Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Mission Mountain School => Topic started by: Kathy on February 22, 2005, 02:24:00 PM
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Mission Mountain School, located in Condon Montana, is a special purpose boarding school for girls ages 13 to 18 with behavioral problems. The school has been operating since the early 1990's, the owner and headmaster is John Mercer. Like many special purpose boarding facilities, there is little information available regarding the long term affects of this particular program on the students. Currently there is some debate over whether or not the program at this school is beneficial, so we are interested in hearing from people who have actually spent time there. If you are a former student, staff member or have other intimate knowledge of Mission Mountain School, we would love to hear about your experience. You are free to reveal your identity or remain completely anonymous.
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hey, my name is Gracie and I am fresh out of MMS. I graduated 3/26/05. I do think the school is incredibly helpful and it's difficult to put in words everything I need to say but I would be happy to talk to anyone interested about what the school has done for me.
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Can you give us your e-mail address or phone number? What was great about the school? What were the downfalls? It's good to hear all sides. How long were you there?
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:smile:
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Yes, I'm very interested in what goes in in this program. I'm sure other people are too.
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I wish Gracie would come back and let us know more.
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Hey Gracie, if we came on too strong, sorry. WE really just want to hear another point of view.
Please post.
Thanks,
kathy
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I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A NEGATIVE AND A POSITIVE POST LISTING MADE AVAILABLE FOR ALL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN MISSION MOUNTAIN SCHOOL. I BELIEVE ALL STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR VIEWS AIRED. BOTH NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE. IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL FOR ALL ALUMNI TO BE ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER.
I believe that relgion is the belief in future life and in God. I don't believe in either. I don't believe in God as I don't believe in Mother Goose.
--Clarence Darrow, American lawyer
[ This Message was edited by: BIRDLADY on 2005-04-11 23:22 ][ This Message was edited by: BIRDLADY on 2005-04-11 23:22 ]
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Well...I hope that I can be of help to anyone out there. My name is Jessica and I graduated three years ago at the age of 18. I was one of the oldest and I also had one of the shortest stays at MMS, 18 months. I think that the program when I was there was very focused on the 12 step programs and going through the "recovery process". I would not say that I am an addict of any sort. I was a teen that was depressed, unhappy and confused. I didn't know how to deal with life in appropriate ways and I didn't know how to deal with the pain and anger of some of the things that I had been through. MMS helped me and my family get through some of these things. I wish that I had spoken up and said something like I'm not an addict, but the thing to do there when I was there was say, "Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a...(fill in as many things that you could be an addict of).
The physical things that were required of us is probably the most rewarding thing that I toke awway from Mission Mountain. Whether it was a 22 mile ski, shoveling horse manueur, or backpacking for a few days. These all taught me the importance of hard work and stamina which I use today.
You hear rumors today about alumni that have slipped back into their old ways, but I don't know what to believe. We're in the real world. People have hard times and most will never have the amount of support that we had at the school. I would say that the majority are doing really well. I don't do drugs, I have had a boyfriend for almost three years that knows all about MMS and has supported me completely. I am 21 so I do drink, but moderatly and safely. I think that people have many different experiences at MMS. Some good and some not so good.
Let me know if anyone has any questions. It's been a few years and I think that the school has changed a bit, but I am happy to share my experience with anyone.
Jessica
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Hi Jessica,
I have a close relative at MMS, who I am not allowed to communicate with. She was not an addict of any sort either. I have done a great deal of research into the "teen help" industry and am curious about several things. First, was John Mercer actively involved on a daily basis while while you were there? If so, what was your impression of him and his relationships with the girls? Secondly, was your high school diploma from MMS accepted in your home state? Thirdly, did, or are you attending college, and if so, how did your education at MMS prepare you (scholastically) for higher education? I would appreciate any information you could share with me on these topics.
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Hi there..I got your posting. I hope that I can be some more help. It really helped me whether I was an addict or not. John Mercer was actively involved. He really helped me and my family work through some very hard challenges. He wasn't there all day, every day, but there were other teachers very involved in our every day lives. John is strong and very intuitive. He can sense when something is going on. He is harsh sometimes, but he would never let anything bad happen to anyone.
