LD Resources

Posted in K-12 Schools | 36 Comments

36 Responses to “Boulder Creek Academy”

1. on 22 Jan 2007 at Jan 22, 20071jill catanzarite

   parents beware: some things said, are just to good to be true. BCA employees need to be more closely monitored. Very bad experience!!

2. on 22 Jan 2007 at Jan 22, 20072Sanford Shapiro

   Jill, what and when were your experiences? Are you an alum from the past? Parent? Did you have experiences before or after CEDU folded its doors?

3. on 22 Jan 2007 at Jan 22, 20073evan

   I was a student for 7months there after the school re-opened. The school is a complete SCAM. They want to get as much money out of you as they possibly can. I would be there today and until I turned 18 at the end of the year, if I hadn’t of escaped

4. on 31 Jan 2007 at Jan 31, 20074Christina Hoag

   I agree with the comments from Jill. What was presented during our tour of the school was far from reality. BCA employees definitely need to be more closely monitored but this needs to include some of the outside services that the school uses for their students. We too have had a VERY BAD experience which is in complete contrast to our successful experience over the past three months at my daughter’s new school.

5. on 31 Jan 2007 at Jan 31, 20075Tom O'Dell

   Christina,
   Would you be willing to tell us where your daughter is now and what makes her new school so much better than BCA?

6. on 31 Jan 2007 at Jan 31, 20076Richard

   Christina and Jill: both of you have mentioned employees needing closer monitoring. Without posting things that are damaging to individuals, could you tell us what you mean by that? Why would employees at any school need monitoring?

   Before you answer Tom’s question (which is a good one), be aware that I’m not going to let this comment thread get sidetracked, it’s about Boulder Creek Academy. If the school you moved your daughter to is listed at this web site, please post a comment there. If it’s not, email me and let me know what it is and I’ll list it. richard@ldresources.com.

   Thanks.

7. on 18 Apr 2007 at Apr 18, 20077Linda Cox

   I wonder how successful Boulder Creek is now that they have been reopened. Since I began working in Calif., I have seen a large number of LD students come through my classroom. Most have struggled all their school life and probably will continue to struggle the rest of their lives because there was no interventions put in place for them during the most critical years. It is hard to help these youngsters who have slipped through the cracks of the education system.

8. on 21 Apr 2007 at Apr 21, 20078Elizabeth

   I just applied for a job there and would like more information regarding BCA. I don’t know anyting about their program and would like to know more about those personal experiences that people have had and what is meant by staff needing more monitoring.

9. on 24 May 2007 at May 24, 20079Judi

   This school has just been recommended by an education consultant for my 16 year old son. Haven’t visited yet. What do I need to look out for?

10. on 25 May 2007 at May 25, 200710Sanford Shapiro

    Hi Judi. If your ed consultant has recommended BCA, your son has some combination of behavioral issues that may be compounded with learning differences. Instead of “looking out” in that sense, I would concentrate on keeping an open mind in this way: look closely at the kids and see if they seem like your kid. Second, ask lots of questions. Don’t be satisfied when any school trots out its litany of the improvements its shining stars make. Ask them for examples of how they do things. Ask any school, not just Boulder Creek, what types of kids or situations they don’t do well with. it’s always a bit of a yellow flag if a school claims to be all things to all people. When you go on a tour, use your peripheral vision well, watch from the sides and corners of your eye. Where schools don’t take you may provide as much info as where and what they want you to see.

    I’ve visited hundreds of schools over the years and I worked at BCA in the 90’s when it was under different ownership. For any school you can find ten parents and kids who will swear by the school, that it saved their lives and then on the other side of the room there’ll be ten equally passionate folks who will earnestly claim that it was a bad/terrible choice for them. At some point you have to rely on your due diligence and instincts. I know at times of stress (like in choosing the right therapeutic school for your child) you can go on information overload. That’s when gut and choosing a good consultant to guide you is crucial.

    Keep asking yourself, the school and your consultant why this or any school is a good choice for your kid.

    Where else are you considering?

11. on 06 Jun 2007 at Jun 6, 200711Jeri

    I would like to know how a private residential facility, with a private school, works with kids who have IEP.

