20 North Carolina Students to Receive Their Penn Foster High School Diploma as Second Cohort to Graduate from National Guard’s Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy

NEW LONDON, N.C., March 22, 2018 -- Twenty young men and women from throughout North Carolina, delayed in their plans to graduate in previous years from their local high schools, will walk proudly across the stage tomorrow as the second cohort of students in the state to receive their Penn Foster High School diploma via the Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy, a quasi-military program sponsored by the North Carolina National Guard.

The Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy-New London graduation ceremony will take place on Friday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m. at the Stanly Agri-Civic Center in Albemarle, and is part of an innovative partnership between the North Carolina National Guard’s Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy and Penn Foster High School, which has a long and successful history of serving youth from traditionally underserved populations with an accredited High School Diploma Program, as well as career-focused education and skills training programs.

The first Penn Foster – Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy North Carolina cohort, consisting of 17 students, graduated in December 2017 from the Academy’s Salemburg, NC location.

As part of remarks prepared for delivery at the New London ceremony, retired Col. Edward Timmons, North Carolina State Director for Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy said: “This is not only a very proud day for these 20 North Carolina students and their families, it is also a rewarding moment for those of us who work every day to help students graduate with the education, life skills and self-discipline necessary to succeed as productive citizens.”

“We knew this program was going to be a success because of the strong leadership and dedication to success from the North Carolina National Guard and the hard work of the students who entered into this program,” said Dara Warn, Chief Outcomes Officer, Penn Foster.

Penn Foster has a long history in supporting underserved youth, and is today the trusted education provider for 95+ Job Corps and 30+ YouthBuild sites across the U.S.  Both of those non-profit programs are overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor.

About Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy: The Tarheel ChalleNGe Academy is a quasi-military style program for at risk high school dropouts sponsored by the North Carolina National Guard, which has been in existence for more than 24 years. More than 5,000 young men and women have graduated from this program since its inception in 1994. The mission of the Academy is to redirect the efforts of young adults who have had trouble succeeding in the normal high school environment and give them the skills and attitude to become productive citizens in their communities. This award-winning program has been recognized as one of the nation’s most effective and cost-efficient programs for targeting youth who are at the greatest risk for substance abuse, teen pregnancy, delinquency, and criminal activity.

About Penn Foster: Students, employers and partner organizations rely on Penn Foster to build the skills and knowledge to power the 21st century workforce. For over 125 years, Penn Foster has been dedicated to helping people lead more meaningful and productive lives and to improving social outcomes through education. Penn Foster provides career pathways for opportunity youth and adult learners through diverse and affordable online diploma, certificate and degree programs, offered via its high school, career school and college. With more than 30,000 graduates each year, Penn Foster's online and blended learning programs are delivered in a self-paced, competency-based model wrapped by comprehensive academic, professional and personal support and coaching. For more information, visit https://www.pennfoster.edu/ or our partners site at https://partners.pennfoster.edu/.

Press Contacts:
Boyle Public Affairs
James A. Boyle
[email protected]
571.213.3979

Penn Foster
Kate Mosteller
[email protected]
570.961.4032