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.

A.C.

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.

A.H.

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.

C.B.

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.

D.W.

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.

J.C.

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.

J.G.

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.

J.M.

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.

M.R.

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.

R.B.

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.

V.K.

Art and Photography

Art

Basic Art
This course introduces students to the basic concepts of art. Students will learn how to draw still life, human form, landscapes, and action pictures. They will study the principles of design, color, line, form, space, and texture in a variety of media. This course emphasizes each student's creativity and natural artistic ability.

Yuri Kuchukov, our art instructor, is a classically trained Russian icon painter. His work adorns our chapel. He teaches in the classical manner, requiring students to learn technique and to start by imitating famous paintings. Visitors to the school frequently comment on the quality of the student paintings that hang in our hallway.

Media and Technique
This course develops the skills learned in Basic Art and teaches students to use those skills in watercolor, charcoal, and pastels.

Advanced Media and Technique
This course takes the skills learned in the previous two courses and applies them to other areas, e.g., advertising and commercial art, sculpture, and product design.

History of Art
This is an advanced course in which students study the achievements of great artists. Students learn how these masters have applied the techniques that the students have been studying.

Woodcarving

This is a unique course that teaches students basic carving and safety techniques. Students produce carvings of birds, fish, turtles, bears, and other animals, and write reports on the animal they are carving so they learn about its behaviors, feeding habits, etc. The woodcarving shop also houses live fish and reptiles. The school's non-profit affiliate auctions off some of the pieces made in woodcarving class to help support the scholarship fund.

Instructor John Broce has been a longtime wood carver who has produced many interesting large works that reflect American folk art traditions.

 

Photography

Students enrolled in the photography class learn basics of camera operation, including aperture, shutter speed and their impact on image quality. Students in this class are supplied with d-SLR cameras to create images that they learn to process with software for high quality final output. Students are given the opportunity to mount and display their work at Family Days and Graduation. Creation of a portfolio of images is also encouraged so students can learn from their own previous work as well as the work of other students. A critical eye to composition is encouraged throughout the course.

Art and Photography Faculty

Yuri Kuchukov Yuri Kuchukov Art Teacher

School of Fine Arts, Russia

As The Family Foundation School's artist-in-residence, Yuri brings a wealth of artistic talent and training to share with the student artists of FFS. A native of Russia, he studied painting and icon restoration with the late Russian iconographer Archimandrite Cyprian, and examples of his work now grace the Family School chapel. He has also participated in collective and personal exhibitions in both the U.S. and Russia, and has had displays in the Museum of Russian Contemporary Art in France. Yuri and his wife, Natalya, FFS Russian teacher, live on campus and spend summers in Russia.

John John "J.B." Broce Woodcarving Teacher

Wytheville Community College

One of the most beloved of FFS staff, J.B. has taught woodcarving to hundreds of Family Foundation School students since 2000. His background includes studying drafting and design in college, and he has taught woodcarving techniques to adults. Widely known for his bird carvings, J.B.'s artistry and the meditative atmosphere of his shop make woodcarving a favorite extracurricular activity for students. The FFS woodcarving shop is also the school's official animal refuge, home to several exotic pets including a boa constrictor, Ball python, and giant Egyptian Tegu lizard. J.B. lives in rural Pennsylvania in a household that includes dogs, cats, and other commonplace critters.

Gerald Janauer Gerald Janauer Photography Teacher

B.S., M.A.T., Ph.D., Binghamton University

Like many staff, Gerald wears more than one hat at The Family Foundation School. He joined the faculty in 2006 as a chemistry teacher and is now the Science Department Chairman. He also shares his photographic interests and skills with students in photography class, an extracurricular activity he established in 2007. The class specializes in nature and wildlife photography, taking advantage of the rural mountain campus, and the student work is now showcased at all school functions. Gerald and his wife Ann, principal of FFS, live in rural Hancock where they enjoy gardening, bicycling and hiking.

Many of our faculty members possess not only the teaching credentials but the recovery history that uniquely qualifies them to teach at-risk teens, reaching and relating to them where others might fail.