12. on 08 Jun 2007 at Jun 8, 200712Sanford Shapiro

    Jeri,
    Independent schools. residential or not may have differing approaches and policies concerning IEPs. Of course no one’s immune to federal laws. If you’re asking particular about Boulder Creek Academy, you should call them directly.

    I can tell you from my experiences in residential schools, we would review previous IEPs (of a potential admissions applicant) to see: 1. Could we handle the needs and 2. Assess our capacity and/or willingness to signing off on the list of accomodations and modifications outlined.

    We would often hold telephone conference calls as IEP review meetings. When we had a kid from a district across the country for example, we’d conference over the phone and it was like any other IEP meeting.

    In the case of residential therapeutic schools, the emphasis is on behavioral and emotional growth and compromise is sometimes needed on prioritizing more academic needs. I think we’re still waiting for a residential therapeutic school that does a great job of balancing the emotional growth and more academic needs of students with learning disabilities.

    Having said that however, the biggest needs I’ve seen of kids with LD that wind up at a therapeutic schools, revolve around learned helplessness. Good emotional growth schools can do a great job in that respect and set the stage for the next steps.

    Sanford

13. on 19 Jun 2007 at Jun 19, 200713Elena

    I never did see the response to why BCA employees need to be monitored, and what exactly were the bad experiences. I have a son (almost 15) who is currently in a wilderness program. We are awaiting the results from a comprehensive set of tests. In the latter half of 8th grade, we learned our son has a non-verbal ld. I am not sure anyone really understands how to address this issue. He definitely slipped through the cracks all of these years, and things started going downhill quickly this year in 9th grade. Our ed. cons. will be making recommendations once the test results are known, but in the meantime BCA is one of the schools I have been considering.
    Are there other parents I can speak to about this school?
    Elena

14. on 10 Sep 2007 at Sep 10, 200714Sean

    Chanced upon this site and read all the above posts before I realized that this site is dedicated to learning disabilities. As a former student I am obviously very opinionated on the program itself, but I won’t even get into that. For now I’ll simply say that BCA could quite possibly be one of the worst places to enroll a child with a learning disability. The academic curriculum is so poorly planned and coordinated that I cannot see how it could possibly cater to the often complex needs of a student suffering from a LD. Furthermore, the school does absolutely nothing to prepare a student for the possibility of attending any sort of college. In fact, it goes as far as to discourage the college application process for some students, as college enrollment would not be “thinking in the here and now” and would also interfere with the course of the program. I don’t think anyone should be considering this school, but this is especially true of children with learning disabilities.

15. on 10 Sep 2007 at Sep 10, 200715Sanford Shapiro

    Sean, I hear of some people who love this school and plenty who say similar things as you. I’m no apologist for BCA. I knew them some time ago. Not sure how they’re doing concerning academics and college counseling these days.

    The comment you made about discouraging future planning as not “thinking in the here and now” is a double adged sword. There’s times to be actively engaged in setting goals and figuring out next steps, like post secondary planning. On the other hand I know there are kids who’ve been so off track and self destructive that setting aside all else except figuring out how to avoid repeating mistakes of the past and being in the present is a necessary if frustrating step.

    Were you a student at BCA? How long ago?

    Thanks for writing in.

16. on 19 Jan 2008 at Jan 19, 200816Cindy

    Unfortunately finances seem to keep students away from these helpful schools. Does anyone know if there are resources out there to help defray the costs?

17. on 30 Jan 2008 at Jan 30, 200817Leslie

    My son attended and graduated from BCA in 1998 when it was under CEDU. He was there for 2 1/2 years (when he was 14 - 16). He is now going to graduate from college this May and getting married in June 08. Our experiences with BCA (and CEDU) were wonderful…and my son harbors no resentment - in fact was communicating yearly with the librarian (I don’t know if they are still in communication) and got the opportunity to visit one of his old roomies a couple of years ago. The tools my son learned at BCA helped him to be able to cope with his learning disabilities and his anger. He is a wonderful, loving, fun young man today; when we sent him to BCA we were afraid for our lives, and sure that he would be dead or in jail if we didn’t do something quick. Kids like him need early intervention - I’m so glad we didn’t wait until he was older to take action!!!
    We (as parents) spent many months laboring over various schools, praying for guidance, speaking with the admissions people before choosing BCA. The guidance counselors at each school we investigated were real treasures and very helpful. You’ve got to go with your gut feelings, and then trust your judgment and the school’s methods. You also have to stick with the program for the long haul.

