Cherokee Creek Boys School

[Ursus]

This place apparently has some considerable CEDU ancestry. I figure it needs a thread of its own.

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Breaking News
Posted: May 21, 2009

Cherokee Creek Boys School
Westminster, SC

Cherokee Creek Founder's Day Celebrates 6th Year and Graduation

Contact:
Beth Venable
864-647-1885
http://www.cherokeecreek.net

May 16, 2009

Cherokee Creek Boys School hosted a weeklong celebration to honor our 6th year of serving boys and their families. Staff, current and alumni families, parents, students, board members and friends joined Founder's Beth and Ron Black and their family at a banquet and student concert to celebrate the achievements of the school.

The festivities were kicked off with a 3-day Family Trek including whitewater canoeing and rafting on the Chattooga River. These popular Treks give parents and siblings a chance to join their CCBS student to experience a slice of Cherokee Creek life through outdoor adventure with their son. For students this is a chance to showcase their skills, care for their family and reconnect in a new and unique environment.

The week also featured our quarterly Family Seminar with family education workshops on healthy boundaries, the "The Healing Art of Storytelling," as well as family therapy sessions and meetings with teachers.

A special highlight of our 2009 May Family Seminar was a reunion with alumni parents and students who traveled from all over the country to host a panel discussion sharing their stories of life before, during and after Cherokee Creek.

Our "small school with the big heart" rounded out the week with Spring Graduation. This was the perfect ending to a week that centered on family and alumni and the unique experiences that support our mission of challenging, "Boys and their families to discover what is real and true about themselves and the world around them." Our values of Truth, Love, Wisdom and Courage were fully realized through sharing stories, laughter, family education and adventure.


Copyright © 1995-2009 by Woodbury Reports Inc.

[Ursus]

The history of CCBS as it is currently stated on their website:

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A Personal Perspective
by Owner / Founder Beth Black

In the early 1990's, my husband, Ron, and I found ourselves parenting a son struggling with learning challenges, ADHD, and adoption issues. For years, we looked for help. Our efforts seemed futile and led to no significant solutions or improvements. In fact, as the years wore on, his behaviors spiraled downward. Our home had become a battlefield. We were heartsick, and felt helpless, discouraged and, ultimately, despair.

We remember our tremendous relief when we finally found a therapeutic program in Northern Idaho designed for families like ours. The help our son and our family received impacted us deeply. After years of frustration, we had hope again!  

It has been over ten years since our son graduated and I can reflect that the decision to send him to a therapeutic program changed our world. He grew, our daughter healed from the challenges of living in a "war zone" and my husband and I could laugh and experience joy again.

Our experience led directly to the dream of founding Cherokee Creek Boys School to help other families through the difficult times of parenting a struggling child.

Our vision is to provide healing and hope … one family at a time. We hope you will consider being a part of this powerful process. Ron and I — and the entire CCBS team — look forward to the opportunity to serve you and your son.

Warmly,
Beth Black
President and Founder

[Ursus]

There was originally another co-founder: Jackson Culotta. He is also the subject of another fornits thread. From what I have been able to make out, Mr. Culotta was at Rocky Mountain Academy during the 1990's, headmaster at Boulder Creek Academy in the late 1990's, and headed Cascade School from 2000 to 2001. Here is his brief bio from a 2003 web archived page for Cherokee Creek Boys School, italic emphasis as per the original:

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Jackson Culotta
Headmaster / Co-Founder and Mentor

Jackson is committed to meeting the needs of children, has a passion for holistic education and brings over ten years of professional experience in the emotional growth field to his leadership role at Cherokee Creek. His experience with therapeutic boarding schools began with CEDU Family of Services at Rocky Mountain Academy (RMA), a co-educational therapeutic boarding school in Northern Idaho, where he served as a teacher, counselor and a backcountry instructor. During his eight years with CEDU, he was promoted to Headmaster of Boulder Creek Academy and then to Executive Director for the Northwest Region overseeing four programs: Rocky Mountain Academy, Northwest Academy, the Milestones Program and Boulder Creek Academy. After leaving CEDU, Jackson served as Headmaster at Cascade School, a private therapeutic college preparatory school in Whitmore, CA.

