Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on May 17, 2005, 12:18:00 AM
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We just posted about Monarch Academy, another facility we are considering.
We are also looking for anyone who has a story to tell about Montana Academy and their experiences there, good or bad.
We are thinking about possibly sending our child there and want to be sure it's a good place before we do.
So please, be truly honest in your reply because we are so worried after reading what goes on in these places.
Thank you so much, concerned parent.
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Copied from the HEAL site:
"Montana Academy is suspected of being an abusive behavior modification program. They have disabled their online application so we can?t see what they require in terms of signing away legal and civil rights for parents and children. However, based on their description as of 2/16/04 on their program description under ?emotional? they describe a ?phase system? (aka level system) which echoes those used by WWASPS and Provo Canyon School. They also talk about group sessions in which the goal is ?psychological development? through revelation. These words are very abstract and ring as echoes of the descriptions and values of the Resource Realizations/WWASPS model of trauma-based behavior modification. If you have attended Montana Academy and you were abused or had your rights violated by Montana Academy while in their care, please contact us and we will add your online testimonial to this website as a warning to others."
And here's what they have to say about Monarch:
"Monarch School is suspected of being an abusive behavior modification program. This is based on the language of the parent/school contract which reads: ?AUTHORIZATION FOR RESTRAINT-I/We hereby give consent and authorize the school personnel to utilize reasonable physical force to restrain, control and detain the above named student for and including, but not limited to, the following purposes: to protect the student, protect property, protect Monarch School personnel or others from physical injury or threat of injury from the student. AUTHORIZATION FOR SEARCH I/We hereby give consent and authorize the school to search the student and the student?s personal effects. The school is hereby authorized to confiscate any and all items deemed by the school to be contraband. ? It is suspect because if a child is not a threat to themselves or others physical restraint, control, or detainment is wholly unwarranted and violates international and federal human rights laws that apply to children as well as adults. In fact, prolonged and unwarranted physical restraint, control, or detainment is considered torture under the United Nations definition. Further evidence taken from their contract that we find suspect is the following: ?. I/We hereby voluntarily release and discharge Monarch School and its officers, directors, shareholders, employees and agents of any and all claims, demands, actions suits or proceedings which the student or any parent, relative, or next of kin of the student may have for any or all injuries, damages and expenses, including but not limited to all personal injuries and illnesses and all damages to personal and real property caused by, arising out of, or otherwise related to the student?s participation in any activity or program conducted by or on behalf of Monarch School.? They require parents to sign a permission slip that they may physically harm their child and then require that should they find the conduct to be malicious on the part of Monarch Schools that they agree never to sue even if illegal abuse or violations of human rights are evident. Don?t send your child to this school! If you have attended Monarch School and you were abused while in their care, contact us and we will add your testimonial to this website to warn others."
Source: http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm#mont26 (http://www.heal-online.org/childtortureusa.htm#mont26)
Both of these schools are on the watchlist of The 8th Step.
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My daughter is graduating from The Monarch School in Heron MT in 2 weeks. She has been there since December 2003. Sending her to this wonderful school has been the best decision I ever made in my life. The staff and program they have there are great. I knew in visiting the school, that my daughter would be well cared for in a nuturing and loving environment. It has exceeded my expectations. My daughter has been home on visits, and has voluntarily gone back to complete the program. To write that this school is suspected of child abuse based on wording of a document is ridiculous. I too was very fearful of putting my confused, unhappy daughter in a school across the country with "strangers". But I did my homework. I hired a educational consultant, visited the school, had extensive conversations with staff members, and other parents whose children attended the school. Communication with the staff was frequent, and campus visits were allowed every 3 months.I'm sure there are abuses in many situations where children are involved, but The Monarch School does not fall in that category. The staff and program at Monarch gave back to my daughter hopes, dreams, and happiness with herself and her life. That's pretty powerful. I see them as angels, because miracles happen there. As with all things, I'm sure Monarch is not a perfect fit for all kids, but it worked for our daughter and our family.