18. on 27 Feb 2008 at Feb 27, 200818Tom

    I want to issue a warning to parents thinking about sending their children to Cedu, or Charles E Dedrich (Synanon Cult leader) University. I graduated from a Cedu School as a model student and have endured years of psychological after effects of the abuse I suffered there including PTSD. Cedu was started by a synanon member Mel Wasserman who is used as a all knowing guru cult leader figure at the schools. Methods of “breaking” students through food and sleep deprivation, verbal and emotional abuse “shame circles” used to instill guilt, a cult tactic. It took me years to realize how badly I had been damaged in fact I felt fine for years, then started to develop PTSD and other symptoms of psychological abuse. Any parent with children there I urge you to listen to what they say. It is a Fact that Cedu is classified by the United Nations as a violator of children’s human rights, due to their failure to allow open communication with anyone on the outside world, and involuntary servitude. Finally the last “workshop” the summit is owned by life springs, A CULT! If you need any more evidence that Cedu is a cult take almost any cult test, I bet Cedu will qualify. Tough love programs have high incidents of “causalities” I can attest to this because anyone whom I have kept in contact with has said that they have unresolved issues with the pseudo-psychiatric program. I don’t say all this to bad mouth Cedu I just dont want anyone, even my worst enemy, to go through what I went through there.

19. on 30 Mar 2008 at Mar 30, 200819jen

    In response to Tom’s comment, BCA is not owned or oporated by CEDU anymore. They have been open for more than 2 years now under Universal Health Services (UHS). I would also encourage parents to read these comments with an open mind as obviously not all schools are for all parents and kids. The kids who have gone to BCA that write on here may not necessarily have a clear understanding of the school and the purposes.

20. on 14 Apr 2008 at Apr 14, 200820Katie

    I am a therapist currently working with a 17 and a half year old teen and I am looking for a placement for him. His parent was considering BCA, but I was wondering if anyone had any other recommendations? He is oppositional, at times agressive (mostly verbal stuff) and depressed. He would do well in a program that has a heavy wilderness component along with academics (he wants to go somewhere to get his High School diploma). Any ideas? Thanks!

21. on 21 May 2008 at May 21, 200821mike

    i was at bca for a year, august 18 06 - august 22 07, and it was the worst time of my life. i was dealing with losing contact from my friends at home and suicidal depression, and as a result used alot of people for sex to try to escape. bca offered me no help, in either sending me to ascent or trying to put me on medication. i am not lying when i say there was no therapy. i ran from there and in a couple weeks went to an RTC called vista in utah. it was tough, but it was real therapy, and i finished high school. if you are a parent reading this, i understand how you are seeking help for your kid. i hate to say it but if you send your kid to bca they will either have sex, use more drugs on campus, run, or be outcasted. i look back on that time of my life as the worst time, when i could only rely on a couple close friends for help, not the “qualified” staff there, that were only interested in sending me away. also read what sean and evan had to say, they were friends of mine.

22. on 20 Jun 2008 at Jun 20, 200822Shea

    I was a student at BCA for over two years, and I would absolutly not reccomend it. The school is a complete scam, and like Evan said above, they want to get as much money as they possibly can. There is no therapy there, like Mike said, and if anyone who was there with me is reading this then you need to know this: I B.S.ed my way through it. I hate that place and I’m never going to go back. The therapists there that claim they are ones just plain manipulate parents, its a scam. It was the worst time of my life. I missed so much and they wouldn’t let me talk to my friends or anything fun. Also alot of the staff and therapists are not qualified. For example, I have a friend named Melanie while I was there. She hates it there and its just making her sadder and sadder being there. Evan was also good friends with her as well. She’s not happy, and after seeing all her friends leave, thats all she wants to do. Bottom line, if you want your son or daughter to be happy, don’t send them there, and you shouldn’t send them their any way. In short words, its not a “therapudic” boarding school, its a scam to get money from you and if you do send your child there prepare to be manipulated. Read Evan and Mike’s stuff above as well.