My high school diploma was acepted in California where I live and a few other states when I was applying to college. The school is very active in preparing us for college. I am going to Cal State Long Beach and I live in the Southern California area. I have been there for three years and will be graduating with a degree in Child Development and Family Studies in two years. I am very happy. :smile: I was already finished with my junior year when I went to MMS. I was in AP classes and doing well. I had already done a lot of the college stuff. Hope this helps..let me know if theres anything else.
Jessica
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There are many other posts on MMS and I suggests you read all of them....Go to the search on the website and write Mission mountain school there are many different forums that I am sure you would like to look at, if you haven't yet.
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My name is Emma Casale, formerly Emma Cunningham. I attended MMS from November 93 to August 95. I credit MMS with not only saving my life, but with teaching me the skills to live a happy and healthy life. Not only did MMS help me, but they helped my family and continue to do so nearly every day. It is my opinion that MMS is the only school that works. My brother has been in over 10 therapeutic boarding schools, none of which were able to help him. I have been drug and alcohol free since November 93. I have sorted out my relationships with my mother and with my bipolar father. I graduated high school in 1996 and began attending Johns Hopkins University that fall. I graduated from there with both general and departmental honors as well as having been selected to join Phi Beta Kappa. I have been married now for five years and have managed to deal with the severe mental illnesses of two of my siblings. I would have been able to accomplish none of this without MMS and the dedicated staff there. No one should doubt the effectiveness of their program and anyone lucky enough to have a daughter enrolled there is blessed.
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Amazing how different each person's experiences are. Simply amazing! I guess it depends on your threshold for pain and where you came from. If life at home was living hell with a parent with serious issues or from a home of abuse then any place might seem better. Still important to remember many experiences appear to have been abusive and negative at MMS.
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my name is Audrey Hunt and i graduated from mission mountain school 7/13/02. i would not suggest that anyone be sent there. sorry if that sounds harsh, but i believe that all mms did for me was "get me away." i didn't know who i was or how to live as a 14 year old in san francisco. i needed help but was never offered therapy at home. i have anger about my parents just giving up on me and letting other people deal with the problem. i was put in a situation where i couldn't make friends because it was rewarded to "call each other out." the whole system is based on fear of consequence as opposed to knowledge of love. i went there thinking i had to be a certain person to survive and get by in the world and i left thinking i had to be a mission mountain cut-out. it was said many times when it was referred to that the shool was brainwashing the students that "our brains needed to be washed." i completely disagree. we needed the love that we weren't getting at home, love enough to know that we could love ourselves and each other.
john mercer did not involve himself in our daily life. we begged to shovel the horse manuer at his house becuase we would get his approval and maybe a cola. when we were to have phone calls we would sometimes have to wait hours outside his door because his schedule was more important than ours or our parents.
when my parents called to see how i was doing it would sometimes take weeks to get back to them. how could a school that expensive take advantage of parents who are already in such a vulnerable place.
there were weeks at a time when i didn't shower because we were on intervention. the reason we were in the woods in tents working sometimes 12-14 hours a day was ridiculous. girls had been trading bras.
when i left, i was left with a skewed vision of what i needed to do to take care of myself. i had no social skills left and felt like a horse who'd finally been broken and then was sent back into the wild to fend for itself. i was struggling and when i called the school to talk to my counselor there or to talk to anyone who said they would support me after i left, i was given voicemails and my phone calls were never returned.
i'm actually at work and would love to write more but don't have the time.
here is my contact information:
Audrey Hunt
415/794-3518
[email protected]
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Oh my god, I can't believe that is seriously a reason for an intervention. There were plenty of ridiculous reasons for intervention in my time at MMS but trading bras? That is just laughable. It's sad because looking back at the things at MMS that DID help me and leave me with good thoughts of the school is totally put off when I remember things like this.Things that are honestly just absolutely ridiculous and I can't even get my head around. I think some of the people who decide on these things have been stuck in the middle of Montana too long and forgot about what real life was actually like. TRADING BRAS?!hahaha
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Audrey! Hit me up sometime... You can probably guess who I am from my name.