Good Luck
Joyce Kelly
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On 2005-05-28 19:47:00, Anonymous wrote:
. But I did my homework. I hired a educational consultant,
Joyce, you paid someone to tell you what you wanted to hear. Now, on top of paying them and turning over your progeny, you're giving them free advertising w/o even first taking a critical assesment of the service.
Joyce, you're an idiot. It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but to create him.
--Arthur C. Clarke, author
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>
Joyce, you're an idiot.
I agree with this assessment 100%!
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Okay, the big thing I noticed, and why I agree that Joyce is an idiot, is that her child is *not* back yet and she's talking about how wonderful this place has been for her child?
Fact is, she *doesn't know that yet.*
She has no idea what is going to happen when her child gets home, she has no idea if her child will even be willing to speak to her in five years, she has no idea whether her child, five years down the road will say, "Mom, you lucked out, it was one of the not-so-bad places," or "Mom--Joyce--you're an idiot and I've been traumatized for life."
If your child is still at the facility, you don't know if your decision was a good one or a bad one. You just know you got your PITA kid out of your house in a way that lets you escape feeling guilty and feel like you're "helping" instead of paying through the nose to incarcerate your child so he'll be somewhere--anywhere--else. So *you're* happy about it. But what it has or hasn't done to or for your child? Until he's been out five years, the jury is still out.
And that's what makes me call Joyce an idiot. She thinks that because *she* is happy and her kid is telling her what she wants to hear and the facility is telling her what she wants to hear and is displaying her child (who may be okay or may be a puppet on strings) in a way she wants to see, that her kid is doing wonderfully well.
She found a way to get rid a kid that was driving her nuts and feel like a "good mom" about it and not feel guilty. Of course she's happy.
I don't know if this place is good or terrible.
Some people, even kids, genuinely need residential treatment. Some people, even kids, genuinely deserve incarceration and the community needs to be protected from them.
But all those things aside, you never can know if your choice of facility---even if your kid *does* need to be there (and too many that are sent *don't*)---until five years after the kid leaves.
Giving this place rave reviews before she can possibly know one way or the other is what displays that Joyce is an idiot.
Timoclea
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Oh, sorry---make that, "...can never know if your choice of facility was good or bad..."
T.
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Joyce, you're an idiot...and it make me so sad.
Our grandaughter spent a year or so in a behavior modification facility in 2003, and I can assure you that Montana Academy fits the profile of ANY BM facility or therapeutic school or residential school or....whatever...
When our kid was sent away by her mother (our daughter), we tried everything in our power to convince the mother that this was a Very Bad Thing. The mother, however, had reasons in her own life that made getting rid of her daughter and letting others "fix" her a relief and a convenience. We tried explantations (armed with copious survivors' reports), coercion, nagging, alternatives (living with us), but this mother took the easy road and swallowed the cult doctrine.
What has come to pass is the quintessential life story of behavior modification survivors. She now lives with us and goes to high school hundreds of miles from her mother. She calls home rarely, every 2 or 3 weeks, and has nothing in common to talk about, so those conversations are stilted. She cannot share the small wonders of a boy flirting with her in class, or the thrill of driving alone the 40 miles to the mall, or the pride of an aced test.
She hates her mother for abandoning her. She loves her mother for being her mother, but is drifting away, and will never have the parent relationship every child should have. She also lost her only sister, who has stayed with her mother. She has us, her cousins, her aunts and uncles, and a huge circle of teen friends. But she has lost forever the mother who sent her away to hell in order to get some breathing room while the daughter was growing up.
Joyce, you may think that your daughter is a "changed" person, and she is. I can guarantee, however, that in the coming years, your actions will turn on you and leave you without the precious gift of your child. You may not see it this month, or even this year, but eventually, you will discover the irrepairable harm you have wrought. For that, I am sad for you.
This child will be the one to select your nursing home when you are old. Are you comfortable with the selection you made for her when she was young?
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It's surprising to me to read the responses my posting generated. Do I know what my daughter will be like in 5 years? No, and neither do you.
What I do know, is that my daughter is alive right now, and sees a future for herself unlike some of her old "friends".