Prior to his work in therapeutic education Jackson’s diverse background created a unique foundation for his future work. He worked in counter intelligence in the U.S. Navy, was a field biologist for the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Division of Wildlife, and was a Study Director for Wildlife International, Ltd. His career began with teaching biology and environmental science at Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Jackson has consulted for schools, developed partnerships with local community service programs, and established relationships with other businesses to facilitate students practical application of their knowledge. He has contributed to national panel discussions regarding alternative approaches to education and participated in a Standards Summit as The National Association of Boarding Schools and Programs (NATSAP) worked to establish standards of practice applicable to all of its diverse member programs.

Jackson says he is able to continue to invest so much into his work with children because, "I want a better world for my children – a world that recognizes and celebrates diversity. I love being with kids and learning all that I can about how others perceive the world. It's part of who I am as a human being."

A struggling child brought Beth Black and Jackson - the Founders of Cherokee Creek Boys School - together when he was a counselor at the emotional growth school that Beth's son attended.  Beth says, "During the two years that my son was in the program my respect for Jackson grew. Not only because of his competence and professionalism as a counselor / mentor but because of his character as a human being, personal integrity and our shared vision for what was possible for in the world."

Jackson enjoys mountain biking, running and hiking with his family. He and his wife Jill, have two sons. He can often be seen with his dog and loyal companion Baron.

[Ursus]

...And here is Beth Black's brief bio from the same time period (as my post immediately previous); italic emphasis as per the original:

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Beth Black
President / Founder and Mentor

Beth Black brings a background in communication, training, management and consulting to her role as President and Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School. "But my greatest training ground for this work was raising two children… one who struggled and attended an emotional growth school. This program saved his life and our family. It was during our son's stay at school that I met Jackson and knew it would be my life work to start a program with him that could serve families and children in a similar way. It took six years of learning, growing and 'right timing' for this dream to become a reality."

Beth's approach to education and management has been uniquely influenced by the projects she has been involved in. As a Program Designer and Facilitator with Disney Seminar Productions, Beth created and instructed programs for thousands of Walt Disney World convention guests, educators and business groups from around the world. She was an Adjunct Professor for Florida State University teaching two master's level courses on Disney's approach to communication and marketing to educators. Beth facilitated Disney's management seminars sharing Disney's internal marketing, management and quality service strategies with business professionals. As a Communications Supervisor at the Disney University, Beth created and taught orientation programs and management development classes, she wrote and produced corporate publications, training manuals, speeches and audio-visual presentations and coordinated company-wide special events for employees. Additionally, Beth designed training programs while on the faculty of The Disney Institute.

For twelve years Beth was the President of her own management and marketing consulting company, Advantage Training, Inc., whose clients included Six Flags Theme Parks, Hyatt Hotels, Westin Resorts, the City of Orlando and the Disney Development Company. As the Director of Healthy Community Initiative of Greater Orlando, she created a community-wide coalition to identify creative solutions to reduce drug use in youth. Beth is also a founder of The Matrix of Central Florida, a non-profit organization offering seminars, retreats and guest speakers responding to the needs and interests of women in her community.

Jackson Culotta, Headmaster and Co-Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School, says, "Beth and I share a special and common bond. I was her son's counselor/mentor at an emotional growth boarding school and we formed a very strong friendship at that time…and one that has continued over the years. I respect both Beth and her husband's ability to trust me with something as precious as the life of their child. We created Cherokee Creek together because we share a vision for helping build a better world one family at a time."

Beth and her husband Ron reside in Orlando, Florida. They have two grown children and an adorable grandson. She enjoys reading, travel, life-long learning and opening her home to friends and family.

[Che Gookin]

time to update the CEDU watchlist BEAR!

[Ursus]

time to update the CEDU watchlist BEAR!

See: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=27352&p=332313#p332313

More CCBS bios to be posted here as I am able. Having such info posted out within a thread is particularly auspicious for anyone doing a Search, I have found...

[Anonymous]

I ACTUALLY KNEW SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES.  THAT IS HARSH!  SHE HAD A HARD LIFE, POOR THING!  I DID NOT KNOW HER ENOUGH TO SEE THE CHANGE BUT I KNEW SHE HAD MALE AND FEMALE PARTS, ALL DIFFERENT AGES TOO.

