The Family Foundation School

In my life before The Family School I was extremely self-centered. I hurt everyone around me to get what I wanted and got a lot of negative attention by acting like a psycho. I had no interest in God because he probably didn't want me to steal, lie, cheat, or use substances.

My life became unmanageable early on. I was kicked out of 8th grade for drinking and drugging, and a year later was thrown out of 9th grade for the same reasons. I also owed thousands of dollars in gambling debt and spent my life running from those I owed money to.

Before FFS, my life was unmanageable and out of control. I was shooting heroin, selling drugs, stealing, and lying to my parents. I did anything to blind me from reality because I hated who I had become.

At home I was an overeater and extremely overweight. Going to school was the last thing on my mind. I stayed home and slept all day, then got up and stayed out all night. I was rude and disrespectful and had fits of temper.

At home I perfected the art of quitting. My attempts at sports, school, and relationships amounted to nothing but pathetic stories because I never followed through. I did not like myself and wanted to escape the judgment of others.

My life at home was full of lies and deceit. I became part of the tough crowd in middle school, and in high school I was in and out of detention, got into bad relationships, ran away and was sent to a psych ward.

To put it bluntly, I was a drunk. I didn't care about my family, or God, just drinking and smoking. I was drug-tested for the first time at 12, at 13 I was in outpatient rehab, and at 15 I was sent to wilderness and then to The Family School.

I was 15 and my mother was driving me to the hospital. She was crying, but all I could think of was what a good job I had done not eating. I felt no remorse, only the desire to leave and continue killing myself.

I am an alcoholic and a drug addict who couldn't live life on life's terms, so I drank. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, I was introduced to heavier drugs and started stealing and selling his pain medication.

I was empty, angry, miserable, and lonely at home, and used any means possible to numb my feelings. I dropped out of school. Nothing really mattered, and I was quickly using up my friends and family.

Character Education

The Family Foundation School sets unique emotional growth goals for each student based on individual circumstances and psychological diagnosis, if any. However, our character education goals for all students are the same: to become responsible for themselves and considerate of others, to grow in self-respect and self-esteem, to mend relationships, develop a spiritual life, and begin to discover and begin using their talents.

House and Family Structure

We use the structure of the family to help promote the personal growth of students and define the relationship between staff and students. We believe families are the bedrock of society, and that their primary responsibility is to teach the values and lessons needed to live meaningful, productive lives. So although students are mainstreamed in school, they live in one of five "houses" with about 30 other students and 15 staff. Staff members interact with the students in their house daily, getting to know them and giving them the personal and frequent adult attention teenagers need.

The structure and emphasis on family at the school keeps student relationships with the opposite sex on a strict brother-sister basis. No boyfriends, girlfriends or flirting are allowed. The focus instead is on honesty and openness in relating to the opposite sex. Our students understand that they are here to work on themselves and on their relationship with their parents and family at home, not to get sidetracked with boy-girl relationships.

Slowly at first, and often with setbacks, our students recover, become responsible for themselves and considerate of others, grow in self-respect and self-esteem, excel academically, mend relationships, develop a spiritual life, begin using their talents and discover new ones, graduate and go on to college.