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Messages - Lacey

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61
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Drugs on Campus
« on: January 09, 2007, 03:41:28 PM »
From what I remember, he worked there for a long time. 7 years I think? He was insane. And also made the girls feel just as uncomfortable as Danny PERVel. I'm not at all suprised at this ex-students account of the incident.

62
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Drugs on Campus
« on: January 08, 2007, 12:00:58 PM »
To give some background info on why I recommended a wilderness program. Parents of students in treatment will 99% of the time NOT be persuaded by anyone that it's wrong to send them away. My parents didn't get it, and most other students parents I've talked to still are under the impression that what their doing is best for their child. So for me to sit here and say "Just pull your kid! Bring him home!" will more than likely just have those parents who desperately need the validation that what they did for their child was the best decision skim right over my post. So yes, ideally, I want children home with their parents and the parents to to the harder thing by raising them themselves. BUT in most cases, that wont happen.  So PERSONALLY (based on my experience alone in the 3 seperate programs I went to) the wilderness program was the least harming. Now yes, parents should not take the "lesser or two evils" mentality for their kids, but lets be honest... Most of them do. So my recommendation was based on the fact that these parents probably wont wise up until much later in their child's life, and that if their GOING to stick them in another program, then from my experience alone (which is all I can convey), the wilderness program was the "best" (lesser of the evils) that I endured.

Plus, (and this really only applies to my situation) my parents were in the middle of a nasty 20 year long court battle, and going home would NOT have been the best for me. I would have been put back into a manipulative, extremely hurtful environment that was created by my own parents. Neither of them really had my best interest at heart, and I was a tool to hurt one another. It was so bad that even the court decided to not let either of them represent my brother and I in the case, but to appoint us a guardian ad laudem (sp??) as an objective 3rd party entity. I don't know where the best place for me would have been, it definitely wasn't home, it definitely wasnt in treatment, and my parents were definitely not open to sending me to a regular boarding school. So programs were just kinda where I bode my time until I was old enough to go to college (17, 4 years after I entered my first program).

This parent obviously isn't open to bringing him back home, so thats why I recommended the wilderness. It was just the least hurtful place I went to.

But whatever, I don't know if any of you will understand this, and still think that I'm just blindly supporting BM schools. Oh well.

63
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Re: drugs on Campus
« on: January 06, 2007, 11:06:17 AM »
Quote from: ""Panther""
Cassandra, former HLA student "guest" and Niles,
     Thank you for your responses. I  appreciate what you have to say and have been mulling it all over. Yes, as a parent I have definately screwed up and my son is the victim. However, I'm still not convinced that the answer is to bring him home and try again. He has had many, many opportunities, but he either cannot/will not stop abusing drugs and alcohol if it is available. I'm not sure I can agree that substance abuse is not a disease---I think its part of the problem for some people, but it is also caused by emotional pain for sure. The first time I observed my son drinking alcohol ( his father allowed it at a family party) I knew we were going to have a problem (plus, it runs in the family). His reaction was scary-- he loved it way too much and just wanted more. I actually have a fairly liberal attitude towards drugs and alcohol-- I have done my share of indulging, support legalization, donate to Drug Policy Alliance, and don't have an issue with my other kids reasonable consumption as long as they don't drive impaired, but this kid is different. We have to lock up all alcohol when he is around. We also have to hide money--I walk around with my purse when he is with me. And yes, when he can't get his substances of choice he will take whatever--mouthwash, cough syrup, huffing cans of Axe--I constantly find out about new things that can be abused (gas was a new one to me) and we try to clear out these things when he is around. He almost died of alcohol poisoning when he downed a large quantity of vodka he snagged at a relative's house-- it only took about 15 minutes--the doctor said one more shot could have been fatal. He was smoking weed before school most days (and sees nothing wrong with this ---"everyone wakes and bakes"), admits to trying/abusing various other illegal substances, crack,heroin and crystal meth are the only ones he says he hasn't done, and if so, it was just a matter of time.His predisposition to addiction made these especially scary. He admitted to shooting up coke (once). He regularly sold to others and associated with several  very frightening dealers, brought them home (!), stole lots of money from lots of people, stole expensive jewelry and pawned it, and probably more that I don't know about. If he was able to use in moderation I would be delighted, life would be great for all of us---we tried that too--but moderate doesn't exist for him, unless moderate includes smoking weed more than once a day  and huge amounts of alcohol.Yes, it is almost impossible to stop someone who is determined to get high, but shouldn't we try? We tried 5 different therapists/psychiatrists -- he didn't really respond to them.  We tried every punishment/reward we could come up with. We had him go to meetings, found him a sponsor, took him to visit jail, had family member recovering addicts talk to him, anything I could think of. And yes, I'm not terribly impressed with the success rate of any substance abuse program. I readily admit my failures as a parent, but  I think he knows he is loved and even if he doesn't feel it now someday he will understand that we ran out of parenting options. It may sound like BS to some of you, but I truly believe that this kid would end up dead or in jail. Maybe that prospect has lost its significance since its tossed around with impunity, but as a parent who  believed it was a real possibility, keeping him safe or at least safer was the best I could do.