[Ursus]

Okay... Here's some more brief bios from the original lineup. Ron May's CEDU background includes at least 5.5 years with the Idaho schools, mostly at Boulder Creek Academy. Italics as per the original.

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Ron May
Manager of Outdoor Recreation / Plant Services and Mentor

Ron has extensive experience with struggling teens. He has managed outdoor adventure and recreation events, supervised and trained student work assignments and even managed a farm where students learned and completed chores. Most recently he worked for 5 1/2 years for CEDU Family of Services Programs in Idaho, at their Boulder Creek Academy. At CEDU Ron was the Manager of both the Farm/Garden Program, and the new student programs, where he helped students adjust during their first months at the school.

Prior to his current position Ron worked as a logistics coordinator for three north Idaho schools in the CEDU system. His responsibilities included: planning wilderness adventure and recreational trips, managing expedition/recreation department budgets, leading mountain bike and ski trips, teaching classes in outdoor wilderness preparation, conducting contract negotiations, and managing financial/budget issues.

Jackson Culotta, Headmaster and CoFounder of Cherokee Creek Boys School was excited to bring Ron to the team because, "Ron brings great knowledge and familiarity with schools and the students love him. He is a good role model and his marriage to his wife Jane who also works at the school, reflects the beauty of a married couple which is excellent for our students to experience."

In addition to his work with therapeutic boarding schools, Ron has a diverse employment background including: serving as an elected official of an Independent Highway District for the City of Sandpoint, Idaho: working for the Bonner County School District as a Warehouse Manager serving sixteen individual schools; Assistant Manager of a clothing store; Department Manager of a hardware store; and he served as a Captain in the Idaho Army National Guard, where he was a Combat Engineer. Prior to moving to South Carolina, Ron was associated with the Boy Scouts for over 30 years.

Ron says, he is "excited to work with the Cherokee Creek students and help the boys experience the beautiful outdoors and great recreation opportunities in this area of the country."

Ron and his wife Jane moved cross-country together to both be on the team at Cherokee Creek Boys School. They have a son, Daniel and a dog Eddie who frequently visits the campus and is loved by all. Ron enjoys hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, boat camping and is a fan of NASCAR racing.

[Ursus]

Jane May is Ron's wife. She too spent the five years prior with CEDU's Idaho programs. Italics as per the original.

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Jane May
Director of Operations / Human Resources and Mentor

Jane May joined the Cherokee Creek Boys School opening team as the Director of Operations and Human Resources. With an extensive history in education administration, financial management, strategic planning, marketing, private school operational administration, operations, and human resources Jane brings vast experience and first hand knowledge of what it takes to make a school work. For the past five years she served as Director of Business Services for the CEDU Family of Services in Northern Idaho, where she was responsible for financial management and operational oversight of all support service operations for five therapeutic residential schools: Rocky Mountain Academy, Boulder Creek Academy, Northwest Academy, ASCENT and Milestones.

For ten years prior to her tenure at CEDU, she worked for the Bonner County School District (600 employees) as the Director of Human Resources and as their Accounting Manager. Jane also has extensive experience in Banking, Accounting and Human Resources and is a past member of the Idaho School Business Officials Association, past president of the Job Service Employer Committee (JSEC), and has certifications in FLSA and Payroll Administration. Jane served for three years as a Board Member for the historic Panida Theater in Sandpoint, Idaho and has contributed her leadership abilities to 4-H for six years.

Jane, a native of Sandpoint, Idaho, is excited about "the adventure" of living in another part of the country with her husband Ron. She enjoys gardening, camping, boating and walking, and she and her husband have a son, named Daniel.

"Even though my role appears to be 'behind the scenes,' as the Director of Operations I make a difference in kid's lives and that is important to me. Cherokee Creek is serving a unique niche, in a beautiful setting and that-- in a beautiful setting and that -- combined with the talented staff -- is a magical blend that I want to be a part of."

