Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) => Topic started by: Anonymous on August 01, 2005, 12:58:00 PM
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This one needs some letters to the editor with the real story. It is an obvious Spring Creek-engineered reply to tne negative publicity they got from the Independent Missoula paper.
This is the big paper in that town, and they need to know the t ruth, not the spin.:flame:
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What article are you talking about? Do you have a link?
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http://www.missoulian.com (http://www.missoulian.com)
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Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a boarding school in Thompson Falls, offers troubled teens a chance to paint a brighter picture for their futures
By JOHN STROMNES of the Missoulian
THOMPSON FALLS - Students at Spring Creek Lodge Academy had a busy month in July, which traditionally is celebrated as Spirit Month at the residential boarding school for troubled teens near Thompson Falls.
Spirit Month activities keep up morale during the summer, when peers back home are logging time on videos games and lounging around or looking for trouble. Meanwhile, Spring Creek students are marching in formation to and from classes, meals and activities, supervised and instructed on about a 4-to-1 ratio of teachers, therapists and staff per student.
"These kids need a lot of structure, and they get it," said Spring Creek art teacher Jacqueline Rutzke of Thompson Falls.
To fight off the summer doldrums, students try everything from water balloon fights to milk-jug raft races to a roast pig supper with a whole pig cooked overnight in a pit - luau-style - on campus by none other than Sanders County Sheriff Gene Arnold and his wife, Edraline, a native Hawaiian Islander.
All the activities are supervised and structured for the students' academic and social development.
But for many of the youths, the high point of Spirit Month came last week with Rutzke's Spirit Month unit, "Mandala Sidewalk Art."
A mandala, in Rutzke's view, is a circular design that symbolizes relationships of living beings. It is characterized by radial symmetry and skillful use of color to express relationships. While it is common in Buddhist cultures, where it serves as an aid to meditation and a direct connection with the godhead, "the principle of this sort of ritualized art is present in cultures new and old, all over the world," she said. "Hindu, Christian, South American, native North America - many artists working today incorporate mandalas in computer-generated art."
Here's how Rutzke incorporated the mandala concept into the Spring Creek curriculum, a disciplined, collaborative effort at creative self-expression disguised as a fun outdoor activity during Spirit Month.
First, some background.
There are about 450 students at Spring Creek, boys and girls, ages 14 to 18.
Students live in dorms with some 20 other students of their same sex and achievement level. They are members of these families of peer students during their entire stay at Spring Creek, which typically lasts about 12 months.
For the mandala project, every student designed a mandala on paper, following parameters outlined by Rutzke. Each then presented his or her mandala design to other students in the family. Each mandala was then voted on as most expressive of their relationships with one another, and other characteristics they share.
The top five in each family comprised the mandala team, and the participant whose design was selected as the top one in each family became team leader, with his or her design destined to become that family's 6-foot-diameter chalk-and-tempera installation on the concrete basketball court at Spring Creek. The basketball-tennis court area serves as the academy's public square, which everybody visits daily for exercise, relaxation and recreation.
Rutzke said the aim was to encourage students not only to express themselves creatively, but to collaborate with others, and to take a significant risk by displaying their creations in the public square.
"They are making their art really big and it's right there in a center of activity very exposed for everyone to see," she said.
Many of the designs employed common motifs - flowers, the sun, stars, Mother Earth.
But one interesting and somewhat foreboding conception included chains - that's right, chains - bisecting the outline of the mandala circle. The chains were painted in dark colors.
"Chains have to do with relationship issues," Rutzke said. "The chains are square. Square is static. They are saying it is very hard to get past these chains."
Some students used mostly pastel chalk. But one group emphasized intensely bright tempera colors - orange and red and green and blue.
"It's about us," said Julie Ann, a cheerful 16-year-old in one of the bright-mandala teams. '"We're bright, loving, colorful. The stars (around the perimeter of the mandala) are shining for us. We shine through no matter what darkness gets in our way."
"It's pretty, it's bright, it's unique to us," said Winnie, age 15.
There were, of course, some rules for mandala design and execution. Spring Creek, after all, is a highly regimented boarding school that demands respect for others and accountability for oneself - and conformance to rules, which really means respect for others.
Respect for others extends to other cultures.
That's why no yin-yang motifs were allowed, Rutzke said.
"They use yin-yang and don't have a clue to what it means (in Asian cultures). It would be disrespectful" to use it as a motif without appreciation of its cultural context, she said.
Two of the 20 mandalas produced last week had elements of design extending outside the 6-foot circle assigned as the mandala boundary.
"The rules never said they couldn't go outside of the circles with their designs," Rutzke said. "Only two teams came to me and asked if it is OK to paint outside the lines. Both of those teams were upper-level students. They have more confidence, and they have been in the program long enough to feel more secure and take that kind of risk, too."
