Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones => Topic started by: Antibody? on March 26, 2004, 11:06:00 AM
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SPOKESMAN-REVIEW Newsfiles on Rocky Mountain Academy (1994-1999)
Tuesday, July 19, 1994
BOY HANGS HIMSELF IN DORMITORY
Section: THE HANDLE - Page: B3
Author: Kevin Keating Staff writer
A 16-year-old Rocky Mountain Academy student hanged himself in a dorm at the private school
Friday, authorities said.
The boy, who was from Richardson, Texas, was found by another student at the secluded Boundary
County school. The boy's name was not released.
He apparently tied a belt to a pipe on an overhead sprinkler system and hanged himself, said
Boundary County Sheriff Bruce Whittaker. He was found about 7:30 p.m.
Staff at the school for troubled teens tried to revive the boy and called for an ambulance. Whittaker
said the teenager was pronounced dead a short time later at Boundary County Community Hospital.
The death is still under investigation. Several reports said the boy may have been taking medication
for manic depression. Authorities would not comment on any details until the investigation is
complete. Richard Geiger, program administrator at Rocky Mountain Academy declined to comment Monday.
The private school specializes in teens who have had trouble at home or are drug and alcohol
abusers.
About 140 students, ages 13 to 18, are enrolled at the school, which commands a tuition of more
than $3,500 a month.
Students who have attended the school in the past include Barbara Walters' daughter and Roseanne
Arnold's two daughters.
[ This Message was edited by: Antibody? on 2004-03-26 08:30 ]
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ABUSE
STATE REPORT SAYS ALLEGATIONS BY FORMER STUDENTS ARE
VALID
Section: THE HANDLE
Page: B1
Author: By Kevin Keating Staff writer
The parent company for three pricey schools for troubled teens near Bonners Ferry is being sued by two
former students for fraud, racketeering and battery.
The suit was filed in District Court on Tuesday. It alleges that Rocky Mountain Academy, Northwest
Academy, Ascent and their California-based parent company, CEDU Educational Services Inc., grossly
overcharge parents, and have ill-trained staff who verbally and physically abuse students.
Alleged abuses include one student's arm being broken by a counselor and several students being
punished by sitting on stools in the cold for as long as two days.
School officials referred questions to their attorney, David Wohlgemuth. He said he had not seen the
complaint and could not comment on it.
The lawsuit claims the schools' counselors are paid based on how long they keep students enrolled.
Counselors receive bonus pay if they can persuade parents to transfer their children into other schools or
programs run by the company, according to the lawsuit.
Programs can cost from $6,800 a month to $16,000 for a six-week outdoor course.
Much of the lawsuit stems from information parents and lawyers received about the school after a student
riot in January 1997. Five people were injured, including students and school staff members in Bonners
Ferry.
Boundary County law enforcement was called in to quell the riot. It launched an investigation of the school,
but no charges were filed. The riot was not reported to Idaho health and welfare officials. But after reading
about the melee in the newspaper, state Child Protective Services officials launched an investigation of
Northwest Academy, a rustic outdoor program.
``It is our belief that the cause of the riot was the result of frustration by students over mistreatment by a
number of staff towards these children,'' said a health and welfare report. The report is included in the
lawsuit.
CEDU charged former student Kevin Accomazzo's parents $30 to drive their son to the hospital after a
school counselor restrained and broke the teenager's arm, the complaint said.
According to reports by health and welfare officials - included in the lawsuit - the counselor grabbed
Accomazzo and put him in a bear hug to stop him from leaving a room. He wrestled the teen to the ground,
and they both heard a ``snap.''
In their report, health officials said the counselor laid on top of Accomazzo for 10 to 15 minutes before
sending someone for medical help. After the teen's arm was put in a cast, the doctor ordered him not to lift
anything heavier than a pencil.
But Accomazzo was put back to work at the camp, chipping ice, shoveling snow and hauling pots of water,
according to the lawsuit. His arm failed to heal properly. It had to be rebroken and a plate surgically
implanted, the lawsuit said. Weeks after the surgery, Accomazzo was forced to sleep in a damp, unheated
tent.
