New Leaf Academy (Oregon)
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005
New Leaf Academy
P.O. Box 6454
Bend, OR 97708-6454
541-318-1676
541-318-1709 (fax)
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Hi, My name is Lauren. I am a New Leaf Academy graduate of 2004. I came @ age 11, and left right before I turned 13. “NLA” was a great place for me to learn and grow. However, NLA is changing very much and it kind of makes me sad because it used to be owned by different people who kept it small. Now it has kind of turned into a buisness. But…I still know a lot of what it feels like to be there. If you or your child is looking to go there. You can contact me and ask anything. I would love to answer your questions because I have been there…done that…and I hope others can benifit from it, too. My best reguards, Lauren, 13
My name is Emmalee, and I attended New Leaf March 17th, 2001 (6 days after my 13th birthday) to June 17th, 2003. I was sent to NLA to help me deal with my issues regarding the abuse I suffered at the hands of my father. I had a great experience there. I have to admit I resented my mother and step-father for sending me there, but my mom continually reminds me now that I have made so many friends and have so many great memories. I really recommend NLA for parents who want their daughters to heal and grow.
I am currently planning a reunion for all the girls who attended the first six years at the Green Ridge campus (now defunct). It’s been wonderful getting back in touch with so many of my NLA sisters. I can’t wait to see them in August!
“we’re new leaf girls, we’re family…”
My name is Taylor and i am a nla Graduate. I think new leaf is the best thing that has happened to me. I learned how to make real friends and how to accept and love my self. I do reccomend new leaf for parents that want there daughters to be safe. New leaf is a wonderful school. I will never for get my 31 sisters at Rock Masa.
Hi. I’m Amanda Davis. I went to NLA for 26 months. It was and will be the greatest 26 months of my life. I made great friends that I keep in contact with. When I get the chance, I want to go and visit. I got great help on personal issues. I am back at home and have been for over a year and life if a lot better than before. The adults there are very supportive and the acidemic program is excellent. I will never forget a single moment while I was there. New Leaf has a near and dear place in my heart and I charish every second of being there.
Hi, I’m Caitie DeAlmeida. I was at NLA with a couple of those listed above, but I have met all of them one way or another. I was there for about thirty months which is generally not a normal amount of time to stay but as they say “however long it takes”. I arrived strait out of a wilderness program angry, grudging, but most of all scared and hurt. Now New Leaf helped me heal into the strong, mature person i am today. I have great relationships with my parents, and life long friends with the other NLA allumnae. So if you’re a parent looking at this for student reviews- know that it’ll be hard in the beginning, they’ll be tears and outbursts plus that empty space in your house but trust me, it’s way worth it.
I arrived at New Leaf when I was 13 in February 2004 and graduated when I was 16 in 2006. It was the best experience I’ve had in my life. I made so many close friends who I still keep in close contact with, I got to know myself really well, and my relationships with friends, family, and myself improved greatly. I would definitely recommend this school if your daughter is struggling behaviorly and/or emotionally in school, at home, or with friends or family.
New leaf was the best thing that has happend to me! NLA helped me find who i am. i now and home after trancfering from nla to a nother bording school. new leave is an amazing school. i love you all please email me at negativechick_2002@yahoo.com
I arrived at New Lead in 2004 and I graduated in 2006. New Lead really changed my life. I now have a different aspect on life. I am respecful, honest, and am confient with myself. Thanks To New Leaf and my parents I am a happy girl.
Hi! I went to NLA for a year. I had such a great time there. I really miss counselor Hilary and the headmistress Beverly. They said such sweet things to me and supported me so well. I contacted the girls and my counselor and headmistress after I left. They sent me little notes about wishing me luck. Hilary, if you are reading, tell Kadie I said aloha! One of my most favorite memories is Erin S. commenting me on my hair. I wish all of NLA the best and a very happy new year!
Hey,
I am Elizabeth Ramsay i went to new leaf when i was 14 and left when i was 16. I was there for 23 months but time flew by. I loved it there. Everyone there is so nice and helpful, and i still call back till this day. I am glad i got to have this wouderful chapter in my life be added. It serousisly changed how i think of others and myself. I am happy i went and get to start over fresh!!
Could we get some actual specifics about the program?
Does it have a level system?
Consquences?
Monitored parental contact?
Come on details people!
TS: You’ll need to write or call the school for specifics. This is just a listing.