Making an assumption that I "put" my daughter in this school to make my life easier seems to fit into your stereotype of the "I don't want to deal with it" parent. You don't know me, or my situation. Along with that I am an "idiot", because I don't buy into the theory that all emotional growth boarding schools are brain washing abuse centers. So it seems that my opinion has no merit, because my daughter has not yet "escaped" the clutches of the Monarch School. Give me a break. Who sounds like the "brainwashed" one now?
It seems that because you have had a bad experience, then all emotional growth boarding schools are bad. If you have had first hand knowledge of abuse/ problems with The Monarch School, then speak up. But please don't paint all schools with the same brush.
Time will tell if I made the right decision. But for right now, I'm happy that my daughter is alive and happy to ponder that.
Joyce Kelly
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Beautifully said, Spots! You are in the same boat as I am, except of course, that your granddaughter is out and my precious one is still incarcerated. Not a moment goes by that I am not worried sick about her. Of course, I am not allowed to communicate with her in any way, nor is her other gramma, her cousins, aunts uncles or friends. Anyway you look at it, this is not therapy, it's punishment administered by strangers for profit. I think everyone should ask these questions; if these programs are so highly principled and dedicated to helping children, how can they justify such obscene profits? Why is it that they spend million of dollars lobbying against governmental regulation and oversight? Why are the overwhelming majority located in remote areas, in states and other countries with with lax or non-existent child protective laws?
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Joyce,
Get a username and private message me. You want some info on Monarch? How about the lack of accreditation? I know of one child that ran away from Monarch just recently. The "school" is a CEDU spinoff, with ex-CEDU staff running it. They are following the destructive BM model. Do you want a robot for a child?
Your wasting your money, you can find better. Edcon(men) recommend the schools their buddies are currently hiding out at. Stop doing what Monarch tells you to do and say. Have you stood up to Monarch yet? Did they threaten you by implying your child will be worse off if you don't comply? They will.
Nightcrawler
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On 2005-05-30 00:05:00, Anonymous wrote:
"It's surprising to me to read the responses my posting generated. Do I know what my daughter will be like in 5 years? No, and neither do you.
What I do know, is that my daughter is alive right now, and sees a future for herself unlike some of her old "friends".
All parents on this board can identify with your fear of your daughter *not being alive* if she continued whatever behavior got her "put" [what other word would you use?] into the Montana facility. Teens do weird scary things as they grow up. However, have you questioned the process that needed 18 MONTHS, out of the most important maturing years of a young person, to effect a change? That's nearly 600 days of constant, way-more-intense-than-normal control of every moment, including personal hygiene time, daily self-critical "therapy" sessions, and the lack of random "daydreaming" that is necessary to develop a healthy mind. Throw in all the time away from the rest of the world she will eventually have to live in...one with current economics and war she should understand, one with a continual barrage of advertising she should be taught to interpret, one with random and senseless acts of true love and kindness that even stray kittens thrive on...that she is missing. Your daughter has been removed from Life, and her "attitude" (improper in your eyes) has been the single focus of her world.
Dear Mom, how would you do existing in a workplace where every single second at your desk was being watched for transgressions against the Code of Behavior, often transgressions made up as you go along, and administered by dumb yockels who somehow have been placed above you in the chain of command? You would probably retreat into the safety of quiet obedience after a year and a half of this anxiety and terror. We're presuming here that you wouldn't have your lunch removed or your bathroom break disallowed if you forgot to respond to your hourly requirement of praising the rightness of your workplace environment. We're also presuming that you get to go home at day's end and vent your frustration on your family or the dog or the weeds in your garden. There is no such relief for your daughter, who is still held captive and incommunicado.
Making an assumption that I "put" my daughter in this school to make my life easier seems to fit into your stereotype of the "I don't want to deal with it" parent. You don't know me, or my situation.
Because I personally have dealt with a life twisted by such an institution (and ALL BM facilities are the same, your "Academy" being fairly notorious and blatant enough to make it to the List of Red Flags), I can predict your future with more than an educated guess. I don't know you, true, but I know literally hundreds of parents and survivors like you, and the results are dismally similar.
