AREA'S AT-RISK TEENS SHIP OUT FOR BOOT CAMP.

Byline: John Sanders Staff Writer

More than two dozen Desert Winds Continuation High School students began a grueling 22-week session Sunday in the hope of turning their lives around at the Grizzly Youth Academy in San Luis Obispo.

The 30 troubled students from the Lancaster high school will spend nearly five months in a quasi-boot camp, building their self-esteem, improving discipline and confidence levels and learning basic life skills.

The main goal of the program, organizers say, is improving the whole person.

``It gives them an opportunity to get out of an environment that isn't working - whether it be education, family, peers or gang activity,'' said Glenda Wright, who is the program administrator who coordinates recruiting, mentoring and placement. ``It gives them a chance to totally turn their lives around.''

Although the format is structured like a boot camp, the Grizzly Youth Academy, located at Camp San Luis Obispo, is a volunteer program. Applicants must submit an application, go through an interview and get letters of recommendation.

In order to be accepted, a student must be 16-18 years old, a resident of California, a high school dropout or at risk of dropping out, drug free, and able to physically and mentally complete the program.

The program is run by the National Guard and is funded through the Department of Defense and the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. Approximately $3.5 million each year is given to the program, approximately $16,000 per student.

Wright said that she expects to get nearly 200 students for this session and hopes that 125 will stick with the program and graduate.

``These kids are not necessarily in trouble with the law, they've just fallen through the cracks,'' Wright said. ``The results (of the program) are just phenomenal.''

Participants must rise at 5 a.m., attend classes for 6-1/2 hours a day, wear a uniform and submit to random drug tests. Girls cannot wear makeup.

At the academy, which is fully accredited, kids can earn up to 40 credits toward their schooling. The teens can enroll in such classes as health, sex and nutrition education, academic excellence, responsible citizenship, job skills, and life and coping skills. If they earn their General Equivalency Diploma, they can take courses at nearby Cuesta College.

Participants also must perform at least 60 hours of community service. In the past, Wright said, some of the kids have wrapped presents for youth hospitals, helped with the Special Olympics, performed at parades or directed traffic.

When the kids graduate, they are assigned a mentor for one year to validate their progress.

``It gives them a chance to be totally clean and sober, and get their education back on track,'' Wright said.