Come on read TS:
“Please do not use this comment form to ask schools or other institutions or people listed here to get in touch with you. Instead, contact them directly with the contact information listed above.”
i’m ashley and i went to nla for 23 months.eventhough i was unable to stay and graduate i took so much from this program i can’t even begin to describe how much i grew and changed.i faced many obstacles and challenges, but with help and support i was able to overcome them.when i first arrived, i went through sun clan (the first phase).then i moved on to moon clan(the second phase).the most emotional growth usually ocurrs in moon clan.the last phase,star clan,is when i was shortly prepared to face the world bruises and all.as original as this sounds trust me i didn’t know how much i had until it was gone and through that i learned gratitude.nla was an amazing place to build on my relationships and take a close look at myself. i would definately recomend this program to any girls that may need extra support to get them on track.one thing the parents/gardians(you)may also find is you also learn a lot about yourself in the process of helping your child.i really did like this program not just for the help i recieved but for the many friends i made.i also couldn’t really explain to you how close i was with so many people.i am now glad i know how to have great friends and great relationships.nla deserves much gratitude and thanks for the many lives it changes every day.i surely thank them for everything they gave me.
Hi! Does anyone have Hillary or Beverly’s contact info? I was wanting to get in touch with them again. Thanks.
Mo, you have to write to the school. This isn’t the school. This is ldresources
Okay. Thanks Sanford Shapiro!
No problem Mo.
nla has helped me in soooo many ways a i dont no weave probsre to start but u need to seen d your kid thier thie rif they h
I had only lasted two months at new leaf academy but i have to tell you it had reaaly helped me a lot my parents saw a big change in me i startd opning up about the way i was hurt and i really recommend this to any parents who need there child to seek mental and phsical help
Were new leaf girls were family
i would also like to thank creig and christy for founding this
Well, I only lasted 12 months at NLA (I was pulled out) between 2004 and 2005, and while I can’t say they were the best times of my life, They did do me some good and I cherish so many of my NLA experiances. For instance, we got to take care of bunnies, go on multiple field trips (to this day, I STILL talk about the white water rafting trip), and the family-feel was genuine and amazing. I loved my NLA sisters and still do. There were some things I definitely didn’t like about NLA, but, quite frankly, I know my case was an unusual one and NLA really did do SO MUCH for my fellow sisters and did help me, to some degree. I do reccomend, but, must say, proceed with caution and make absolute sure that this program is right for you.
I was reading my post from 2005 and noticed I wrote my dates wrong. I attended from March 17th, 1999 to June 17th, 2001. I was there 27 months and still (10 years later!) don’t regret the experiences I had there.
Reading through these other comments, it is nice to see so many people had similar experiences. I’m truly saddened that Craig and Christy don’t still own New Leaf and that Marcie is no longer the headmistress. It was truly a family environment with everyone who attended and worked there, including the teachers Carol, Laura, and Michelle. Even the handyman… Dave! I’m glad that it is still somewhat the same though. Judging by the North Carolina page, those girls haven’t been able to have the wonderful experiences the rest of us had.
I attended Green Ridge campus from May 21,2004-June 15,2006. I loved the experience! I was very quiet and reserved with no motivation. I do have to say, the times were not always easy. It was hard to come out of my shell, but I learned that I needed to “let go” of my perfect fantacies of my dad being the father I wanted and wished he could be. I learned to let others love me, and that I was not my biological mothers child (meaning I wasnt the mistakes she made and I didn’t have to follow her path). I made plenty of mistakes that I am not proud of. I have learned that I cannot be perfect and that the mistakes I made made me so much stronger. I highly reccommend NLA
I went to NLA Rock Mesa from September 2000 to July 2002. I would not be as successful as I am today if it weren’t for the people and the situations of learning at NLA. That place literally saved my life, and I thank all the people who were with me during that time.
Although things may be different for people who were there before/after me, these are the TRUE and HONEST Pros & Cons that mattered to me:
Pros:
-Charm necklaces
-Small environment
-sister-like bonding
-weekend activities
-field trips
-school atmosphere (teachers actually care about your learning)
-staff is GOOD at what they do or they go away very quickly
-almost never bored
-Contrary to popular belief, the supervision was NOT overwhelming
-bunnies!!!
-so so so so SOOOOO much more that I just cannot remember all at once.
Cons:
-may be life-threatening if threats are not reported
-supervision was not strict enough when I was there
-types of problems kids have should have a “too-extreme” mark where those kids who would be dangerous (as in murderous) to others should probably go to a more restricted school.
-food is poor ’cause we as kids usually made it…
-Apparently many of the graduates do not stay clean emotionally and behaviorally for very long…
-probably more things, but they’re probably not all that important since I cannot even think of them…
I went to NLA Rock Mesa from 2000-2002, so I’m sure things have changed. However, I recommend parents and relatives look at the facts and data with more acceptance than a bunch of biased opinions from people who failed the process (not necessarily failed the school).
There are many grown up girls who succeeded in changing for the better thanks to NLA. I still strongly believe it’s worth the risk.
One really important point to make is this: NLA and all the schools like it are few. This whole therapuetic boarding school for young girls does not have a long history. Experiments are necessary to find the right way to do things. That’s what many MANY professionals spend their lives working on. Finding the right way to deal with troubled children. Nothing is perfect. Not even close. We try and fail, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying again. NLA may fail sometimes, but that doesn’t mean they should just stop. They keep going, and every now and then there are some success stories that make it all worth it.