|
Phoenix
Outdoor Education Center
Westmore,
Vermont
Vivienne Nolan,
Admissions Director
800-218-5122
NEW OUTDOOR EDUCATION CENTER
OPENS MAY 12, 2003
Phoenix
Outdoor Education Center, a
new program administered by King George School in northeastern
Vermont, is ready to enroll
girls and boys ages 12 to
15, beginning on May 12. This unique new 30-day education center,
the first of its kind in the
northeast
region, was developed in
conjunction with the administrative team of The King George
School, to help
students their families successfully
navigate early adolescence.
The culmination of two years
of planning, the Phoenix Center provides individual academic
and clinical assessment
and support, offering their
student a curriculum that includes
opportunities for self-learning and confidence building. The
curriculum
consists of personally challenging,
nature-based activities that
will allow students to receive course credit in four subject
areas,
and also includes a comprehensive
family curriculum and workshop.
This program is designed for young people who are underachieving,
depressed, anxious, distant,
overly sensitive, have difficulty
adjusting and fitting in with
peers, and/or are experimenting
with drugs or alcohol. Their families
most likely are experiencing
conflict, ineffectual communication, and general fear and concern
for the
well being of their child.
Students will participate in the Phoenix Outdoor Education program
in groups of seven, each staffed with a teacher, therapist and
outdoor instructor. Their first 10-days will be spent living in
a permanent camp, 10 miles from the King George School on over
422 acres near Lake Willoughby, where they receive academic and
clinical assessment, initiate their personal development curriculum
and prepare for local expeditions and outings. A community work
and service-learning project is an important part of the curriculum,
which culminates with a two-day family workshop and graduation
celebration.
Brian
Rossiter, Director
of Phoenix Outdoor Education Center, has nearly
20 years of experience in
outdoor education management and has worked with young people
both in the United States and abroad. "There
is something magical about
those middle-school years. The curiosity, the awkwardness, the
experimentation, and
the blossoming as an individual
have inspired us all as we
have worked together in designing the curriculum. Brian has put
together
an outstanding team of professionals
with the wisdom, compassion,
and patience to guide each child and family to a place where
their
dreams are once again possible," said Rae Ann Knopf,
MSW, Executive Director for
King George School and the
Phoenix Outdoor Education Center, (802) 467-1200 Ext. 105.
|