[Anonymous]

WE KNOW ALL THESE BLOGS ARE YOU GIA, ALL OF THEM.  THESE SLANDEROUS ACCUSATIONS ARE ILLEGAL. SLANDER IS AN UNTRUTHFUL ORAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENT ABOUT A PERSON THAT HARMS THE PERSON'S REPUTATION OR STANDING IN THE COMMUNITY.  WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST YOU FOR YOUR UNTRUE CLAIMS.  EVERYONE YOU HAVE SLANDERED HERE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST YOU.  THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE YOU ARE SLANDERING ON A DAILY BASIS.

WE EXPECT YOU TO IMMEDIATELY CEASE SLANDERING.

[Ursus]

...And another brief bio from Cherokee Creek's earliest days. Petry's background includes both Cascade School and Mount Bachelor Academy. Italic emphasis as per original:

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Genelle Petry
Director of Admissions / Mentor

Genelle has been working with residential/emotional growth schools for more than eleven years and her professional background includes experience in admissions, academics, marketing, transportation co-ordination and record management. Before coming to Cherokee Creek, Genelle was the Director of Admissions and Academics for Cascade School in Whitmore, California. At Cascade she directed the Admissions, Academic and Nursing Departments, was responsible for overseeing marketing, advertising and public relations and helped to develop systems for governing the school. Prior to her work at Cascade she was the Director of Admissions for Mount Bachelor in Prineville, Oregon, where she directed admissions, supervised staff and worked closely with parents and other professionals in the industry.

Her academic background includes: a Master of Arts Degree in Whole Systems Design with a Concentration in Organization Systems Renewal (from Antioch University, in Seattle, Washington); a Diploma of Competency in Systems Renewal Consultation from the International Institute for the Study of Systems Renewal, (Antioch University, in Seattle, Washington); A study abroad program (in Bali, Indonesia) where she studied multi-cultural learning process through systems analysis; A Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business and Human Resources Management (from Simpson College in Redding, California.)

Prior to her work in the therapeutic boarding school industry she worked with Pry-Core, Inc. as the Assistant Manager of Transportation, Wheelabrator, Inc. where she worked with record management and product quality and Adscon Construction, where she worked in Purchasing and Transportation (And "YES" she can drive an eighteen wheeler!)

Jackson Culotta, Headmaster and Co-Founder of Cherokee Creek Boys School says, "Genelle is a very caring and conscientious professional with a positive attitude and a sense of humor. She possesses both a "big picture" perspective and an awareness of the details necessary to maintain quality. I have worked with her in the past and am impressed by her thorough approach in determining the appropriateness of a student/family placement. She has the ability to make a family feel secure in their decision during a very stressful time. Genelle is a wonderful addition to the senior management team."

Genelle says, "I have been working in admissions at special needs schools, since 1991. I do this work, quite simply, because it matters. I like offering hope to distressed families who are making decisions regarding interventions for their children.

"Cherokee Creek Boys School is a caring and nurturing, yet challenging, learning community, largely due to the dedication of Jackson Culotta, (Headmaster and Co-founder) whom I have worked with before. Integrity of purpose and dedication to value are embedded in the school's mission and vision. I am impressed with the diverse talents and experiences of the entire staff as well as their generosity. I am delighted to be part of the Cherokee Creek community."

Genelle enjoys, learning, art, travel, reading and spending time with her family. She claims that her two greatest assets are her wonderful children, who have "enlarged her tent" with their spouses and a delightful grandson!

[Ursus]

Cross-post from the CEDUWATCH updated list thread:

The following place is especially pernicious, since its target population is "middle-school boys, ages 11-15," a particularly vulnerable and potentially fragile time (get them while they are young). Moreover, it might appear to be relatively easy for such a program to skimp on giving the kids even a shimmer of an adequate education, since they'll be long out of there prior to their anticipated high school graduation.

