I attended White River Academy for 1 year. I was at the facility in Puerto Rico and the one in Delta UT. I was 16 at the time of entry, I had my 17th birthday there, and I also spent Christmas there; because of good behavior I was allowed to go home for Thanksgiving. When I went in I was a junior in high school, but because of my bad grades I was still considered a freshman. I am now 21 years old and majoring in English at a prominent University in the state of Georgia, where I currently hold a 3.4 GPA. I also plan to attend law school either at UGA or Emory. I never thought I would be defending WRA, but it's really not that bad of a place. They were never abusive in any way (even though there were definitely times that called for it). Was it miserable? Very miserable, but I had made some very bad decisions in my life. I'd already been to rehab twice and had a couple run ins with the law. By the time I was 16 I'd seen and done more things than most people do in a lifetime. Was it strict? Incredibly strict. Did it seem unfair? Of course it did, I was 16 and pretty much done whatever I wanted my whole life. Was it difficult? I'd say it was the most difficult thing I've ever done in my short existence, and hopefully the hardest thing I'll ever have to do. You'd have to know what it's like but it's too much to go into. But the experience taught me that if I could conquer that place, then I can conquer anything. I reached the highest rank there faster than anyone else had, and probably faster than anyone else will, and I was basically the leader of a group of 15. It taught me responsibility and prepared me for the world. My parents took me out before I graduated the program so I would be able to graduate, on time, with my high school class. This isn't a bad place for your children to go. It wasn't all bad. There were a lot of very fun times there. Justin, the director, cares about these kids. I literally saw him crack his head open trying to save one of the kids in Puerto Rico. He welcomed ME into his home and introduced me to his family, even after knowing my background. As for the newspaper articles listed above, I was there for both those incidents. I knew the 2 that ran away and I knew the 2 that were involved in the stabbing. One of the kids that ran away was actually also the one who did the stabbing. It's a school for bad teenagers! They're going to run away, Google it; they run away from home! And honestly, that kid that got stabbed deserved it. I'm not saying send your child here if he acts up. I think parents should exhaust all other options before trying something like this. Don't send your child off to teach him a lesson. Teach him a lesson on your own. Send him off because he needs to change the direction of his life.