``It is our opinion that this injury should never have occurred,'' the report by health and welfare officials
stated. They recommended Accomazzo be pulled from the school and the counselor ``should not ... work
with children in any capacity at CEDU.''
Accomazzo's broken arm was not reported to state health and welfare officials as is required by law.
The school has a consultant, Rich Donavon, to make sure it complies with state requirements. Donavon, the
former director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, claimed the broken arm was an accident and
didn't need to be reported.
``During the previous two years we have made it clear to the administrators of CEDU, including consultant
Rich Donavon, that any suspicious injury needs to be reported,'' the health and welfare report said.
``Injuries such as that experienced by Kevin Accomazzo clearly should have been reported, along with the
findings from a medical examination.''
The school was also chastised by health officials for making students sit on stools in the cold as
punishment. Some students were allegedly placed on the stools for as long as two days. ``Allegations
regarding abuse and neglect by specific employees of Northwest Academy are found to be valid,'' the
health and welfare report said. A copy of the report was sent to state officials who license the academy.
Accomazzo and his parents also claim they were bilked for thousands of dollars. The Accomazzos paid
$16,000 for a six-week outdoor program called Ascent.
In addition to tuition, the family was charged $60 to $80 a month for laundry, and $40 for their son's ride to
the dentist. A van typically took six students to Sandpoint for a dental visit, a 30-mile ride. All the students
were charged $40 for the trip, according to the lawsuit.
``These charges are exorbitant,'' said the lawsuit filed by local attorneys Steve Very and Todd Reed, who
also is a deputy prosecutor for Boundary County. They asked a judge to bar CEDU from continuing to bill
parents for ``unconscionable'' sums of money and sending out false billing statements.
Claims made by Stanton Lewis, another former student who filed suit, are similar to those of Accomazzo.
The lawsuit alleges CEDU has breached its contract by not providing the education that was promised.
The CEDU program is one of the largest employers in Bonners Ferry. Some famous troubled teens have
attended the program, including children of Barbara Walters and Roseanne Barr.
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FEDERAL JURY SIDES WITH WOMAN IN RAPE LAWSUIT
EMPLOYER ORDERED TO PAY $164,595; COUNTY HASN'T FILED
CRIMINAL CHARGES
Section: THE HANDLE
Page: B1
Author: By Susan Drumheller Staff writer
Illustration: Color Photo
Caption: Armstrong
An ``intervention specialist'' who delivers kids to private behavioral schools and camps in North Idaho was
ordered by a federal jury to pay a former employee $164,595 for allegedly drugging and raping her.
Twila Stephenson filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Richard Armstrong of Bonners Ferry, Idaho,
in November 1996, accusing him of slipping drugs into her drinks, then raping her.
Armstrong runs a company called Boundary Lines, which specializes in transporting teenagers from their
homes to private schools, such as the Rocky Mountain Academy.
Stephenson worked for Armstrong as a counselor from 1993 until April 1996.
The jury deliberated for four hours after a fourday trial in Coeur d'Alene.
Jury members determined that Armstrong raped Stephenson while she was unconscious, that he caused her
to be unconscious and that the conduct was outrageous.
``We were surprised by the verdict,'' said Stanton Rines, Armstrong's attorney.
The evidence included two taped confessions, said Craig Mosman, Stephenson's attorney.
``Somebody who commits those acts ought to be in prison,'' Mosman said.
Boundary County officials never charged Armstrong, despite the fact that Mosman and Stephenson filed a
report with police and offered to provide evidence, Mosman said.
Mosman said he never discussed the case with Boundary County Prosecutor Denise Woodbury, who was
not available for comment Friday.
Stephenson has left the state and now lives and works in New Mexico, Mosman said.
She claimed she was fired after the alleged rape when she confronted Armstrong about crushing sleeping
pills into her drink after she refused to have sex with him.
