time and interest in working with students and who is willing to commit at least three years to the project. The nest step involves school officials designating a staff person to coordinate the project and having teachers identify male and female in the sixth and seventh grades who would make good candidates. By targeting this age group, the program helps students make the difficult transition from elementary to middle school and later to high school. A new class is identified each year and the incoming students must complete a six month preparation program. After the initiation program, the new members begin participating in activities with other members of the Junior Guard.

Most of the 25 students in the first class were from single parent households, over 70% were eligible for the free lunch program, and many had other circumstances that placed them at risk. Since the program began, other students not meeting this criteria were allowed to join the program but priority is given to those students deemed most in need. Kim Graves, who coordinates the program for the district, holds a mandatory meeting for the parents at the beginning of each year to explain the program and obtain their permission for participation.

While there is usually one Guard person assigned to the project, two are sharing the responsibility for the project in Monroe County and they serve as important role models and authority figures. Other officers from the 623rd Field Artillery Unit also provide support. Ms. Graves works closely with the officers to schedule weekly activities throughout the school year. Junior Guard meets every Wednesday for two hours during school hours and the time of the program changes each week so the students don't miss the same class on a regular basis. Most of the activities are held at the local armory and students are transported to the site. While the officers and Ms. Graves lead most of the activities, representatives from mental health agencies, 4H, police, and fire departments assist with specific programs. The activities planned for the students are far ranging and include:

• Training to serve as color guard for ball games and other community events
• Classes in CPR and First-Aid training provided by local firefighters and EMS units, anger management, public speaking, Team-Building, and Character Counts
• Training in drill ceremony
• Participating in community service projects including helping with the local food bank, painting the fairgrounds, and collecting donated goods at Christmas
• Career advice from Kentucky state police and other professionals in the community
• Serving as mentors and classroom assistants to teachers in the district's three elementary schools and helping younger students complete homework and reading assignments

Some students are assigned a military rank based on the number of years in the program, grades, behavior, and attendance, providing strong incentives for participants to make improvements in these areas.

As a result of the command structure, the mentoring program and other activities, teaches participants leadership skills. Once the students are in High School, some or chosen to serve as leaders in the prep-Guard program which works with sixth and seventh graders who plan to join the program the next school year.

School officials believe the program has created a strong spirit within the group and this sense of belonging has resulted in the youth supporting one another throughout the school year. The ties between the schools and students have also been strengthened considerably. Lastly, it has taught the students to be better students by improving the community in which they live.

The average grades for the first three groups participating in the project have improved significantly- increases range from 8% to 15% per class. Improvement in attendance rates has been even more dramatic- increases range from 7% to 36%. For those youth who continue participating in the program through high school, 100% have graduated. School officials believe the majority would have dropped out prior to graduation and at least half of the students are the first in their family to graduate high school.

For additional information about this program, contact Kim Graves or Lt. Danny Fenwick.