Joyce, this post on Fornits is not for you. You are a lost cause, smugly confident in the rightness of your born-again-Christian type attitude. I wonder why you are here, reading all this "negative" blather and fearful of your choice for your daughter being "painted with the same brush" as all the other facilities. We're not talking about Harry Potter's "school" here. We're talking about a sinister private prison where one can only hope to work off one's sentence and eventually be released back into The Outside. That freedom is hard for a teen to deal with, and [from experience] I can say that it will take about half as long for the "conditioning" to wear off as it took for it to be imprinted in the first place.
This post is for the others out there, who think there is an answer for their troubles in hiring an organization of greedy uneducated captors for a whole lot of money. Like fine wine, if it's very expensive, it must be good...right? It's not, and my point in participating in this forum 21 months after my child was released is to remove that option from other parents considering incarcerating their children.
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Hello Nightcrawler, Im interested in your experience with the Monarch Academy, did you say your child was in the school? I will further research the CEDU, BM model (behavior modification?) and Edcon(men) references but would appreciate ANY information about the previous anacronyms. Furthermore, your own experience would be beyond valuable, and in fact may help others in suffering from compounding trauma upon the traumas of a troubled adolescence. Many thanks in advance.
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Hi Joyce,
You are no idiot, these people just don't understand or have never been to any of these facilities. They think they know but have no idea, so keep thinking and doing what you are doing, your daughter is graduating let these idiots keep talking!!!!
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On 2005-06-01 12:34:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Hi Joyce,
You are no idiot, these people just don't understand or have never been to any of these facilities. They think they know but have no idea, so keep thinking and doing what you are doing, your daughter is graduating let these idiots keep talking!!!!"
Uh....WRONG. Been There, Done That, Understand "These Facilities" very well. Have a child who was there. Struggled for a year on bringing sunshine into our child's daily life. Failed. Tried everything to get her out. Failed. Tried to get the facility shut down. Succeeded.
Dare I say, I know more about "these facilites" than you, Dear Anonymous. Could it be that, JUST MAYBE, you also have a child incarcerated, who you are hoping will not hate you in your later life?
Your advice to Joyce to "keep thinking"? If only she had thought at the beginning.
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Here is an write up of the Monarch School from an independent observer. Hmmm. Doesn't sound so evil, in fact, I'm thinking of applying for a job there!
Visited on February 11, 2002
Loi Eberle, M.A.,
Educational Consultant & Editor
Woodbury Reports
My impressions of Monarch School can best described by how I felt about the students as I prepared to leave their beautiful campus. The words ?friendly? and ?good natured? come to mind. The day I visited, the students were being orchestrated into a new schedule. Rather than being disruptive while waiting for a direction, they patiently sat in the living room, talking quietly. When I said my goodbyes after my visit, they interrupted their conversations to wish me well. I had spoken to many of them and found them to be friendly and considerate, both in their discussions with me and in their interactions with staff. Even when they were discussing, for example, a complaint about a grade on a project, there was a feeling of good will. I sensed their excitement about helping to create their school.
Monarch School is a small residential school in rural Western Montana. I was particularly lucky to visit on a day when the blue sky provided a brilliant backdrop to the glistening white mountains that graced the horizon in all directions. It was one of those drives where it seemed almost a burden to keep one?s eye on the road, the view was so spectacular. Two tail-wagging dogs greeted me as I got out of my car, accompanying me to the main building. Ranel Hanson, Admissions Director, led me to the administrative offices, which she joked, were intentionally small.
I was introduced to Larry Moony, who shares the dual role of Business Director and music teacher. His background in both areas was impressive, though we mostly discussed the various instruments he played and the upcoming student performances. Then we went upstairs where some of the students were having their turn preparing lunch with a staff member. It seemed like they were having a good time, stirring the pots and engaging in friendly conversation. The room quickly filled and the entire school sat down to eat with the staff at three large tables. That particular day two students of their 15 students were missing because they had gone off-campus to interact with the school?s consulting psychologist, Dr. Doug Ratell. Even though they had the opportunity to eat at a restaurant off campus, one student expressed disappointment because he was not able to eat the lunch he had helped to prepare. Their new culinary arts teacher, Dave Rookey, will have a lot of student enthusiasm to channel, which is good, since they plan to have a four-course ?restaurant meal? on Saturday nights. Once we were all seated, we were asked to observe a minute of silence before the meal. I was told later that this was done in order to help the students to focus and slow down after the morning?s activities. After lunch the dishes magically disappeared as that day?s kitchen crew cleaned up.
Founder, Patrick McKenna and Ranel Hanson, then took me on a tour of the campus. Patrick explained that the school was based on the philosophy of ?do to get?. Kids are not punished for inappropriate behavior, but if they want to participate in the fun activities, they have to ?do to get.? This of course is a reflection of the type of student they have. They describe themselves as a ?softer? program, for boys and girls 14 through 18. However, since the program lasts between 18 and 22 months, they do not usually accept students past their seventeenth birthday. They realize some of their students may not exactly be there voluntarily, yet the students do acknowledge the benefit of being at the school and have committed to following the agreements they are asked to observe when they arrive.
As we walked through the crunchy snow that sparkled in the sunlight, I saw the large flat places where various ponds were hidden. Sometimes the students skate on these ponds and at this time of year they cross country ski during the physical activity portion of each day. Every five weeks they participate in an adventure activity such as the four-day ski tour and campout in a cabin in the Selkirk Mountains from which they just returned. The students train every day for the five weeks preceding an adventure activity. Sea kayaking off the Olympic Peninsula is one of the future activities planned for the upcoming warmer months.
I was shown the wood structure where the small theatre and pottery studio will soon be completed. Patrick pointed out a house that was being remodeled so that a faculty member could move on campus. At the current time they have at least one high level counselor at the school at night along with an awake night staff. Currently, Program Director, Tim Earle and his family live in a house in the woods on the campus. As the school slowly expands, Patrick?s goal is to hire faculty who wish to make a long-term commitment to the vision of this school and desire to make it their home. Emphasis belongs on the word, ?slowly? when discussing the expansion of the school. Patrick McKenna and Tim Earle want to make sure that they are meeting their current student?s needs before they expand to an eventual enrollment of 30 students.
We continued on our walk, passing another pond and admiring the large open space in the building that is soon to become the art studio. When we arrived at the beautiful log house that is being remodeled to become the new student lodge, I could understand everyone?s excitement! The building was beautiful, with a circular arrangement of windows capped by a tower that looked out on yet another pond. A new deck created an additional attractive vantage point for pond watching. It also had provided the opportunity for a girl who hadn?t been willing to even pick up a hammer when she arrived, to be able to proudly display her ?carpenter?s belt? that had been earned during the deck construction process. I saw this same sense of pride when a female student showed me her bunk bed that she helped build out of large logs.
I was able to continue appreciating the vibrant blue sky by watching it through one of the large windows once we had returned from our walk and were back in the classroom. I observed that the students were working independently, either reading at the table or working through their coursework on one of the eight computers networked to Nova Net. When needed, they would receive help from the two teachers who circulated they would receive help from the two teachers who circulated among the students. This enabled some students, for example, to do pre-algebra, while others were working on pre-Calculus. With the addition of more teachers, plans are to include discussions, demonstrations and class projects to accompany the more individualized work. This will allow students to benefit from the large group interaction while still being able to work at their academic level.
The program is structured so that the student alternate between academic classes and a variety of classes in the creative arts such as drawing and painting, sculpture, ceramics, or drama. Students also develop skill on the musical instrument of their choice, participating in music lessons on an ongoing basis throughout their stay at the school.
Academic Director, Ron Mendenhall, explained, ?creative arts are the backbone of the program.? This emphasis has resulted from Patrick McKenna and Tim Earle?s experience of the therapeutic value of the expressive arts. They understand the important role the creative process plays in building and living one?s dream, lessons Patrick feels he learned on the road to becoming the first Rocky Mountain Academy graduate. During this early education Patrick progressed from behaviors that would preclude his enrollment at Monarch School, to learning the discipline, accountability and communication skills that enabled him to inspire the creation of Monarch School.