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Note that the Boundary County Prossecuter, Denise Woodberry who refused to prosecute Armstrong - was and is the wife of CEDU Admissions person - Lon Woodberry. Lon is now and esucational consultant and owns the "troubled teens" website.
Could it be that she didn't prosecute Armstrong because of a conflict of interest.
Years after this Armstrong came to BCA and escorted one of Rand's Girls out of he office in Handcuffs - He restrained he and dragged her to his truck.
Yes they still used him after the Rape.
And the main escort Chuck Selent doubles as a private investagator for GT Investigations in Spokane - He spys on staff members. I know a therapist whop complaines of Chuck taking pictures of him at BCA and trying to get into his private clinical e mails by using another employee - his secretary Lisa M
And the Soap Opera Goes On and ON
See: http://www.teenliberty.org/Newstories.htm (http://www.teenliberty.org/Newstories.htm)
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I was in CEDU with this guy back in 1979. I heard that after leaving he hung himself in his closet. A staff member left and put a gun in his mouth and blew his brains out (and this guy may have been one of that original Wasserman group, I'm not sure), another guy I was in with od'd on heroin but I heard it was a suicide.
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Such is Lon Woodberry - Could he be a "struggling Teens" or are he and his wife struggling sociopaths?
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i knew this one kid who tried to commit suicide, but failed... i think he drank detergent or something.
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which staff member do you think it was? i heard that allgoods give the orders and the other followers have to do whatervr he says. my guess is that it was meltzer. allgood and meltzer had a pact after they got sued that they would lie for each other. other staff knew this and went along because according to one they were all friends and most of the cult did not want to split. most could not survive without allgood telling them what to do. some ran away and allgood would try to bring them back to demonstrate
that loyalty was everything. the excuse that was given whenever meltzer was caught molesting a kid was that he was a hard worker. the weird thing is that they would always blame the poor kid who was being molested. they were the sickest group of sociopaths and i heard they kept right on going even after they cut and run to cascade in california.
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I got out in '80 and the first thing I did was take that summit workshop book to a psychiatrist and try to explain to him what was going on there :smile:. He kinda freaked out and said he was going to check into that place. I may have been one of the ones to get the ball rolling :grin:
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I went to cascade school as a student and we rebelled/refused and closed the school, i knew allgood and meltzer were weird, but i never heard about this. please post more info because i don't have an email address. I would like to know the full story behind the cult and how it affected Cascadde school.
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i dont understand....is there any news that is current...most of this is old news....who has new stuff???
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Actually, there is an investigation underway for numerous sexual assaults in 2002... I think students were involved but staff may have helped cover them up.
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well i need to know what's going on now.. what staff need to be watched...i have a son in the middle school..help
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Just get your kid out. First, you will never know what really goes on there, but you can look at web sites that talk about synanon--a cult-- and see the derivation.
I understand why it is attractive to a parent, the website makes it look great. It is also located in a beautiful setting. But the therapy is not therapeutic--it is confrontational and abusive. Parents only get a preview of the "positive" and more flowery portions of the propheets and raps. It is not about being honest with yourself--they take it to the extent that you feel dirty and ugly about things that are actually minor, normal, and didn't happen. (Forget about the stuff where you really did royally screw up!) You are also indoctrinated into this "group think" and your former experiences are exaggerated and twisted to such extent that reality is distorted. Also, the environment is so insulated--not just from outside contact, but from talking about the real world or dealing with the real world that it is dificult to reintegrate when you get out.
Also, emotional bullies are rewarded in this system since there is a weird set up where kids who are more powerful (often more abusive) are rewarded w/status.
CEDU is a for-profit agency--so you will get a spin job if you ask any probing questions. A long time ago, when I went there, my parents were manipulated about my problems in an effort to keep me there... My Dad actually was starting to question this "Stepford Kid" factory and that was to his credit.
Unfortunately, many former students of this school write such bitter, vitriolic posts that you may be tempted to write them off as "former troubled teens" and discredit them--don't! There is just a tremendous lot of anger and this is a way to vent. Also, some of the descriptions of what went on seem really far out--don't discredit those either.
