The Winchester Police Department (WPD) will reprise its successful Junior Academy (ages 5-8) in 2019 with three Saturday session dates – April 6, July 20, and September 28. Registration for the April 6 session will begin on March 6.
In order to make the registration process easier, the application will be formatted as a webform instead of the fillable PDF that was used last year. Applicants will be able to fill out and submit the form on their computer or mobile device. When available, the application will be found online at www.winchesterva.gov/junior-academy.
Last year, the WPD accepted applications for all three dates during one registration period. This year, the WPD will only accept applications for one session at a time, with each registration period beginning about a month before the session date and ending once spots are filled. Registration dates are as follows:
March 6 (April 6 session)
June 20 (July 20 session)
August 28 (September 28 session)
Session sizes are limited to 24 participants. Residents in the 22601 area code (the WPD’s jurisdiction) will receive priority placement, and applicants from neighboring jurisdictions will be placed into any remaining spots for the session. “We would love to be able to accept every applicant into the program,” stated academy organizer Lt. Amanda Behan. “However, we work with limited resources, so while children from across the area are welcome to apply, we want to make sure we’re reaching the children that we interact with the most.”
Once all spots are full, remaining applicants will be placed onto a temporary waiting list. Applicants who are not admitted will need to re-apply for the next session. Families with multiple children who are interested in attending the academy must complete one application per child.
More information about the Junior Academy and registration can be found online at www.winchesterpolice.org/junior-academy.