This school has evolved from the Patrick McKenna and Tim Earle?s experiences of working and being raised according to principles of emotional growth education, combined with what they have learned from their own children?s experience with Waldorf Education, training in the performing arts and Suzuki Music Education. Monarch School, as far as I can see, is a vision in the making. Its students are not only getting to experience the excitement of building a dream, they are truly learning what it takes to persist through all the steps of the process.
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Before you belive Lon Woodberry check this out
(it's in the fourth row of ads).
http://www.strugglingteens.com/boarding.php (http://www.strugglingteens.com/boarding.php)
That's right, Monarch is one of his paid
advertisers.
Wait, when I follow the link
it moves somewhere else but is still there
To make certain that crime does not pay, the government should take it
over and try to run it
--G. Norman Collie
[ This Message was edited by: tommyfromhyde1 on 2005-06-22 13:03 ]
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Aha, therefore it MUST be a conspiracy!
My mom has Alzheimer's and I had to put her into Assisted Living. The first Alzheimer's place I went to was pretty grim, and so I resisted putting her into one of "those" places until I "had" to. I had her at a regular assisted living facility, which was not designed for memory loss/dementia/Alzheimer's, and there was much they offered that my mom couldn't really do. When they finally told me that my mom needed a higher level of care, I spent more time and finally found a wonderful place for Alzheimer's assisted living. Moral of the story? Just because there are bad apples, places with poor records, abuses, and the like, does NOT mean ALL similar facilities or programs are bad.
But I'm sure that won't stop the true believers on this forum from painting all with the same brush, even though the ONE person who should have a right to an opinion, whose daughter is there, thinks highly of the place. Of course, first hand experience, good results, having been there and met the staff all count for nothing. In fact, it seems to make her an "idiot" in the minds of people who have already made up their minds about the subject.
No reason to smear a program unless you've had personal experience with THAT particular program. But that's just my opinion. I'm sure there will be plenty in complete opposition, based on the previous posts! Ha.
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I'm sure there will be plenty in complete opposition, based on the previous posts! Ha.
We don't want to dissapoint.
:wstupid:
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Ha :razz:
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See the issue is alot of these programs are the same under diffrent names, they are all dirivatives of each other. We can smear the programs that use the same tactics with the same brush.
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Any facility that cuts off contact between parents and child as a policy, even just at the beginning, is a bad facility.
There are good facilities. None of them cut off contact between parents and child with *one* exception: a licensed psychiatrist may, *briefly*, put a hold on a specific patient's mail--but only in a *real* mental hospital--if the patient's mental health is immediately at risk---like if the patient is suicidal or homicidal and the parent is really obnoxious and likely to push the patient over the edge into violence.
The programs' one-size-fits-all stopping of contact is never, ever a justifiable policy for a facility to follow.
*Any* facility that does that is a bad facility.
Timoclea
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Now this is a reasonable post! I would tend to agree, based on mostly just instinct - however, I don't know that this particular program does that. They seem to encourage parent involvement and communication... But this is a very good thing to check out before going with a program!
I worked at a residential science school (not one for troubled kids - a fun science camp) and there was discussion about not sending letters home the first day. Also, we didn't let kids call home at all.
But there were very good reasons for this - the students' teachers were here and if there was a problem, they could talk to them, and the teachers could call home if needed. The issue with our students was homesickness. They were only there for 5 days, and the same kids who were crying the first night because they were homesick were crying on Friday because they had such a great time they didn't want it to be over yet. In over 40 years of experience, we learned that when the kids called home, it not only didn't help, it made their homesickness worse, and basically ruined the experience that would be the highlight of their school years otherwise. We would explain this to students every week and they got it - I would ask the students, if someone was homesick, and they called home, do you think that would make it better or worse? They would always answer "worse." Even the 12 year old kids knew this.
The letter thing was because if a kid was horribly homesick, they might write all kinds of horrible stuff and the parent might freak out and come pick them up - except by the time they arrived, the kid would no longer want to leave, creating problems. I always mailed the letters the first day anyway, because chances of that happening were so small - most kids just had a wonderful time and learned a lot. In the seven years I worked there, we never had a problem with that.