On another note... Did anyone else find that they became increasingly anal about their food because we had to measure everything? I never had any problems with food and them at MMS I had weird food stuff, but it would go away on home visits. Freakin weird!
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what's your email so i can say hello (i'm guessing it's jess)
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Hey Audrey,
I hear ya, definitely culture shock leaving the school. Nasty stuff... when did you graduate? How are things for you now?
best, kat
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OH god...I was hungry at MmS! and I do not have a eating disorder....but I loved thinking about what we were going to eat...something great to look forward too. that sucks that everyone had to be treated as if we all had eating disorders. and the fact that we were so deprived (like on candy) made us obssesive
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[email protected]
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Oh I was SOOO obsessed with going to bed because I knew when I woke up I could have a bagel with cream cheese, and JELLY. SUGAR!!! I have the worst food obsession now... I can't say it was caused by MMS but they didn't help! I was anorexic before I went to school there... so food obsessed, yes, but in a different way. Now I swear my days are still focused around when I get to eat. I never used to be like that!! And I'm so paranoid about not clearing my plate. Geez! I felt bad for girls who were "vegetarians' and had to eat meat anyway. I think the meal stuff was lame... shouldn't have been such a huge deal. And I swear I should be sick of PB&J by now, but I'm not. Still love it. I'm weird, I know.
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Hey do you know melissa? she was def ...mis treated there..so don't know why she doesn't stand against the school...JOhn made her tell me to my face that she was nazi and she didnt like me because I am latino.
I was one of her closest friends? and I am wondering where she stand in all this?
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I'm right here and I have no idea who you are. Who are you?
Melissa.
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melissa s, is that you??? OMG, I'm so glad you posted! I don't remember you had to say the nazi thing, wasn't that Katie H?? That was pretty uncool, I didn't think you hated me though. Anon, are you confused? Are you Betsy?
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katfish, I'm not sure which Melissa you're talking about but I'm not her. I am the Melissa who John made tell everyone I was a nazi. Sorry I'm not the person you thought.
Melissa.
On 2005-05-14 12:51:00, katfish wrote:
"melissa s, is that you??? OMG, I'm so glad you posted! I don't remember you had to say the nazi thing, wasn't that Katie H?? That was pretty uncool, I didn't think you hated me though. Anon, are you confused? Are you Betsy?"
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Hmmm ... how many girls had to say they were Nazi's? Melissa said she was forced to tell everyone she was a Nazi, and then Kat remembers someone else having to say the same thing, then gee, looks like it's a recurring thing. Weird, if you ask me. Why on earth would he do that? The guy has some serious weird issues, shit!
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my god this got out of control this has turned into a war between girls each trying to prove that they are right. that wasn't what this was about at all. this was ONLY about trying to make legislature that monitors programs more closely. not just mms, all of them. the "teen help" industry is the fastest growing industry in the country and programs are popping up everywhere, i persoanlly think there should be an agency created just to monitor these programs. not something to get in the way of what they are doing but somehting to make sure that the girls (and boys) come first. sorry i let myself get off of my own topic even, but this was really all i wanted to get across.
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Hey, I think it is great that someone put together a website to talk about all of the things you wanted to say but never could! John Mercer was narcasistic. I widh I could have worshiped him more, I think we would have gotten along better. Did anyone else know about the bomb pops in the freezers? I hope that all the girls recovered from mms. I still mix yogurt in with my cereal, that is about the most I got out out of that place. And Audrey I know we didn't get along, but it was funny because I felt the exact same way as you did the whole time and I hope your doing well. Harriet
[email protected]
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whats a bomb pop?
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The popsicles that start out blue, then white and then red at the top. Does anyone talk to carly? If any one has her email or something please post it. I actually live close to her (I don't live in cali)
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mm bomb pops, retro
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Carly lives in California now,she just got married a few weeks ago.
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you guys ate bomb pops????????
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If any one has carly's email, will you PLEASE email it to me at [email protected] and if anyone knows me email me I really want to reconnect with old friends and I am so interested in finding out how you guys are doing
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Hi Kathy, since you seem to be the inititor of this discussion, I have some questions for you if you don't mind.
