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"Texans Serving Texas"
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media is invited to cover the graduation ceremony at Iraan High School Auditorium on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at 11 a.m. and must arrive no later than 10 a.m. to allow for parking and coordination. The event will last approximately two hours. Cadets, staff and family participating in the event will be available afterward for interviews. High-resolution photos will be available after the event on DVIDS.
Members of the media are required to RSVP no later than Friday, August 17, 2018, by 5 p.m. with the
TMD State Public Affairs Office at (512) 782-1034 or via email at ng.tx.txarng.mbx.pao@mail.mil.
Iraan High School Auditorium, 103 Farr St. Iraan, Texas 79744
FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLIC RELEASE:
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy-West Graduates Final Class
AUSTIN, Texas (August 15, 2018) - The Texas ChalleNGe Academy-West will graduate its final class at 11 a.m., Saturday, August 18, at Iraan High School Auditorium, 103 Farr St. Iraan, Texas 79744.
The Texas Military Department recently announced a campus consolidation plan that will result in the closure of the Texas ChalleNGe Academy-West at Sheffield following the graduation of the current class. As of December 2018, The Texas ChalleNGe Academy East and West campuses will consolidate into one TCA academy, located in Eagle Lake, Texas.
The Texas ChalleNGe Academy is designed to decrease high-school drop-out and reclaim the potential of at-risk youth through education, mentoring and service to the community through a five-and-a-half month residential quasi-military setting. Since 1999, the program has graduated more than 3,000 students, who have gone on to graduate from college, become police officers, join the military and have successful careers.
“We are so proud of our Texas ChalleNGe Academy cadets, their families and our hard-working staff. This class leaves behind an important legacy as the last class to graduate from the west campus, which has helped hundreds of young Texans chart a path toward a better life,” said Brig. Gen. Greg Chaney, Director of Joint Staff, Texas Military Department. “As we consolidate TCA campuses, we are excited about the future of the Texas ChalleNGe Academy and hope to empower our Texas youth for many years to come.”
The ceremony will honor the legacy of the Sheffield campus with special remarks from Chaney, while welcoming former students back and seeing the 1,500th Sheffield cadet graduate.
The ChalleNGe Academy program is sponsored by the Texas National Guard and is part of the Texas National Guard’s goal to add value to our communities and develop and participate in local, state and national programs that provide a positive impact in our communities.
The media is invited to attend the graduation. The ceremony will last approximately two hours.
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The mission of the Texas Military Department (TMD) is to provide the Governor and the President with ready and trained forces in support of the citizens of Texas and State and Federal civil/military authorities at home and abroad.
The Texas Military Department is commanded by the Adjutant General of Texas, the state's senior military official appointed by the governor, and is comprised of the Texas Military Department (formerly the Adjutant General's Department), the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), the Texas Air National Guard (TXANG), the Texas State Guard (TXSG) and the Domestic Operations Command (DOMOPS)
For more information about the Texas Military Department visit our Website at https://tmd.texas.gov.
Texas Military Department Public Affairs
P.O. Box 5218, Building 10
Camp Mabry (Austin), Texas 78703