The Herald-News - News Story

At 7:30 a.m., many folks are still swatting their alarm clocks or snoozing through the sunrise. But by that time 16 local teens are kissing pavement and wiping sweat from their brows as they run up and down bleachers.

"These kids are going to be studs when this is all over. We want to teach them that going back to doing whatever knucklehead things they were doing is not the only option," National Guard Sgt. Matt Jaggers said.

Though the teens have not enlisted in the military, they train as if they had. They are actually part of Juvenile Court Judge Jim McKenzie's boot CAMP (children's attitude motivational program), designed for juveniles ages 13 to 17 who have been in and out of his courtroom for offenses ranging from truancy to simple possession of marijuana. The camp lasts seven weeks.

Jaggers stood over the group Tuesday as the sun burned through the morning haze and brought its heat to bear on the beleaguered teens.

"It's going to be a long day if y'all don't lose the attitudes," he barked, while their platoon leader led them through a round of pushups.

This week marks the group's fourth week of camp. It starts at 7:30 each morning with intense physical training, and then the students go to breakfast at 9. After a couple hours of classes, they round out the day with either a motivational speaker or drills outside.

After that the teens are free to go home, but the routine will start again the next morning.

Afternoon classes offer refreshers on math, writing and on life skills, such as managing personal finances.

The group spent last week at the National Guard Volunteer Training Center in Smyrna, Tenn., according to Rhea County Sheriff's Deputy Chase Boyd. He said they lived in the barracks and got more of a taste of what military training is all about. Following the week they had to write a paper about their experiences, and Boyd said they all seemed to enjoy it.

"There wasn't a bad paper written about it," he said.

The sheriff's department facilitates the camp, using four school resource officers from around the county who show up every morning with the teens, according to Boyd.

"It's all about getting them to change their attitudes," he said. "The biggest thing is getting them to listen."

Deputy Ted Byrd, another school resource officer, said many teens come to the camp after rough backgrounds with low self-esteem and minimal goals. The officers' job is to instill them with confidence.

"We want them to learn that they can accomplish goals they didn't think they could accomplish," he said.

While the teens caught their breath and guzzled water on the Rhea County High School track Tuesday morning, Guardsman Jaggers said his goal is to teach them to function as a cohesive unit and to be proud of whatever task they have.

"It teaches them respect, and it teaches them pride," he said. "You can't teach a bunch of individuals something, but you can teach a group."

Rhea County began the program about 10 years ago, and since then five other counties in the area have started their own versions, Boyd said.

On July 13 the groups from those counties will come to Rhea County High School to compete with each other in drills and physical activities.

The Rhea County teens who complete the camp will graduate on July 17 at 9 a.m. in the Little Theatre at Rhea County High School.

Michael Reneau can be contacted at michael.reneau@rheaheraldnews.com.