In Their Own Words

Many thankful parents, students, and educational consultants have shared with us their appreciation for the tremendous results achieved at Montcalm School. Don't take our word for it, take theirs.

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, parent

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, parent

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, alumni

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, alumni

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, educational consultant

When we visited the Montcalm School for Girls campus, we drove home with a sense of relief and felt like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. We believed we had found the answer to our prayers. We believed we found a school that could help our daughter and where she would be nurtured and cared for. Six months later, we are now SURE we made the right decision. Montcalm has been a wonderful environment for our daughter to look deep inside and see what was going wrong in life and to place importance on what is good. You taught her to help other people, respect others and most importantly believe in herself. You taught, us, the parents to slow down and let the process work. You guided us through the difficulties of having her away and helped us know how to help her. Our daughter is happier than we have seen her. She has improved her grades, her relationships with the family, her thoughts about choosing friends and her outlook on life. She has matured and seems ready to face the challenges of coming home. We can’t say enough about how wonderful all of you are and how great it is that you have dedicated your careers and lives to helping others. -- Mr. & Mrs. Quigley, parents

Before I came to Montcalm, I would have been thankful for shoes, a new purse or money. I was very materialistic and only cared about myself and how I could get my way to get what I wanted.  My world revolved around skipping school, sneaking out, smoking weed, and being with my friends. Now I realize how much time I have wasted hurting myself, and the people that have cared the most. If my mom hadn’t sent me to Montcalm, I probably would be in jail or something worse could have happened to me. In some respects I’m thankful for my mom’s decision to send me to Montcalm. -- Sarah, alumni

I admitted being a substance abuser, truant, selfish, lost teenage girl. Coming to Montcalm was not easy but it proved to be just what I needed. I was running away from any situation that I didn’t want to be a part of. I was selfish and used that to my advantage. I was lost, I didn’t know how to get better or make good decisions. I had gone to other schools and programs, where I only learned to avoid punishment by behaving perfectly. They never helped me with my problems. I just put them on the back burner and eventually starting going back to old behaviors. When I came to Montcalm School for Girls, I knew there was something different. I felt like I was in heaven compared to the other places. I didn’t feel trapped and I wasn’t being punished. I didn’t have to earn points to talk. I saw the staff treating the girls like a friend trying to help. They weren’t there to punish us; they were there to talk when we were ready. I soon realized that I needed to get real and quit acting so perfectly. I stopped being a doormat and stopped trying to be perfect. --  Emily, alumni 

I was adopted when I was three days old. I have had a healthy home life and got along with my family very well. At the age 15, I found myself overly concerned with my appearance. I started to fall into peer pressure in order to maintain my status and was so concerned about getting everyone to like me that I started drinking and smoking. I was used by boyfriends and others. I would lie to my parents about where I was and who I was with. My lies and deceptions finally caught up with me and I had no idea how to handle it. Anger became my closest way to escape and my relationships suffered. I took an overdose and was in the hospital because of liver damage. I had no motivation to get better. I had so many people reaching out to me, but I did not accept them. My life continued with struggles, hatred, hopelessness, bad friendships, and now a broken family. When I arrived at Montcalm School for Girls I initially was in shock. But I now realize that it was just what I needed. I learned to take responsibility for my actions. I started to believe in myself and received so much support from my peers at Montcalm and teachers. My family continues to stand by me in this healing process. I now believe that I will make better choices for my life and I appreciate all those who continue to reach out to me. -- Annie, alumni

The type of child who needs a supportive group environment benefits from Montcalm Schools.  It’s a great place for kids in need of structure and immediate accountability. Young people can advance academically because of the one-on-one attention in the classroom and it’s a good place for kids in need of mentoring. One of the girls I’ve placed here had been in three programs before coming to Montcalm. She’s doing really, really well here and feels good about herself.  She likes it here.  For another child, Montcalm has become his ‘extended family.’ -- Liz Gordon, educational consultant