Why don't you contact the Twin Peaks Sheriff Dept. and see if they can answer your questions about the school? Please follow through--it's better to have no regrets. Your child, if in middle school, is so impressionable.
I don't know why he went there. Maybe some of us at this site can offers some advice if you tell us?
I have two children now and it is so much more challenging than I ever thought it would be. There are so many factors that contribute to behavior from temperment, genetics, biology, and home and school environment. All of it.
I know that my parents sent me to CEDU (low self esteem and lack of school achievement) they did it on the advice of a therapist who never even visited the school. (By the way, visits are highly manipulated.)
When it comes to your kid, question everything.
Good luck, Shan
PS. If you really in your heart of hearts don't feel comfortable, no matter what the staff says, pull him out. Don't offer explanations etc. YOU are paying them. YOu don't owe them an explanation for why you don't feel it is the right place for YOUR child. Most of us on this site have the experience of staff saying "If your kid leaves, he will fail and XYZ will happen to him,blah blah blah." This is a tactic and all of the formers staff on this site will attest to it.
You still will, however, have to deal with the problems that he had prior to CEDU, and come up with a plan for it.
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I just posted and I gave you this long spiel; its all true, but the short of it is to call Twin Peaks Sheriif Dept and ask for the lead investigator of CEDU and find out.
Also, there is a father-daughter team on this site somewhere that is part of the investigation. They are speaking out about it and you can e-mail them directly and ask some questions. I believe she if or was quite young, so you might even know them.
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Twin Peaks Sheriff # is (909) 336-0600
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Good idea, expressed in a recent post, to check with the sheriff's department in the juristiction of your child's school as to what is going on at that particular school.
I personally had a really good experience with having a child in a CEDU high school a few years ago, but if some of the stuff that appears at this site seemed believable to me (for my own reasons, I am keeping an open mind about that) and if I had a child in a CEDU school presently, I would certainly look to sources that either confirmed or debunked what appears here.
And please, if you do look into this, post concerning what the sheriff's department tells you---oftentimes it is difficult to tell if the accounts represented here are in the present tense, or from some other time period, factual, exaggerated or down-right fanciful.
But if I currently had a child in a CEDU school I would certainly take reasoned steps to figure that out, and talking to local law enforcement seems like a rational way to investigate some of the claims of wrong-doing and corruption made here.
Things like being part of a cult are often a matter of opinion, but criminal wrong-doing, as recorded by a police agency is something that might be more easily proven or disproven.
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Ottawa, I don't think--based on my experience--that there is much that is downright fanciful. Some of the alleged acts that appear on the site seem so outrageous and repulsive to non students I would have never believed unless I went to that school.
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I would be a bit suspect of people like "ottawa". I have heard scum like Woodberry get on these forums and post bullshit.[ This Message was edited by: NivekOgre on 2004-07-15 21:24 ]
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I suppose the whole internet forum milieu is ideal for breeding suspicion--I find my self wondering if some posters here can be real too.
I mean, I get that some posters are very, very angry, and it isn't that I'm shocked by any particular words or ideas (I did a practicum last year with oppositional adolescents, and believe me, I will likely never be called anything here that I haven't been called or heard somebody called already in person).
But if part of the idea, beyond venting, is to inform and influence the non-true believers who may stumble across this site, the tone and content of certain posts would be about what a saboteur would try to achieve. I think it was a poster called Shanlea who has noted something similar.
On balance though, I think even the most extreme posts are real--they seem authentic to me at least, although perhaps a little more typical of an angry teenager than of someone in their twenties or beyond, but people do grow at different rates, emotionally and verbally.
However, if it makes life more interesting to think I'm part of some intrigue, go for it--I can't prove otherwise. Why stop at Woodbury--- maybe I secretly own CEDU, maybe I'm an old concubine of the deceased Mel Wasserman, how about an extra-terrestrial who has been observing propheets in Idaho? Satan?