23. on 01 Aug 2008 at Aug 1, 200823robert

    As a parent of a student nearing graduation from BCA I have to say we are very happy with the program, the facility, the teachers administration, and staff. The therapist we work with at the school has been better than than any we used in Southern California. We pinch ourselves and wonder how they were able to get such a great staff in Northern Idaho. We worked with highly acredited and recommended psychologists and professionals at home who just didn’t get it. The professionals at the educational consulting firm, the wilderness program, and the staff at BCA were the first professionals to solve the puzzle and help our family. Our child went to second nature wilderness program and BCA was recommended. Our child has matured, made real friends, learned to know wants versus needs, focused more on academics and learned real life skills. A great part of the BCA program is to keep the kids in a safe environment while they improve there life skills. They are exposed to outside sports, rafting, rock climbing, fishing hiking, camping, winter sports, educational trips, Yellowstone Park, Washington DC trips, Shakespeare festivals,etc. Our child is 16, and very happy and confident now. He would like to be home now, but he realizes that completing the program is to his benefit. He gets enough home visits and we visit him frequently. From our visits to the school, observations of the parents and students we realize that how much a student benefits depends on the student, the parent, what issues the student has, relationship of parent and child, expectations,etc. The emotional growth component of BCA is a key factor and the most important component in the program in helping the students. I could go on with more positive and good things about the school. Things have come up with the program that we have questioned, but we have always been able to discuss issues with staff and resolve or understand the issue.

24. on 04 Aug 2008 at Aug 4, 200824alexander

    i was there for 11 months when i was 14.it was the worst time of my life

25. on 06 Aug 2008 at Aug 6, 200825Jeannette

    We are looking at BCA for placement of our 14 yr old, who is currently completing a wilderness program. He lacks self esteem, makes poor social choices and is easily influenced by older kids. Their brochure is so general, it does not delineate exactly how much & what type of therapy your child receives. Also what are the dorms like? Is it 4 kids to a room or is it large dorms with many beds? What’s the supervision like for bullying and abuse?

26. on 08 Aug 2008 at Aug 8, 200826Shea

    Don’t send your kid there. The dorms have up to 11 or 12 people in them when i left. There is no therapy and is a waste of $6,000 a month. This is coming from me, a person who was there for two years. The place is a scam.

27. on 16 Aug 2008 at Aug 16, 200827Nadine

    I can see from the many comments above that BCA is not for everyone. However, as a grandparent who was desperate to find help for a grandson I was raising who has a severe learning disability and a high level of ADHD as well as serious issues with loss and grief, I am truly thankful to have found BCA. My grandson has been there two years and will graduate from the BCA program and receive a high school diploma soon. It has been difficult for both he and me but he has matured so much in a safe environment while learning extremely important life skills. Sure there have been some issues but overall the staff is very dedicated and patient and I for one don’t know how they do this day after day. I feel very sorry for the students that left feeling it was a complete waste of time and are apparently still angry people. Even if BCA didn’t work for them, they need to look forward and not back and focus their energies on their futures. Life is what you make it and never easy.

