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.

Religious Studies

Judaism

This four-semester course provides an introduction to basic Jewish practices and beliefs.

Holidays, rituals, and traditions are explored. A thread that runs through the entire course is the examination of how living as Jews shapes our lives as a particular group, as well as our experiences as human beings. Students reflect on specific primary texts from the Jewish bible and other sacred Jewish texts. They also are encouraged to put the principles of Jewish living to work in their lives. In addition, students learn rudimentary Hebrew reading skills.

The primary resources are The Book of Jewish Belief by Louis Jacobs, Why Be Jewish? By David J. Wolpe, Our Sacred Texts Discovering the Jewish Classics by Ellen Singer, and Aleph Isn't Tough by Linda Motzkin.

Christianity

This one semester course provides an introduction to the New Testament scriptures illuminating early Christian thought through Old Testament themes. Students receive an overview of the historical Jesus and will be able to locate biblical regions and cities of the Holy Land. The following themes are also investigated: From oral tradition to written form, Jewish religious practices, and the political scene of Jesus's time. The course concludes with a detailed study of the Gospel of Mark.

 

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.