My point (and I do have one, somewhere... now where was that point? Oh yes...) is that there might be legitimate reasons to temporarily at the beginning avoid contact (notice I didn't say cut off, since that is more severe in my mind - but avoid, with the agreement of parties involved).
Of course, residential programs for troubled teens are a lot different than elementary school science camp!
But I guess I am taking the approach of really examining each program on its individual merits because from being in a similar field, I know the kind of people that get into this are those who really want to make a difference, who do it because they believe in it and want to help. Of course, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, according to traditional wisdom, so looking at all the details, and checking a program out thoroughly is all the more important.
Okay, that's all I'm going to say in this forum - I just wandered in off the web looking for a little information and I found it!
Best of luck to everyone.
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i am a graduate from the monarch school. for all of you people out there who keep on bashing it let me ask you this one question. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE? i assume that most of you have not. i lived there for two years of my life. yes i LIVED you did not. you have no idea what you are talking about. i put my heart and soul and blood and tears into that school. i watched it grow from the very beginning. i was there. none of you were.
i experienced everything first hand you did not. without monarch school i would not be who i am. they have given me so many tools to live by. do i belive all of them? no. i have taken the tools that i have found most useful and applied them to my life. am i saying that monarch school is the be all and end all? no but without it many of my best friends in the whole world would be dead and i don't think i would be able to deal with that if they ever did. do i agree with all the methods that they use. no. but i know that without monarch school i would not have done half the most amazing things i have done in my life.
the staff there for the most part are incredibly loving, giving and honest. i would trust them with my life. i didn't know i could ever be happy or trust people without the help that i learned there. i am in no way brainwashed.
before you continue to fabricate false allegations i would ask all of you to go up there and visit for yourself. spend time there and get to know the people before you make up lies.
joyce- you are not an idiot. i hope your daughter is doing well. i graduted in 2003 so i don't think i ever got a chance to meet her. i hope to see her at the next reunion if i am available to go. i hope she is doing well. and if she needs anything she can contact me via the website.
sincerely,
a loving woman
Lucy
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"Now this is a reasonable post!" - and that one isn't. The amount of pure bullshit emanating from that is staggering. How much do you get paid to post that shit? You know damn well there's a difference, and your weasel words "avoid contact" mean that you deserve to die.
"i am in no way brainwashed." No, you're another fucking idiot programmie trolling Fornits. Kill yourself, and fuck the body.
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sincerely,
a loving woman
Lucy
This has "LGAT Seminar" written all over it.
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luke,
maybe your parents should have left you there more than 2 days- you might learn how to express yourself in a manner that doesn't use profanity to get your point across
That teacher was just voicing his/her opinion, not speaking out against fornits
no harm done
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From an article about a family who lost their son. He stayed at Montana Academy after forced participation in a wilderness program.
The article states:
Link to article (https://www.novanthealth.org/home/about-us/newsroom/healthy-headlines/articleid/471/a-mothers-personal-struggles-with-her-sons-drug-addiction.aspx?MobileWidthCheck=y)
He went straight from wilderness to Montana Academy, a therapeutic boarding school located in rural northwest Montana. He lived and went to school there from mid-January 2012 until August 2013. Even in this highly structured environment, he was able to continue his drug-seeking behaviors and intermittently found ways to use drugs. He shared that for about a month, he and several other boys in the boys dorm would swap their prescription medications during the weekends because the weekend staff were easier to trick. He and others would snort Vyvanse and Adderall that belonged to boys who had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and, in return, Jackson would share his Seroquel, his medication for bipolar disorder. Because he didn't have any access to marijuana or anything to smoke, the only way he could get high was by snorting pills. Although he never did this, he shared that others tried to get alcohol from hand sanitizers on campus. During a trip home, he shoplifted cough syrup from a store in the airport and drank it mixed in his soda.
This is the reality in many programs. The substance abuse continues and it can end up with a tragedy once the program is over.