I don't really comment much on here, but had to interject (sp?) with this one. Now I am not all against programs in general, because I have been to some that have done some good, and others that have only done harm (ahem...). So don't think my response is just because I don't think kids should ever be in a treatment environment.

But please... If your son truly has this bad of an addiction problem, and it is truly as bad as you've represented it, then HLA is NO place for him. I didn't even have drug problems, and still managed to have a good time every once and a while with "contraband". If I could get it, having no true drive or desire to attain drugs (and honestly no real savvy with it either) then imagine what your son, who very obviously has the mind of an addict and the means to make things happen, will be able to do there.

The supervision is a joke, the addictions program is a one-size-fits-all mentality with a stupid rating system as to "how addicted you truly are." And I promise you, I've seen what real support systems should look like. My mother is a 17 yr recovering alcoholic, so a lot of my childhood was spend in the back of a church basement at her meetings when she couldn't find a babysitter. I've seen people genuinely leaning on eachother for their very survival, and trust me... That just is NOT there at HLA. Someone else said it best, they've spread themselves way too thin, and addictions treatment is, in my opinion, their worst area.

So please, find somewhere that can truly help your son... Maybe a treatment center directly geared for kids with addictions, or as RB said, a wilderness program. I went to a wilderness program in Utah, and it was a great experience. But HLA is definitely not appropriate for your son. It very possibly will do more harm than good.

64
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / CURRENT HLA PARENTS PLEASE READ
« on: January 05, 2007, 01:53:15 PM »
Quote from: ""Guest""
Rumor has it that PG90 has formed after 3 months with 4 kids.
Will they make it to 100?


Not a rumor. Confirmed by HLA staff last week. I believe it was 5 kids though. Still, with the previous norm being 14-18, this is a BIG change, and also indicitive of the schools ongoing problems.

65
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / New round of layoffs
« on: December 28, 2006, 12:18:47 PM »
Wow they finally got rid of Danny PERVel? Bet all the girls are breathing a sigh of relief.

Sorry I've been gone so long. Had my son though! 11/29/06. 7 lbs 9 oz. Trying to read up on everything I've missed. Sounds like things are really falling apart... Can't say we didn't see it coming.

Keep it coming, boys (and gals, Deb)...

66
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / HLA Testimonials
« on: October 19, 2006, 09:17:06 PM »
Quote from: ""FLCLcowdude""
Quote from: ""Guest""
Cow- what happened to Pat?  What was the cause of death?  Did you know Max kutch at HLA?  Or Chad Wallace?

I didn't know either one. I don't know what happened to Pat. All I know is it is really sad... :cry2:



What happened to Chad Wallace??

67
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Re: Double check the facts.
« on: October 18, 2006, 08:32:13 AM »
Quote from: ""Sensai""
I want you to double check the facts.  One of the staff listed below has a master's degree and the other a B.S.  

