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.

From An Outsider's Perspective

Published: Friday, July 16, 2010 7:00 am

Understandably, the campus of a therapeutic boarding school sees more visiting parents than a traditional high school, and a parent's campus tour here usually includes a meal in one of the Houses. Students are used to having guests at the table, to chatting openly with them about the struggles that brought them to the school, and asking about the guest's son or daughter---obviously another troubled teen in need of help. Visiting parents are almost always surprised by the openness of these students, and by the wisdom and understanding they bring to table topics. In one House recently, a lunch guest got to listen to a troubled teenage boy face the why's and how's of his disrespectful attitude and behavior, and to the helpful, often amazing, insights of his fellow students.

At the end of lunch, as is customary, guests are invited to ask questions. This particular father had no questions, but enthusiastically shared his impressions of what he had seen. "I wish I could be a student here!" he said, clearly moved by the proceedings. He told the students how fortunate they were to have this level of help so early in their lives. In giving the students a radically different perspective on their present circumstance, he also gave them something to think about. Later that evening, during House prayers, more than one student expressed gratitude for the help and insight they continuously receive from one another---which would have certainly gratified the lunch guest had he been there to hear it.

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Like most college prep high schools, we offer a challenging curriculum and a wide range of extracurricular activities. But as a therapeutic boarding school, we offer much, much more . . .