CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) One of the high schools in Clarksville-Montgomery County offers a very unique educational experience for students. It’s the West Creek High School Academy of Criminal Justice & Homeland Security and is the only academy of its type in the school system.
Members of the academy command staff and teacher Demone Chestnut, recently paid a visit to 5 Star Media Group and Clarksville Now. Two other teachers, James Moore and Gerald Steffan, work with Chestnut in the academy and all three are former officers with the Clarksville Police Department.
“Our academy prepares our youth for careers in criminal justice peripheral. That’s why they want to be in law enforcement, or they want to be a lawyer or they want to do homeland security. Anything involving intel or law enforcement, that’s what we prepare them for,” said Chestnut.
Chestnut said the academy has been going on since 2011 and that every year a new class of 75 students begin the program. Right now, there are around 220 students enrolled and once they have completed the program they have an opportunity to achieve nine college credits.
“Many people don’t know that we exist and we want to make a statement that we are here trying to improve the criminal justice profession to carry it to another level. We want other students to know that you don’t have to live in our district to apply for our academy,” Chestnut said.
There are about 13 students who make up the student command staff of the academy. Those who visited 5 Star Media included Chief Ezekiel McGhee, Deputy Chief Mackenzie McDonald, Deputy Chief Alyssa Corchado and Captain Logan Roberts.
McGhee said he joined the academy because he’s interested in being a lawyer and he felt with the academy it’s giving him an extra boost when he goes to college. I feel like this academy has set me apart from everyone else because I have four years of training,” said McGhee.
The West Creek High School Academy of Criminal Justice & Homeland Security is always looking for opportunities to get the word out about their program and learn more about law enforcement. To find out ways you can support the academy, email Demone.Chestnut@smcss.net or the academy Guidance Counselor, Megan Sellers, at Megan.Sellers@cmcss.net.
