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He has seen hundreds of teens come and go. Before joining the academy in 2009, he served in the Air Force for 20 years. His strategy was to be a private beneath the radar, “to keep the lowest rank and just get it over with.”ĭarrell Stoops, a 1st lieutenant at the academy, is what’s known as cadre supervisor for the 1st Platoon Wolfpack. He threw up his sausage McMuffin breakfast in a trash can.Īs some candidates were sent home, he felt conflicted. It was dizzying, a blur of sergeants barking orders and pushups and burpies. “On orientation day, I get there and I see all these guys in military uniforms and I’m like ‘Oh, what did I sign up for?’ ”ĭuring a gruelling workout, he thought to himself: “I can’t do it.” Part of that goal is to provide “life and job skills training that will change their lives and give them hope and opportunity.”īeakley wasn’t thinking about life changes.

#Washington youth academy wolfpack logo professional

In promotional material, the academy writes that its mission is to provide a disciplined, safe and professional learning environment where at-risk youth can improve their educational levels and employment potential and become responsible and productive. Then again, it was the Bremerton-based Washington Youth Academy, and that would require commitment, conformity and separation from friends and family. The first thing he saw was that he could earn eight credits. It was time for a talk.Īs Beakley remembers it, the counselor explained how far behind in credits he’d fallen, handed him a brochure and said something to the effect of “You should consider this.” He was just proud to wear a capital A on his chest.Īs had become his pattern, his grades took a nosedive after the season.Ī counselor called him in. When he did return, it was as though he wasn’t there at all.īeakley was the last player on the end of the bench for the junior varsity. He didn’t go to school for more than a week. Like many Marysville students, he felt in a fog, not for days but for weeks and months. That afternoon he learned that Gia Soriano was among the victims. The day he learned about the fatal shootings in the Pilchuck cafeteria, Beakley texted his friend to see if she was okay. He would sometimes catch up with her in those fleeting moments. Her bus would stop at Getchell on the way to Pilchuck. They went their separate ways for high school: he east up the hill to Marysville Getchell she north to Marysville Pilchuck. He never had the nerve to tell her how he really felt. She always treated him with kindness when they were in middle school. “They are good kids,” Beakley said afterward. Then they brought out their diplomas and told them this is worth fighting for. They described where the boys were likely to mess up in life and how they need to push through it. Beakley and Weier explained to the boys that people doubted they would ever graduate.