Browning, Montana’s wilderness academy lifts dropout rate

In third grade, Justine Azure attended just 20 days before getting kicked out of school for cussing and hitting her teachers.
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"I was so bad, they kept tossing me up a grade so they didn’t have to deal with me," the now 15-year-old said. Consequently, at age 10 she struggled to read and spell, and her math skills were limited to addition and subtraction.

That was when Azure was chosen to take part in a new summer school program — one that kids actually wanted to be in.

Designed to prevent dropouts, the Blackfeet Academy Wilderness Adventure/Mentoring Program http://www.bps.k12.mt.us/156220814101835107/site/default.asp has worked so well for students like Azure that it was recently awarded a three-year, $1 million grant to expand.

By KIM SKORNOGOSKI • Tribune Staff Writer

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