Quote

http://www.hiddenlakeacademy.com/loadPr ... userID=147


Woops! No degree here at all.


This one is funny:


http://www.hiddenlakeacademy.com/loadPr ... userID=175


No degree whatsoever for this AC and her sole and only qualification?  "Jen loves sports."  Well, glad to have you aboard, Jen!


If these are the staff that are "proudly" listed on the website, it kinda makes ya wonder who's "not-so-proudly" left off the website.
________________

"Compassion is the basis of morality."

-Arnold Schopenhauer



Jen Nowiki might have recently gotten a B.S., but that doesn't change the fact that she definitely didn't when she first started working there in 2004. From talking to her, she told me she was working on it when I was a student there.

68
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Unqualified Staff Members -
« on: October 05, 2006, 08:02:35 PM »
Quote from: ""Deborah""
Quote from: ""Lacey""
Dude, were you there for the bloody tampon incident in the shower with Amanda Arthur?

Dare I ask?
With all that security-locked doors/windows and security staff- how did she get into the boys dorm?

 
She didn't get into the boys dorm. This was in the school building. She just walked into the boys bathroom and crapped in the urinal.

But anyway Amanda Arthur threw a bloody tampon in a shower while the girl was showering (if I'm remembering the story right). She got into SO much trouble.

69
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Unqualified Staff Members -
« on: October 04, 2006, 10:08:28 AM »
Hehe... I remember all that.

Dude, were you there for the bloody tampon incident in the shower with Amanda Arthur? That girl was insane. Dude anyone who would shit in the guys urinal because she knew she was getting kicked out has to have some serious imbalances...

Sure made things interesting at the time tho.

70
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Unqualified Staff Members -
« on: October 03, 2006, 09:12:37 AM »
Whhaa?? Damn I wish that were true when I was there. I got sent 3 months before I graduated from there and from high school and had an INSANE amount of work to make up when I got back. It was so hard to finish that year.

71
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / "Intervention" Program
« on: September 30, 2006, 11:22:01 AM »
really? Super was used when I was there in 2002-2004. It was kind of like... the middle point between restrictions and getting sent to RCI/Interventions. I think it was where they stuck the kids while they were still getting the whole story about what happened and figuring out where to send them. I never went but had a few friends who did and thats the way it seemed to us.

72
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Infirmary Changes
« on: September 29, 2006, 08:19:39 AM »
Quote from: ""Guest""
"my counselor, Darlene, that found her. Darlene quit shortly after because she just couldn't get over it. "

Was that the Darlene who was there in 2003? She was my kid's counselor for about a month before she quit (PG 59.)  They never told us why she quit. They told us some lie - like everything else they told us.  All a bunch of lies.


Yes, it was Darlene that was also the counselor for PG 59. She was also going thru a nasty divorce, and then finding Amy was the straw that broke the camels back I guess. But no Chynna, I'm pretty sure her last name was Klemm.

73
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Infirmary Changes
« on: September 28, 2006, 11:28:24 AM »
oops, quoted wrong post. meant to quote the one before about wishing the room mates would speak up.

74
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Infirmary Changes
« on: September 28, 2006, 11:26:44 AM »
Quote from: ""Guest""
Contact Lumpkin county fire department, the run logs are public record. Anytime EMS is dispatched, there is a record of the incident. There WAS an incident where a student hung herself, and EMS was dispatched, as well as lifeflight. Len does not have the ability to cover that one up.


Her room mates were on Winter Break. Most of us were. We all found out about it after the fact when we got back. I was especially close to Walter Keeping as he was my volleyball and softball coach, and he was there when we were picked up at the airport. He was the one that tried to recessitate (sp?) her, and he told me about the incident first hand at the airport, before they announced it on the bus ride back to HLA. It was Walter and my counselor, Darlene, that found her. Darlene quit shortly after because she just couldn't get over it.

This most certainly did happen, her name was Amy Klemm. They never told us what happened to her.

75
The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy / Dear Parents and Consultants
« on: September 23, 2006, 04:09:49 PM »
there is no individual therapy.

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