-:•0•:-

Re. Cherokee Creek Boys School:

Founders:

Jackson Culotta - "Headmaster / Co-Founder and Mentor"
Former staff and head at RMA (mid 1990s), head at BCA (late 1990s), head at Cascade (2000-2001), and overall CEDU Admin (Idaho schools: RMA, BCA, NWA; mid-late 1990s).[/list]

Beth Black - "Co-Founder and Mentor" (also "President / Founder and Mentor" on a later webpage which does not include Culotta)
Former CEDU parent; Jackson Culotta was her son's therapist at either RMA or BCA.[/list]

Original Staff (2003) with known CEDU connections:

Ron May - "Manager of Outdoor Recreation / Plant Services and Mentor"
Five and a half years with CEDU, mostly at BCA, last working as a "logistics coordinator" for all three of the north Idaho schools.[/list]

Jane May - "Director of Operations / Human Resources and Mentor"
Ron's wife; five years of "financial management and operational oversight of all support service operations" for RMA, BCA, NWA, Ascent, and Milestones.[/list]

Genelle Petry - "Director of Admissions / Mentor" (also "Executive Director / Mentor" on a later webpage)
Eleven years experience (in 2003) in "residential/emotional growth schools" including being Admissions Director at Cascade School and also at Mount Bachelor Academy.[/list]

Original Staff (2003) with presumed CEDU connections:

E. Shaler Black - "Administrative Assistant / Mentor"
My guess is that this is Ron and Beth Black's son who ended up in Idaho. I have not been able to confirm this. Contents of Bio appear to have been removed from website.[/list]

Jill Culotta - "Family Center Counselor / Mentor"
This is Jackson Culotta's wife. Archiving of Bio appears to have been blocked.[/list]

Current Staff (2009) with known CEDU connections:

Beth Black - "Founder and President"
See above.[/list]

David LePere - "Executive Director"
Met his wife Janine while both were Counselors at MBA; "17 years of experience in therapeutic educational settings" including being "School Director and Executive Director for two therapeutic schools and a wilderness therapy program."[/list]


* There are other staff with other program and/or potential-program backgrounds, but which are not discernibly CEDU in origin. Plus... the most recent incarnation of CCBS's website is a bit more... circumspect, shall we say... about background specifics.

[Ursus]

Anyone know where Hunter Couture worked previously?

According to Cherokee Creek Boys School Executive Director David LePere, "Hunter has been facilitating positive change with youth in wilderness therapy since 2002, and I had the pleasure of working with him at a program in Utah in 2005."

According to the summary in my previous (cross) post, LePere "met his wife Janine while both were Counselors at MBA," and has "17 years of experience in therapeutic educational settings including being School Director and Executive Director for two therapeutic schools and a wilderness therapy program."

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Breaking News
Posted: Jun 23, 2009

Cherokee Creek Boys School
Westminster, SC

Hunter Couture Joins Cherokee Creek

Contact:
David LePere
Executive Director
(864) 638-8679
http://www.cherokeecreek.net

June 17, 2009

Hunter Couture has joined Cherokee Creek Boys School as the new manager of its Cherokee Treks program.

"The Cherokee Treks program is our outdoor adventure program," says Executive Director, David LePere. "Cherokee Creek is committed to getting our boys outdoors into 'nature's classroom' and The National Wild and Scenic Chattooga River is the perfect backdrop for our Treks curriculum."

Each weekend a team of students has the opportunity to develop and sharpen their skills in outdoor activities and teamwork while "discovering what is real and true about themselves and the world around them." Activities in our local watershed, forests and wild places may include whitewater canoeing and rafting, backpacking, hiking or horseback riding, swimming at the base of a waterfall and problem solving through activities related to outdoor living.

"Hunter has been facilitating positive change with youth in wilderness therapy since 2002," says LePere, "and I had the pleasure of working with him at a program in Utah in 2005. He is a powerful role model for our boys. I know his focus on safety and his skills, talent and personality are a perfect match for middle school boys and our 'small school with a big heart.'"


Copyright © 2009, Woodbury Reports, Inc.

[Anonymous]

I'm bumping this thread in light of Mount Bachelor Academy closing. CCBS's Exexcutive Director David Lepere and his wife Janine (formerly Janine Riehl) both met there. I think they worked at Cedu after. I was there with them. That woman Janine was a real sadist, the meanest on the staff. She had been one of MBA's original students and then after graduating didn't leave for seven or eight more years, was a mentor-counselor had long after she'd lost all clue about the world outside the bubble. Thnking back about how she treated kids she may have been very disturbed.

[Anonymous]

:twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger: :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger: :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger:  :twofinger: :twofinger:  :twofinger: