Four Fayette County teens recently

graduated from the Georgia National Guard's Youth Challenge Academy

at Fort Stewart.

Tavarus Simon and Xavier Smith

of Fayetteville and Leroy Stanciel and Brian Drew of Peachtree City participated

in the commencement ceremony in Macon in early December. They graduated

with a class of more than 140 participants.

The Youth Challenge Academy

is designed to help high school dropouts ages 16-18 to complete requirements

to obtain a GED or high school diploma. Many graduates move on to technical

schools or colleges or enlist in the armed forces. Others return to their

hometowns with valuable skills and resources to secure employment.

More than 2,500 at-risk youth

from Georgia have completed the academy. The Georgia National Guard operates

two Youth Challenge campuses: one at Fort Stewart and the other at Fort

Gordon near Augusta.

The commencement speaker was

Brigadier General Joel Seymour, commander of the 600-member Georgia State

Defense Force.

For more information on the

academy, contact Lt. Col. Ken Baldowski at 404-624-6060.