The Mountaineer Challenge Academy welcomed its first class this week at its new location in Montgomery. The first class of cadets will consist of 72 teens ages 16-18. The program takes about five months and includes physical training, classroom regiments, and team-building exercises. The program is voluntary for West Virginia students considered educationally at-risk and it can help them earn a high school diploma. The academy is using two buildings on West Virginia University Tech’s old campus – Maclin Hall and the old Tech Center. Montgomery hasn’t had residential students since the school left town for Beckley in 2017.