28. on 26 Aug 2008 at Aug 26, 200828Anonymous

    Parents Please Read Before You Send Your Child To A Program:
    I’ve been to Rocky Mountain, Boulder Creek & NIBH. All of which were a threat to my future of gaining anything helpful. These programs sparked a prescription drug addiction that led me to multiple overdoes of the one I was on, due to not needing it. I was on the drug Lithium and Zyprexa, given to me against my will, and against my parents wishes. The counselors told my parents I would go to jail if they did not let them place me on them. When I started having the overdoes, which caused extreme fatigue, weight gain, and a sense of a “high”, I would try to tell my counselor and they upped the milligrams I was on. I tried to not take it due to the extreme fatigue, they would put me in this humiliating jumpsuit. The staff told me I was lying when I couldn’t stand up. I asked to call my parents, they told me my parents did not want to talk to me, and this was because they did not love me. When I called my parents, they would extremely monitor my phone calls, and when I started to talk about the medication, they would hang the phone call up, and tell my parents I had a “relapse.” They would not let me tell me parents what the medication was doing to me. So I started to feel that they were right, and I let them brainwash me. For almost 2 years I didn’t speak to my parents for more than 5 minutes, it was always an argument due to believing what the staff was telling me. For almost 1 1/2 years I did not get to see them. I didn’t hug my parents by choice for almost 5 years. Upon meeting my wife of 5 years, I wouldn’t get close and let her hug me for almost 2 years. Upon trying to reach out to friends, my counselor told me it was not a good idea to talk about anything so I did not. This was brought on by the emotional torment of having more than 5 BCA staff talk to me about how my parents do not love me. I was sent to the mental hospital associated with BCA called Nibh. BCA wouldn’t allow me back due to false allegations brought on by another peer. I went to another program, upon release from there I got hooked to methadon and and heroin, due getting off the medication cold turkey and needing a “high”. 11 of 12 programs I was in through my teenage years closed down, came under abuse allegations, or were brought various lawsuits. Honestly, I was so happy that RMA closed, and that for a short time BCA closed. The staff needed a wake-up call that their ill-manured actions can cause failures. Currently I live a better, more achieved life, than the low-life staff at BCA ever will. Throughout all of this, I hold no grudges or regrets. I thank God everyday that I was given the ability to be strong enough to get through what was put upon me. May God be with any child that would have to endure the conditions that were brought upon me at one point.

29. on 04 Sep 2008 at Sep 4, 200829Christina

    I happened to come across a comment written a few days ago by a former student and his experiences at BCA. After careful consideration I have decided to share our experiences to hopefully help other parents. It has been over two years since we began the process of sending my daughter to a wilderness program followed by a boarding school. After visiting several schools, we selected Boulder Creek Academy. During the interview process the admissions staff emphasized their ability to work with students with learning issues. My daughter is ADHD and has other LD issues such as a problem with long term memory retrieval. I knew that helping her with these issues was a very important part in helping her in other areas such as her low self-esteem.

    However, unfortunately, the promises during our tour were just words and far from reality. My daughter was not helped but actually punished for her ADHD. Additionally, the school’s answer was to increase her dosage for her ADHD medicine by 50% without my permission even though they had a written report in their files as to how sensitive my daughter was to her medicine. It had been determined two years earlier that a slight dosage increase caused mood swings which stopped as soon as the dosage was reduced. This was completely ignored and the staff increased the dosage even further than what had already caused problems in the past. I was then told that my daughter was bi-polar and needed “mood stabilizers”. I was asked within the first month of my daughter being at BCA to authorize them to begin giving my daughter Lithium (used to treat bi-polar disorder). When I researched Lithium and the potential side effects, I told BCA that I first wanted to try a different AHDH medicine before doing something so drastic. They would not do this. Not once throughout the discussions was I informed that they had increased the ADHD dosage by 50%. I didn’t know until I pulled her from BCA that this had been done. As I read the comment from “anonymous”, I realize how fortunate we were to not listen to the staff. In fact, the staff’s insistence that my daughter needed to go on Lithium without allowing us to try other forms of ADHD medicine was one of the deciding factors for pulling her from BCA. (As a side, my daughter is NOT bi-polar and the medicine would have been harmful. As soon as her ADHD medicine was changed back to the correct dosage the mood swings stopped).

    Making the decision to send one’s child to a school such as BCA is one of the hardest decisions we make as parents. We thought we had done everything right. We hired an educational consultant and visited several schools. If I had to go through this process again, I would do the following:

     BCA states that it works with LD teens. In four months we never once saw anything done to help my daughter in this area. In fact, she was frequently punished for her impulsive ADHD behavior. So, I recommend getting detailed specifics in this area. Stating that the classroom size is small is not enough. What are the actual qualifications of the teachers and staff and what specific things are done? For example, at my daughter’s other school, to help her become aware of her own actions she first had a specific thing to say before speaking what was on her mind. This helped her become aware of herself and slowed her down…. A much more positive and effective approach that being punished with two hours of weeding for that same behavior.