Rutzke said teaching art at a residential high school for troubled teens has its unique challenges. But in many ways, it is far more rewarding than teaching in public schools, where students go home at night, are never around on weekends and take the entire summer off to do pretty much what they want.
At Spring Creek, students work intensively 12 months a year, seven days a week at their goal - to graduate from high school and return home.
"This kind of work is extremely rewarding. We get results from the kids much more quickly than in public school," she said.
Reporter John Stromnes can be reached at 1-800-366-7186 or jstromnes@missoulian.com
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This article is complete bullshit. Let JOHN STROMNES know how WRONG he is and easily SCL pulled the wool over his eyes. This guy is not a reporter, he is an idiot-- who writes what he is told-- without doing any investigation himself.
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I emailed him a rather scathing review to say the least.
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tough luck guys the truth is coming out and will remain too! Spring Creek Saves Lives!
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On 2005-08-01 11:43:00, Anonymous wrote:
"tough luck guys the truth is coming out and will remain too! Spring Creek Saves Lives!"
Sure, whatever LON. You keep referring kids there, for how much profit per kid??
(http://http://www.strugglingteens.com/images/lon.jpg)
You lesbian looking cunt, faggot piece of shit. You look like a woman. I hope I run into you in public one day. I'd beat the living SHIT out of you. :flame:
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:exclaim: If you are going to write letters to the editor, you should get the paper's letter to the editor policy and follow it strictly. If you want your letters to be printed so that other people can here what you have to say, follow the policy. Otherwise, the paper has no reason to print your letter. Check online or call the paper. :exclaim:
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Yes, they often want a phone number so they can check quickly that you are who you say you are.
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wow the program must of really worked for the kid who cant even express himself without swearing and threats, to bad your life is doomed for failure~
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I just wrote a letter too, and included my phone number. The large majority of recent articles concerning WWASP have been overall very negative.
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I will shoot off an email as well, it can't hurt. Thanks for heads up, it's rare we see these local articles.
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questions
how did spring creek save anyone's life? how would you have actually died were it not for spirng creek?
is coloring outside the lines really that big of a risk, that only up-level kids feel safe ASKING if it's ok?
what is so hard to understand about a yin-yang? if Rutzke really believes that (and I quote)
"They use yin-yang and don't have a clue to what it means (in Asian cultures). It would be disrespectful" to use it as a motif without appreciation of its cultural context, she said."
then, why doesn't this Rutzke character just =explain= the meaning the yin'yang in asian cultures. i don't think it's too hard of a concept to wrap one's head around.
also, the mandala has cultural meaning in tibetan buddhism and vajrayana, about the universe, cosmos, and offering those dipictions to the buddha. was this cultural content explained to the kids? the article didn't seem to mention it.
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Face it guys you have nothing better to do with your lives than to sit her and complain about something that you cannot and never will be able to control, you all hate yourselves! How does spring creek save lives, perhaps kids like yourselves who are so ignorant even after being in the program follow Darwinian theory and eliminate yourselves, since your are certaintly not the fittest:)~
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On 2005-08-02 13:46:00, Anonymous wrote:
"questions
how did spring creek save anyone's life? how would you have actually died were it not for spirng creek?
is coloring outside the lines really that big of a risk, that only up-level kids feel safe ASKING if it's ok?
what is so hard to understand about a yin-yang? if Rutzke really believes that (and I quote)
"They use yin-yang and don't have a clue to what it means (in Asian cultures). It would be disrespectful" to use it as a motif without appreciation of its cultural context, she said."
then, why doesn't this Rutzke character just =explain= the meaning the yin'yang in asian cultures. i don't think it's too hard of a concept to wrap one's head around.
also, the mandala has cultural meaning in tibetan buddhism and vajrayana, about the universe, cosmos, and offering those dipictions to the buddha. was this cultural content explained to the kids? the article didn't seem to mention it."
Ya I was thinking something similar when I read the article.
The guy writing it is probably related to Cameron or something. Spring Creek is several hours away from Missoula, I wonder if he even made the visit.
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On 2005-08-02 14:53:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Face it guys you have nothing better to do with your lives than to sit her and complain about something that you cannot and never will be able to control, you all hate yourselves! How does spring creek save lives, perhaps kids like yourselves who are so ignorant even after being in the program follow Darwinian theory and eliminate yourselves, since your are certaintly not the fittest:)~"
What? :question:
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Just a programmed troll. Nothing worth responding to.
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On 2005-08-02 14:53:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Face it guys you have nothing better to do with your lives than to sit her and complain about something that you cannot and never will be able to control, you all hate yourselves! How does spring creek save lives, perhaps kids like yourselves who are so ignorant even after being in the program follow Darwinian theory and eliminate yourselves, since your are certaintly not the fittest:)~"
wow. i certainly do feel a little de-evolved after reading that senseless post.
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On 2005-08-02 16:08:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Just a programmed troll. Nothing worth responding to.
