Nearly 100 young Montanans spent the past two weeks at Fort Harrison in the pre-challenge phase of the Montana Youth ChalleNGe Program.

Maj. Gen. Randy Mosley adjutant general of the Montana National Guard spoke to the candidates and said he wanted to congratulate them for still being there.

He told them that the MYCP will rule their lives for the next five months and it won't be easy.

Mosley said he wanted the youths to show perseverance, teamwork and guts, which will be required to make it through the challenge.

"I believe in you," he said, "and I believe in this program."

This marks the 14th class in the program since its beginning in 1999 -- totaling about 1,040 including the current cadets.

Three platoons -- two male and one female -- spent Thursday afternoon doing drills in the brisk wind at Fort Harrison and were presented with MYCP hats representing their achievement to move on in the program.

Levi Hemen, 16, was attending Helena High and said he didn't like it as he got into a lot of fights.

Hemen of East Helena said he heard about MYCP from his mother, but wasn't told he had to go -- he wanted to go.

He said he has already learned about self-discipline and respect.

"I knew about it before, but not to the max," he said.

Hemen said he loves the drills because he is really good at them.

"It give me a change to jug -- gets my blood pumping," he said.

He is learning many things through the program including freedom and an increased vocabulary, he said.

"I'm also learning how good a person I really am," he said.

Hemen aspires to be a cartoon designer and says MYCP allows time for him to explore his creative talent.

MYCP Commandant Tim Hansen said all the young people on Thursday have survived a weeding out process of sorts --succeeding in academic testing and drills.

"It is a proud moment for them really," he said.

Krystan Briere, 17, said she wanted to join the program.

"I wanted to do something better with my life than get into trouble," she said.

Briere of Havre said the experience has changed her life for the better and taught her self-discipline. She said she is happy about her decision to apply to MYCP and has really enjoyed the environment.

She hopes after graduating to attend Blackfeet Community College to train to be a kindergarten teacher.

The MYCP is a National Guard Program geared toward teens between the ages of 16-18 who haven't done well in a traditional classroom setting.

After completing the initial prechallenge, students move to Dillon where they spend five months on the University of Montana n Western campus and continue with 12 months of mentoring.

A typical day in the program begins with a wakeup call at 5 a.m. with physical-fitness training by 5:15 a.m. Breakfast is served with time following allowed for personal hygiene. The rest of the day is spent in classrooms with lights out at 9:30 p.m.

The military-style program, free to parents and students who attend, is designed to reach students who would otherwise fall through the cracks of high school.

MYCP is funded through 60 percent federal dollars and 40 percent from state funds.

Hemen would recommend MYCP to his peers, he said.

"Respect and discipline are things you need to know to succeed," he said. "If you don't know those, you aren't going to go too far."