     References – This is very important. I actually asked for references when we looked at BCA but was told that they did not give out that information due to the privacy act. I didn’t know any better and accepted that answer. I have since learned otherwise and realize that this is a big red flag. When I decide to pull my daughter from BCA and was looking at the school she ended up attending, I was give a list of about 30 names of parents to contact of which about half were currently enrolled students and the other half graduates.

     Parent Involvement – There are usually some behavior problems in addition to the LD issues for one to be considering a school such as BCA. I believe that for a student to be successful there is a greater chance if the parents receive some education as well. BCA included one parent workshop with their program. A weekly phone call from the team parent coordinator updating us is not educating or helping the parents with their relationship with their child. I realized that after we changed schools and we had weekly 2-hour meetings with other parents and students in my daughter’s therapy group. The local parents could actually attend the meetings but since we were out of state, we attended the meetings via video conferencing. Additionally, instead of just an occasional family weekend to visit my daughter at BCA, once my daughter had given her autobiography and the parents and students approved, I was able to see my daughter whenever possible. In fact this was encouraged and considered a very important part of the program. Yes there were rules to follow but I was encourage, not discouraged to be with her. I attribute this approach to our close relationship today. Not one of my daughter’s friends from BCA has the kind of relationship with their parents that we have. Many resent them and rarely speak to them.

     Peer Involvement – This is a very important area and may actually be one of the most important areas. Teenagers respond much better to their peers than to adults. But there is a difference from the peers just reporting on each other versus peers holding each other accountable in a positive way. At BCA the adults run everything. During my visits to Boulder Creek, I observed students reporting things to the adults rather than first confronting the student and giving them the opportunity to change what was going on and reporting it only if the behavior didn’t change. There are other schools out there that basically have the peers run everything with the adults just making certain that everything is being done properly. This latter approach seems to work much better and creates less defiant actions among the students. It also builds self esteem which is so important to these students as they learn to become true leaders and not just someone telling on someone else as it is at BCA.

     Education - During my daughter’s four months at BCA, she received very little high school education. We were presented a different picture during our tour as we were told how important education was and how the high school classes were integrated into the program. It became an uphill losing battle when I tried to have her be able to take math and English. We were told that for the first month while the student adjusts, that he/she is evaluated for placement in math and English. After that we expected that the academics would begin. That didn’t happen and after four months my daughter had received ¼ credits in metal working, PE, photography, rock climbing and music and 1 credit in Farm.

     Campus Life – No matter what BCA tells the parents, there isn’t anyway that these students are watched properly in their campus setting. My daughter has told me several stories about what really was going on without supervision… sex, run away attempts and the list goes on.

     Therapy – I recommend getting a detailed schedule as to the therapy plan at BCA and in detail what that therapy entails. BCA does not have that much therapy. Working the farm was considered therapy at BCA. That may work for some but to most it is nothing more than manual labor.
    o Additionally, look at what issues your child has and specifically ask how they would address and help your child. For example, if your child is into drugs or alcohol or has an uncontrollable temper, what specific things are done at BCA to help your child WANT to change this behavior and not just pretend to change in order to get through as quickly as possible.
    o I would look into specific things done at BCA to get the students ready for their next stage in life. It is very difficult to go from a place like BCA to a college or job without some sort of transition. Some programs actually have students take some classes at the local community college or have them get a part time job so that they are better prepared to be successful when they leave.

     Follow-up. I would also ask the school what the success rate is and again speak with those parents. What kind of follow-up is done by the school after the students graduate from the program? A proper program should be able to provide you with at least 10-20 families of graduated students. It would be great to be able to get specifics as to how many students are pulled before completing the program and why. This is probably not possible but in our short time there were students being pulled because parents didn’t like what was going on. We became one of them.