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Lets keep in mind that staff patrol these forums. It's possible that some posts come from staff and/or upper level program kids.
How many people have written letters? And were guidelines followed? Remember tone is everything. Hostility, threats, etc. won't be printed.
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printed where?
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I wrote a good letter, not hostile and followed the guidelines. No response yet, been a couple days. Ever since this post first showed up anyways.
I don't expect a response though, this guys obviously an insider by the tone of his article. Or just doesn't care.
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On 2005-08-02 17:37:00, Anonymous wrote:
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On 2005-08-02 16:08:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Just a programmed troll. Nothing worth responding to.
"
Lets keep in mind that staff patrol these forums. It's possible that some posts come from staff and/or upper level program kids.
How many people have written letters? And were guidelines followed? Remember tone is everything. Hostility, threats, etc. won't be printed."
I think he means printed in the letters page of the paper that ran the article. Here's the policy:
Letters policy: The Missoulian welcomes and encourages letters to the editor on topics of general interest. Letters should be about 300 words or fewer. The Missoulian reserves the right to reject or edit letters for content and length. The Missoulian prints as many letters as possible. Letters must contain the writer?s name, address and telephone number (phone numbers are for verification, not publication).
Mail to: Missoulian Letters, P.O. Box 8029, Missoula, MT 59807.
Fax: 406-523-5294.
E-mail: oped@missoulian.com.
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Ooo- thanks for that! I was writing the author directly, much better to send it to his editor. Thanks.
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On 2005-08-01 10:55:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I emailed him a rather scathing review to say the least."
Well, if it was verbally abusive, and emotionally charged it will do no good at all.
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It has been about one week and they still haven't printed one letter about the article. Hmmm...
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not suprising, maybe someone who is a good writer should write a counter story and send it to a competing newspaper in the same area?
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like the independant record
http://www.helenair.com (http://www.helenair.com)
the missoula independent
http://www.missoulanews.com/ (http://www.missoulanews.com/)
the messenger
http://www.montanamessenger.com/ (http://www.montanamessenger.com/)
topix
http://www.topix.net/city/missoula-mt/ (http://www.topix.net/city/missoula-mt/)
the montana kaimin
http://www.kaimin.org/ (http://www.kaimin.org/)
KECI channel 13
http://www.keci.com/ (http://www.keci.com/)
KPAX montana's news station channel 8
http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/ (http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/)
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The Independents response to the Missoulians news article, containing really no news at all:
http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5079 (http://www.missoulanews.com/News/News.asp?no=5079)
etc
by Independent Staff
No news is good news, right? Well, maybe not if you look to the Garden City?s paper of record for relevant information about Spring Creek Lodge Academy, a boarding school for troubled teens tucked quietly into the mountains near Thompson Falls.
On Aug. 1 Missoulian readers woke up to a sunny story about Spring Creek students being given ?a chance to paint a brighter picture for their futures? through sidewalk art. ?Spring in their Steps? crowed the headline, and the picture painted by reporter John Stromnes positively glowed: The art project was described as ?a disciplined, collaborative effort at creative self-expression disguised as a fun outdoor activity.? Of the school in general Stromnes wrote, ?Spring Creek, after all, is a highly regimented boarding school that demands respect for others and accountability for oneself?and conformance to rules, which really means respect for others.?
Sounds like fun, but we were puzzled that any real news about Spring Creek was missing in action. In our June 16 cover story, the Independent reported that Spring Creek and its umbrella organization, Worldwide Association of Specialty Schools and Programs (WWASPS), had been named defendants in a lawsuit, wherein plaintiff Gregory Gomez alleges negligent child abuse and physical and mental abuse while at Spring Creek. We also detailed the battle raging between state legislators and Spring Creek lobbyists over proposed state regulation of Montana?s burgeoning teen behavior-modification programs. Maybe all that struck our daily counterparts as beside the point, so stricken were they with the opportunity to print a colorful photo.
Or maybe they just didn?t hear about it from Jacqueline Rutzke, the Missoulian story?s main source, identified therein as a mere art teacher, though in fact she?s both an administrative spokeswoman and registered lobbyist for the school.
As a small weekly paper low on the media food-chain, we?ve become accustomed to breaking stories and not being credited when larger papers pick them up. But we?re happy, flattered even, when they make their way further into the public consciousness. We?ve received feedback?positive and negative?from all over the country about our Spring Creek story, and have been running letters to the editor about it nearly every week since.
Apparently the Missoulian missed it, because there?s not the faintest whiff of controversy?never mind the news?in their latest love letter to Spring Creek. Past stories have taken a similarly feel-good tack: A Valentine?s Day story this year printed ?postcards from the heart? written by Spring Creek students; a June 1 story announced the ending of a choir program partnership between the facility and Thompson Falls High School; a 2003 story highlighted Spring Creek?s Christmas program.
No news may be good news for Spring Creek, but can that really be true for Missoulian readers, too?