In Their Own Words
Our son attended a parochial
school back home that had undergone some changes, which was quite difficult for
him. He was judged, bullied, and even pushed into lockers. Choosing to send our
child away for school is the hardest decision we’ve ever made. You can’t mess
this up. This is your child.
But our son was a flower that was wilting here at
home and now he’s blooming because of Montcalm. -- Mrs. Romanowksi
My son had been in and out of
hospitals and was successfully learning how to be a patient. Things were not
improving. We wanted to find a place that would actually rehabilitate our son,
not just promote his helplessness. Montcalm treated him with respect. They
encouraged him to talk with others in his group about self-worth and accountability.
They required physical activity and community service. The boys worked together
to prepare meals, clean the house and do laundry. He took responsibility for
his actions, and today accepts responsibility for his success.
-- Mrs. Stapleton
Graduating means a lot to me
because this is the first time that I actually finished something. This is the
first time that I have been really serious about something. I am really going
to miss Montcalm School because this is the first place I have really made real
friends. Montcalm is a place that I am glad to call a second home.
-- Michael
Graduation to me means I’m
moving on with my life. It is a sign of maturity and a boost of self-confidence
because I was able to complete high school. I feel a certain sense of pride
when I think I am done with school. It is a feeling of indescribable joy.
-- Nicholas
During a recent trip to
Montcalm Schools, I met with several students, two of which I had referred. The
boys were engaged in many activities and were clean, well behaved and seemed to
be “at home.” Each boy I spent time with was very positive about his experience
at Montcalm. They liked the program and were quick to say things were going
well with them. Their smiles indicated this to be true. When looking at their
dorm, they were obviously proud of how clean and nice their cottage was. They
told me about how they cooked and served meals in the cottage, an activity they
enjoyed and they seemed proud of their own nicely kept cottage. Montcalm
schools have added psychiatric services to meet the needs of today’s youth. The
psychiatrist is frequently on campus and each boy’s clinician and psychiatrist
meet together with the boy to assure effective medical management. I found the
clinicians to be well-versed, and many had been with Montcalm from the program’s
beginning. The breadth and depth of the clinical group leaders' experience
ranged from five to twenty years experience. Montcalm Schools has refined its
treatment services including psychiatric, clinical and the ability to provide
special education services. They are up-to-date and well experienced to work
with complex students. It is apparent that Montcalm students are respected and
are helped to uncover and identify their own unique strengths. To this end,
Montcalm is training its staff in Motivational Interviewing, one of today’s
current “Best Practices” and is designed to help staff facilitate the student’s
understanding of themselves and become active in their own treatment.
-- Larry
Stednitz