     Education Consultant. I have mixed emotions here. We ended up using two different ones… the first one recommended BCA and the second one found the school that my daughter blossomed in. Despite the first one not understanding the needs of my daughter, I still recommend using an education consultant. That being said, I would still do everything above as well.

    It has been several months since my daughter has been home. She finished high school a year early and is currently enrolled in college, has a part-time job and a very nice boyfriend. She is majoring in child psychology as she wants to help other children.

    I know that she wouldn’t be where she is today had we not pulled her when we did from BCA. She is in touch with several student friends from BCA and it saddens me to see where they are now and their struggles. Additionally, many resent their families for having sent them to BCA. That’s not to say that my daughter had an easy time at the school she attended after BCA, as it was very challenging. But the key to her success and the overall success of her other school’s program was that the approach was positive as compared to the negative and punishing approach at BCA. For my daughter to tell me that I am and always will be her best friend is more than a parent can ask for. I truly believe I would have lost her had she remained at BCA.

    So please if any parents read this, do your homework. Even with this website there are several comments from students who experienced BCA first hand. Ask questions and most of all insist on being able to contact SEVERAL parents (both parents of currently enrolled students as well as graduated students).

30. on 08 Sep 2008 at Sep 8, 200830Matt

    I went to BCA for about 14 months or so and to be honest nothing good came out of it. I abused drugs and was a very angry kid. I still do drugs and still get angry sometimes. BCA taught me nothing but lies. They’re so called “therapy” is nothing more than cult brain washing. The staff there are very rude and inconsiderate of someones feelings. I sometimes felt emotionally abused there. It is definitely not a safe environment. And I bet you’ll probably talk to the administration coordinator about these postings. Don’t trust anything that she says. I personally know her to be one of the most manipulative and pushy people I’ve ever came in contact with. I got kicked out of BCA because it made me very angry and I got in fights. When I got I went to a lockdown facility which also did nothing for me.. I was just going through a phase in my life. My mom passed away 3 years ago and I didn’t know how to deal with it. But over time I grew up on my own. Now I’m 18 and about to graduate high school. If you’re considering sending your child to BCA please E-mail me and I will tell you all you want to know about it.
    XTheMatthewX@hotmail.com

    Thank you.

31. on 08 Sep 2008 at Sep 8, 200831spider

    hey i am a graduated from bca i was there 4 20 mounts
    i do have to say that it was not all bad i had some good times there and met a lot of interesting people there however it did not prepare me for the real world when i first got there it was not that bad things started going down hill when they hired Brian Daskivich this school would a bad choice any kid i did not have all the behavior problems that other students had that did not stop the staff from treating the problems that i dident have so wat im trying 2 say is there was a lot of my time that was wasted there 4 instance me and my friend were put on a program 2gether it was the same 4 both of us i was put of it 4 holding hams with a girl in a movie he was put om it 4 going almost all the way with the same girl i was told after this was over that we were put on that program 2gether in hops that it would make us jellies of each other i though that that was a horrible thing to do to 2 friends and they made us do pointless things like shuvl the basketball court wile it was snowing ridiculously hared
    the education there was a joke i was toled that i was going to get better help with ma dislexea and i was promised drivers ed. they dident get a reading teacher until the last 2 mounts i was there and i was fucked out of drivers ed the classes were worthless

32. on 13 Oct 2008 at Oct 13, 200832Shea

    I’ve commeted a few times, so I have my opinions about BCA. Sending your kid to BCA is a waste of $6,000 a month. BCA didn’t help me out at all, and when I left I still had complications with my parents. I left to go live at a different place and I’m doing great and about to graduate high school. There are other solutions besides boarding school. Parents may have biased opinions about the place because they listen to the staff that are lying to them. I was there for two years, and coming from someone who experienced BCA, it’s not a good place to send your child. A lot of the kids like Matt, Mike, and Evan, all had valid points and were good friends of mine. It goes to show you that we have numerous people that have experieinced this. So, parents, think twice before making this bad descion.