Seriously, though, I have posted before and have explained that my interests are informational. Also anyone who wants to contact me directly, if you are either afraid of the judgments of other posters or want to talk about non-public things, I would be delighted to hear from you and about your CEDU experiences.
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I think you are full of shit. You say:
"I personally had a really good experience with having a child in a CEDU high school a few years ago, but if some of the stuff that appears at this site seemed believable to me (for my own reasons, I am keeping an open mind about that) and if I had a child in a CEDU school presently, I would certainly look to sources that either confirmed or debunked what appears here."
I don't think a parent would say "I had a child at CEDU", they would say "My child was at CEDU". This means you are one of these placement pigs either Woodbury or like him. There is no reason to explain anything to you, you will just place kids to the highest bidder regardless. And it's interesting so many of you are around here looking for people's stories. Are you being paid to sniff out the complainers now too?
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I've pretty much decided not to converse on forum topics with anonymous types, so if you are really interested in a comment from me on your analysis perhaps you could register, use your username if you are registered, or get a friend who is not so timid about revealing him or herself to post whatever it is you are asking/accusing/imagining about me.
If you are just venting, have a good time. My "rule" about not discussing these issues with the unnamed really isn't graven in stone, there could certainly be a post that either interested me enough or touched me enough to make me respond anyway. I just didn't find that your post fell into either of these categories.
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Yeah you're full of shit alright.
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Please post more info regarding meltzer and allgood cascade etc.
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what happend in boulder creek?....i knew one of my friends from bca got sent there because she was a former rma student and she got raped on the quest trail by some guys.
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bca certianly -sp?? had it's BAD times... on my brothers quest, we had a van with all the boys in our peer group roll off a cliff (the guy driving was riding the breaks the whole way down the snow covered mountian, and the breaks went out and then, to make matters worse, the steering went out). two of the boys flew out the windshield, thank god the only bad injury was that one of the kids that went through the windsheild had to get stiches in they're hand, and other people had gotten brused and probably had some whiplash for a little while. the van was totally distroyed by the the time it stopped rolling, (it rolled 4 times and stopped before falling into the creek, and before running other the two that went out the windshield <- that would have been VERY bad if they got run over). all the windows had been broken, glass was everywhere, and the boys we so tramitized by this event, that they were not easily persuaded to be driven down the hill by the police to get to the ambulance.
another thing that happened there was one of the guys was gay, and he was accused of saying a gay comment to another guy (a not gay guy) and was forced to sleep out in a tent and he was put on house down bans, i think this happened some time in the colder season of idaho.
p.s.
i know, i'm sorry, i need to get a dictionary and learn how to spell :silly: [ This Message was edited by: **PIXIE DUST** on 2004-08-16 07:10 ][ This Message was edited by: **PIXIE DUST** on 2004-08-16 07:11 ][ This Message was edited by: **PIXIE DUST** on 2004-08-16 07:12 ]
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who was it like first name only the gay guy i probaly knew him....evan or Chris...or mark? umm i was refering to like serious cases like that there have been lawsuites filled and like abuse etc. I love u pixie dust! *Moo cow*
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How in the f*&^ did her folks send her to another CEDU school after they failed to protect her the first time?!!!!?? Will somebody call Chuck Wyatt about this???? My God, that poor girl. Do her parents know or was it covered up or what? Were the boys who did it prosecuted?
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it was evan, and he got the fuck yelled at him in raps!
He, who has nothing, and who himself belongs to another, must be defended by him, whose property he is, and needs no arms. But he, who thinks he is his own master, and has what he can call his own, ought to have arms to defend himself, and what he possesses; else he lives precariously, and at discretion.
--James Burgh 1774
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you guys... how do you get this quote thing to stop coming up on the bottom of whatever i write??
We are a one party country. Half of them call themselves Democrats and the other half call themselves Republicans. All the good ideas come from the Libertarians.
