Two Hall County teens graduated from the Fort Gordon Youth Challenge Academy on March 5. Graduation ceremonies were at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta, marking 10,000 students in the YCA’s history. Cody Pressley Georgia’s Youth Challenge Academy is a voluntary 22-week, in-residence, military-styled program which emphasizes academic completion, life skills development and physical fitness. High school dropouts between the ages of 16-18 are eligible to apply, yet only 40 percent of applicants are approved to enroll each year. Teens who complete the 22-week program graduate and receive their GED or diploma. Georgia National Guard operates two YCA campuses, the original campus located at Fort Stewart and a second campus which opened at Fort Gordon near Augusta.
Air Force Airman Bart M. Ziccardi graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. He is the son of Bart Ziccardi Sr. of Spring Crest Road, Cleveland, and Dawn Warwick of Walnut Bend Drive, Gainesville. Ziccardi graduated in 2010 from White County High School, Cleveland.
Uniform News
Notes and recognition from service members here and abroad