33. on 24 Oct 2008 at Oct 24, 200833A Challenge Student (BH)

    Like Shea, Matt, Evan, and Sean, I am a past student of Boulder Creek Academy. I will first say that I actually learned something from BCA. Sure, I didn’t like it the 20 months I was there, but it does have some strong points. Meeting kids from around the country is really cool, not to mention when kids from your town go to BCA at the same time as you. The workshops, I will say, helped me out. A few of them didn’t help me out as much as I wanted them to, but it was what you put into them (unfortunately for the students, we heard that a lot). For us as students, the rules of Boulder Creek Academy tightened over the 20-month period of my stay there. It went from students having a voice, to virtually no voice at all. I’m honestly not trying to bash on the school, but it has been going really downhill those 20 months.
    For an emotional price of (no sarcasm)pain and misery for yourself and quite possibly your child, please consider what I have said.

    Thank you.

34. on 30 Oct 2008 at Oct 30, 200834Erol

    I’d like to post my opinion on BCA from a students stand point. Though i was expelled from the school (mainly for disrespect and sexual behavior) which i will talk more about later, i understand what the staff and administration are trying to teach i just disagree with it, I voiced this and as a result was not only rudely ignored a countless amount of times, but expelled.

    I understand for parents reading this you may be skeptical about input from a student who was expelled, So i would like to clarify on what grounds i was expelled and my beliefs.

    I admit I did do some things that I consider disrespectful, for instance after reading on this website some of the allogations of the school’s pretecessory owners CEDU had strong ties to a cult, and that the “end all be all” and “life changing experience” workshop the Summit was owned by a cult. I had ammo to go after these workshops you are made to go through or spend time doing physical labor until the next one comes around. They refer to the workshops as “take it or leave it” when in reality it’s take it or work on the farm. I publicly at a House Around ( an event that takes place multiple times a day in order for staff to keep track of students and make general announcements) after a workshop had been announced i regretebly said “Brainwashing” this sparked ongoing controversy throughout the school and promoted this type of free thinking among the student body. One of my most memorable arguments is when a staff member (one of my favorites too) told me i was being “too logical” to be honest i did not think the modern human brain could produce such in lack of a bettter word stupid remark. the constant pwer struggle between myself and the program continued I’m not saying that i blocked it all out either i agreed with a fair deal of the morals that they tried to teach, and i helped promote them but i did the same thing the other way too.

    I was a model leader and Academic Student at BCA never placing below 3.8 GPA during my entire stay. I am a very political person and i was not afraid to speak out and stand up for myself, and that was my demise.

    I would agree with most of the other student comments as i am friends with most of them i think the things you really need to watch out for at this school, are Staff manipulation, repressed thoughts and ideas (this can a very damging thing to an adolescents and can possibly effect theyre way of standing up for what they believe for the rest of their life), over medication ( be careful theyre currnet doctor has a student perscribed alias “the candyman”), lack of therapy for CERTAIN students…
    well as my time has run out in this current free class period i have i will finish posting tommorow

35. on 31 Oct 2008 at Oct 31, 200835shea

    I know this isn’t supposed to be a chat room, but i’d like to say hi to erol, and hope he’s doing well, and to let me know how he’s doing. He was one of my friends at BCA. I hope he will give me his infromation too.

    All the points Erol made were completely true. The academics there were a joke. I don’t think I learned much from them, and many of the students commenting on this page would agree. Now that I’m taking real classes at my new public high school in Austin, Texas (the best city on earth), I’m actually learning things as a senior, and i will also graduate in June. If you actually want to get a legit eduaction for you child, BCA would not be a great idea.
    The reason I post so much is not so I can bash BCA. It’s because I want to help parents who are looking for a placement for their child realize the reality of bca from a primary source who’s exeprienced the stuff that goes on there. There are other soltuions besides bca, and if you’ve noticed, none of the students, even the ones that graduated the program, like myself, have not had good exepriences from being at this school. And for the price of sending your child there, it’s not worth spending $72,000 a year. Parents, I hope you understand what I have just said in this post. These comments aren’t to bash on bca, they’re to help out your child and try to pick a different path to have your child live a better life and experience more things. Thanks for listening everyone.

36. on 07 Nov 2008 at Nov 7, 200836A Challenge Student (BH)

    I agree with Erol on his opinions.

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