Peter Kaua still feels the tears well up when he sees young people marching out after completing an induction course at Waiouru Military Camp.
"We're coming up to 12 years now but it still gets me," he said.
"There is nothing like it - seeing them march by and their parents being so proud of them."
Principal Kaua established the service academy at Whanganui City College in 2010 and his first recruit was a young tearaway named Tyrone Kemp who now leads club and game development at the Whanganui Rugby Football Union.
Since leaving Whanganui City College a decade ago, Kemp has had an army career that saw him become a flight dispatcher and took him to places like Antarctica, Samoa, Fiji, Australia and Hawaii.
He then attended Massey University where he gained his BA in sport and fitness administration and management.
It is a far cry from the troublesome boy Kaua shoulder-tapped for the academy in 2010.
Kaua describes the Kemp of the time as a "little monkey" whose behaviour and attitude were causing headaches for his teachers and whānau.
"I told him he needed to complete NCEA level 1 and stop disrespecting his teachers and other students," Kaua said.
"He was very bright and had huge potential but his attitude was appalling."
Kemp laughed at Kaua's assessment of his younger self and said it was pretty accurate.
"I don't think I would have found my way to where I am now without that early experience," he said.
"The academy training and the experience of attending the courses at Waiouru prepared me well for army life. When I did my basic training I didn't find it nearly as hard as some of the other recruits did because I'd been conditioned."
Kemp credited the academy's first director Thomas "Blue" Davies for keeping him on track when he joined the academy.
"He was really inspirational and knew how to encourage young people to keep going when we were struggling."
The academy's current director Allison Pene is in her second year in the role and the appointment has been a homecoming for her.
"I grew up here, went to Whanganui High School and had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school," Pene said.
"I was the black sheep in my family but when I joined the army I found the direction I was looking for and I haven't looked back."
Coming back to Whanganui and leading rangatahi/young people looking for their signposts to adulthood was very rewarding work, she said.
She currently works with 18 students who have completed the two-week induction at Waiouru Military Camp and they are well synchronised as they march around the school sports courts.
"We had 19 students and all but one made it through which is pretty amazing because it is not easy," Pene said.
"It's a tough course and, for some, it's the first time they've been away from home."
The expectations are high and letting yourself down means letting your mates down.
"If one person is late or doesn't turn up, all the students are penalised so the attendance rates are good and everyone makes the effort to be here on time," Pene said.
The students work with Pene for around 10 hours a week and the rest of the time they attend classes where they are expected to achieve literacy and numeracy as well as science subject passes for NCEA level 2.
Over the past decade, the academy has attracted not only those seeking direction but those with very clear goals in mind.
Year 12 student Raiha Mihaka has been named the most improved student this year and said she had specific aims in mind when she signed up.
"I wanted to achieve a good level of physical fitness but also mental fitness.
"This course gives you great focus."
Josh Smith, who was the top military academy student in 2020, said the course had been great for building camaraderie.
"You have to work together and think about everyone else when you're here."
Whanganui City College's 2021 head students Atriane Marino and Tui Letele are both service academy graduates and share a common goal of joining the police force.
"You need to get life experience first, so I will be looking for that when I leave school but the academy really sharpened me up and I enjoyed the training at Waiouru," Atriane said.
Tui said she also enjoyed the military training although the outdoor survival course which the current students will be taking later in the year wasn't so great.
"You can't have a proper wash or shower and I didn't enjoy being all paru but it was okay otherwise."
Brydon Greer and his family recently moved to Whanganui from Waihi Beach and the academy was part of the attraction, he said.
"I really like it here - it's been hard but I'm really enjoying it."
By the end of the year, most of the students will be at a point where they are able to sit and pass the written and physical entrance tests for any of the government services.
A Ministry of Education spokeswoman said the service academies were designed to create new work, education and training opportunities for unemployed young people during the economic downturn in 2009.
"Services academies are run within secondary schools in partnership with the New Zealand Defence Force," she said.
"The original aim was to motivate students who were disengaged or disengaging from education to stay at school by providing them with a military-focused programme."
Over the years, the purpose of the academies had broadened to include students wanting to raise their personal aspirations, and were academically high-achieving, student leaders who wished to pursue a future in the uniformed services or gain important leadership and life skills.
Whanganui City College was an "early adopter" following the first eight New Zealand schools opening academies in 2009. There were now academies at 30 high schools around the country and the ministry estimated about 5850 students had participated since the first one opened.
Students were achieving NCEA Level 2 at a rate above the ministry's expectation (above 75 per cent) and were also exceeding the target of 80 per cent of students transitioning into further education, vocational training or employment.
Kaua said City College's academy success rates were in line with those statistics and there was a good level 3 achievement as well.
"I knew it seemed like a winner when we signed up for it and it is great to look back on how many students have gone from strength to strength."