--Hugh Downs
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when i was at BCA, i got a hold on the staff guideline binder, (i got in BIG trouble for finding that in the bridge and reading it, but i was interested in how the staff came up with they're D.L. on who to do they're job) it has information about how they have to do they're job... i read in one section that staff use other peopl who are on full times to see if they can get "out of agreement" information about other people. so if you ever wondered why it was that you randomly got put on programs/ full times, that would be why. :flame:
An Animated Cartoon Theology:
1. People are animals.
2. The body is mortal and subject to incredible pain.
3. Life is antagonistic to the living.
4. The flesh can be sawed, crushed, frozen, stretched, burned, bombed, and plucked for music.
5. The dumb are abused by the smart and the smart destroyed by their own cunning.
6. The small are tortured by the large and the large destroyed by their own momentum.
7. We are able to walk on air, but only as long as our illusion supports us.
-- E. L. Doctorow "The Book of Daniel"
[ This Message was edited by: **PIXIE DUST** on 2004-08-17 11:59 ]
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On 2004-08-17 11:08:00, **PIXIE DUST** wrote:
"you guys... how do you get this quote thing to stop coming up on the bottom of whatever i write??We are a one party country. Half of them call themselves Democrats and the other half call themselves Republicans. All the good ideas come from the Libertarians.
--Hugh Downs
"
Click the "Prefereces" link in the menu to the left and uncheck the box for "Show random Quote"
... and the group leader was a clown.
GregFL
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when were you there? was it before they started cascade in 85? you were completely in touch others who were there were told the same thing and they did not care. they stayed because they believed everything the staff said and they did not want to leave their "friends". it was common for ceduites to wish the worst on those who left the indoctrination and group think was right on.
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the cedu cascade thing was a racket to pump money to those assholes and they announced this to staff and kids. they believed that the ends justified the means and that they were entitled to all the money they wanted because they were higher than you and if you had they had to have it too. most of the staff have jealousy problems because they did not make big bucks and resented anyone with more than them.
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how did you close the school i have heard about it from alumni of cedu. melzer and allgood care only about themselves and each other and the excuse they give is that friends should lie and cover up for each other. those two have been in crime together and used the school as a front.
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i you were asking me, i was there in 2000-2003
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sorry, that was me, i forgot to login... i was there 2000-2003
To err is human; to forgive is simply not our policy.
-- MIT Assasination Club slogan
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yo i didnt graduate, tell me about the SUMMIT and shit [email protected] send with subject : to joshy boy
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I started Rma in nov of 93, transferred to HillTop in may of 95 and graduated CEDU in june of 96. I was there for the firing of many staff for many different reasons, and was at RMA for the suicide of a student. As to the rest of the Gossip that is being said.... Why are you searching for dirt that wasn't your own? I read this site, and it amazes me at how many of you prey on other people's misery.
Yes, there are many unfortunate things that happen in life. Yes, there are some really messed up people in this world. Yes, some of them worked as staff. But that isn't any different then the real world.... there are some that work in the public schools, in your place of work, who knows... maybe even in your house. It is what it is.
For myself, and my experience (which is my only aspect I should be speaking on, since that is the only experience that really is any of my business) is the experience that I created for myself. I wasn't well liked at RMA, because I was young, and did not always know how to handle people trying to be in my face, and had many issues, that I had never worked on... which were but not limited to everything from over exagerrating, to my temper, to my mother dying when I was a child in a tragic car accident on top of me.
None of this really matters now, because there is nothing that I can do to recreate that experience, and do over, even if I wanted to. The only thing that can be done now, is to create a new experience, and work towards having something more, then I did 10 years ago. It does amaze me some days that 10 years has gone by, and people are still complaining about the things they were complaining about then...
put yourself on a booth, do some writing asignments... hell, if you need direction, i am sure i have my 24 notebooks somewhere and can help... ok, that was a joke.... don't take it literal... but seriously... move on, be happy, and life your life.... you should be reconnecting with people that mean things to you, instead of bringing up the bad things that happenned, and bringing out the worst in people.
Life is about creation... Why don't we work on creating something different, and bringing happiness to each other.
Joe Keuter (pg56)