More than 110 students from 40 counties will walk across the stage at Mauston High School on Wednesday as a part of the 52nd class of the Wisconsin National Guard Challenge Academy, and you will find that one of those students hails from Door County. The voluntary Challenge Academy is a cost-free alternative education program that re-shapes the lives of 16-to-18-year-olds at risk of not graduating from high school by employing a structured, military-style environment, and state-certified teachers and counselors to build Cadets’ academic abilities, character, self-confidence, and personal discipline.

Ashlee Pratt of Sturgeon Bay recognized that she needed that when she applied. She struggled with just getting to the classroom, let alone the coursework and activities inside it. It started out harder than she thought it would be, but Pratt says she quickly realized that she made the right decision.

As a part of graduating from the Wisconsin Challenge Academy, graduates earn their high school equivalency diploma and up to 16 college credits. Pratt will return to Sturgeon Bay, where he will work with a mentor who will offer guidance and encouragement to pursue her goal of attending college to pursue a fine arts degree and becoming a tattoo artist. The Wisconsin Challenge Academy, located at Fort McCoy, will begin its next class on July 24th. Pratt is the first graduate from Door County in five years.