You're going to see those busses rolling as thousands of students across Kentucky are heading back to school.

Among them, the newest class to enter the Appalachian Challenge Academy in Harlan County.

It's a quasi military style program for at risk youth, where the goal is to build up grades and character details.

And tonight's Education Matters report.

Yes.

On that.

We are a National Guard program through the state and the federal level.

We work with, young men and women all throughout the Commonwealth, ages 15 to half, all the way to 18 on their intake day.

Our cadets are here of all walks of life, just trying to better themselves and get a different alternative, education outlook.

Maybe regular schools not working.

Maybe the home life is not where it should be.

Maybe they're having some issues just in their own personal life, what have you.

We bring them here to have an inclusive environment that focuses on them.

First thing we do is we wake them up at zero six in the morning and start hygiene.

And being in charge of second to not go in and do hygiene with them, brush my teeth, shave and and then we just start the training day.

And training day can be anywhere from PT to drill and ceremony.

And then you also have your basic class day.

This right here teaches them the fundamentals of just basic service and prepares them so that when they would go to whatever their service is, that they would be better prepared.

We have two programs in the state, one here in Harlan and then one at Fort Knox.

We have 121 cadets on site as of today, and those kids are from various counties, various communities all throughout the state.

I think it's a healthy blend of a lifestyle, because we are quasi military.

And so you got to find that balance you need to anybody that comes to work here or cadet, it's a balance.

And, you know, it's not a boot camp by any means.

So they they got to find the balance.

So it's good for everybody.

It gives them that structure that the military has, but also allows us to have a positive impact and relationship with these kids that, you know, normal military drill instructors wouldn't have.

I was rebellious, like against my family and stuff like that.

And I kind of just did whatever I wanted to, and I didn't think about the consequences of my actions coming here.

I realize that.

That's not going to get you anywhere in life.

I like this place.

I think that it's a blessing for me and myself, my life, and it's a great opportunity for other people to work.

And I, I don't know how to say it, kind of like I would change their direction in life.

They get their head on straight.

We see a lot of kids that have fallen on hard times and, you know, we obviously have a community, especially in eastern Kentucky, that's been ravaged through drugs and, and different things.

And we see a lot of evidence of that, a lot of poverty.

And they come in and they're just kind of overweight and they're and they're and they're insecure of themselves and they don't believe in themselves.

And then all of a sudden you see that growth start to take place and you see that good that they didn't even know they had.

And that potential just blossoms.

I will be the first to tell you that every kid who comes here is like, I'm not going to like it.

And in my 22 weeks they're crying and they're hugging me and they're, you know, writing me appreciation letters.

It breaks my heart because it is like I'm losing a family member for me.

What I've taken from it is that at the end of the day, you are your own person.

You make your own decisions, and the way you want your life to go is your decision.

And you can do anything.

You just put your mind to it.

Yes.

Okay.

This is the Academy's 26 class.

According to the academy, it has graduated more than 2500 students from the program.