BOOT CAMP HELPS TEENS FIND AIM IN LIFE

What can society do with high school dropouts who have no interest in going to school?

Many of these young men and women are on a fast track to low-paying jobs or, even worse, a life of crime.

Enter Camp Clark near Nevada, Mo., on the western edge of the state.

Missouri has embraced this boot camp as a way to truly reform young drifters.

This new training program for troubled teens aged 16 to 18 is coordinated by the Missouri National Guard, the current occupants at Camp Clark. It is designed to give dropouts a taste for disciplined living and learning.

And disciplined it is. Uniformed cadets arise at 5 o'clock in the morning and complete housekeeping chores. They attend classes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. -- working toward a general equivalency diploma, also known as a GED. The training also includes a community-service component, such as cleaning up area parks and roadways.

The camp itself was a stockade for German prisoners of war during World War II. Over the years, it has been used as a training facility for guardsmen. Because of its size, the camp has been used as a firing range.

The program is decidedly tough. Most teen-agers who enter the boot-camp program never make it to graduation. For example, 200 cadets began the program last July. Only 49 remained at the mid-December graduation. Most washed out during the initial two weeks of the orientation. Many couldn't get beyond the required drug testing. Others dropped out along the way due because the disciplined lifestyle didn't take.

But the program had a profound impact on those who did tough out the training. Graduates learn to live beyond today and plan for the future. They also feel satisfaction, as well they should, for completing such a rigorous program. That confidence can help them set their sights on further education or jobs. A yearlong mentoring program with graduates also helps to keep the teens pointed in the right direction.

Camp Clark is not for everyone. But this strict boot camp training is making a positive difference for many troubled Missourians.