1. Why did you start this forum?
2. For what purpose?
3. Are you a former student, parent?
4. You state that "Currently there is some debate over whether the program is beneficial", where is that information coming from? Who is saying that?
5. You state that "there is little information available regarding the long term affects of this particular program on the students". Why are you trying to find informtion on this particular program?
6. You talk in the 3rd persion "we". Who is "we"?
I hope you will be willing to share this informtion with all of us, as you have asked all of us to share information with you.
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Hi Kerryberry420. You state that "this was ONLY about trying to make legislature that monitors programs more closely". In no other post does anyone state the purpose of this forum except Kathy. Why do you say that and what do you know that the rest of us do not?
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I'm pretty sure Kerry was stating that her intention in her initial post here, as it was the first of the student posts, was only about trying to make legislature to moniter programs more closely. She has nothing to do with the making of this forum so I'm sure she wouldn't be able to answer your question as to it's purpose due to that.
On 2005-05-25 05:37:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Hi Kerryberry420. You state that "this was ONLY about trying to make legislature that monitors programs more closely". In no other post does anyone state the purpose of this forum except Kathy. Why do you say that and what do you know that the rest of us do not?"
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I am one of the interested posters, this forum has been very helpful to me. I thank KerryBerry for all of her input and concern for others who have gone through the program. Love you Kerry, keep up the good work!
Granny
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HEY HARRIET...I KNOW YOU. WE LIVED IN THE SAME CABIN FOR AWHILE WITH YVONNE, KAREN AND ME. IT'S JESSICA ROOT...I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REMEMBER ME. WHERE DID YOU GO FROM MMS? I AM DOING WELL MY E-MAIL IS [email protected]...WRITE ME ANY TIME! :grin:
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On 2005-05-25 05:28:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Hi Kathy, since you seem to be the inititor of this discussion, I have some questions for you if you don't mind.
1. Why did you start this forum?
2. For what purpose?
3. Are you a former student, parent?
4. You state that "Currently there is some debate over whether the program is beneficial", where is that information coming from? Who is saying that?
5. You state that "there is little information available regarding the long term affects of this particular program on the students". Why are you trying to find informtion on this particular program?
6. You talk in the 3rd persion "we". Who is "we"?
I hope you will be willing to share this informtion with all of us, as you have asked all of us to share information with you. "
Sure, 'sharing' information with you is not a problem. Here are your answers.
1. I started the forum because I have a friend who has many questions about this 'school.'
2.um, question 2 is question one using different words, so here is the same answer:
I started the forum because I have a friend who has many questions about this 'school.'
3. no.
4. this information is coming from those who have been there.
5. Why not? I'm trying to find information about this particular program, because there is very little information to be found. I'm wondering why this program has such a low profile.
6. I do not 'talk' in the 3rd person. 'We' is not 3rd person. We are myself and others.
I hope this answers all of your quite interesting questions.
:rofl:
Kathy
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do you know about amity?
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I am the friend. I have a loved one there, and after researching the various Montana programs, continue to be seriously concerned about her welfare. When I learned that MMS was started by former WWASPS personnel and has the same levels system, I became even more upset. It may be a bit more gentle in appearance, and maintain a lower profile, but I believe the same mentally abusive practices are in place. It is almost impossible to get any information about these places, and this is not right. If they are so above board, why all the secrecy? They should be regulated and overseen by the child welfare authorities. It is wrong that children can be transported across state lines to places that would be illegal in their home states. This situation is just plain wrong and dangerous. A good new source of information is:
http://www.caica.org (http://www.caica.org)
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Hey kathy,
Before I say too much...may I inquire as to who you are?
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Sure! I'm Kathy, I began this forum. Feel free to say as much or as little as you wish! :wave:
If you look to the left of the post you can see my name. If you get a username and password, you could also use your name instead of posting anonymously while asking others who they are. :roll:
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Sure! I'm Kathy, I began this forum. Feel free to say as much or as little as you wish! :wave:
If you look to the left of the post you can see my name. If you get a username and password, you could also use your name instead of posting anonymously while asking others who they are. :roll: