Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy staff continue to provide options to cadets and their families

The Wyoming Military Department reports that following the decision to curtail the residential portion of Class 46 and eventually close the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy located at Camp Guernsey, the staff continues to provide options to cadets and their guardians for their academic success.

“Similar to the process we used during COVID when we sent cadets home, we’ll provide them each a capability to continue their work recovering their high school credits or achieving a high school equivalency,” Director of the Joint Staff, Wyoming National Guard Brig. Gen. David Pritchett said.  

The Wyoming Military Department reports they are working with other states’ Youth Challenge programs to determine placement and eligibility options to enroll cadets immediately. The Nevada Challenge program has agreed to enroll all the remaining cadets to include those that have been accepted into the WCCA next class into their next class starting in January 2023. For cadets who enroll in Nevada’s January Challenge class, the Wyoming Military Department will provide transportation to Nevada. The Wyoming Cowboy Challenge staff are contacting the families and guardians to discuss options for their cadets.

The cadets are already enrolled in the remote learning portal and teachers will remain on staff to assist the cadets. The Wyoming Military Department will further provide Chromebook laptops for the cadets that need an internet-capable device.  Those current cadets seeking to test for their high school equivalency will have their test costs covered.

According to the WYMD, the decision to close WCCA was based on the program’s inability to recruit and retain enough qualified personnel to staff the 24/7 work cycle requirement. As a residential program for minor children, a certain level of staffing is mandatory for the safety of the cadets. The decision to close the current class was made in coordination with Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s office.