Family Foundation School

Infobox Private School
background = #f0f6fa (standard color)
border = #ccd2d9 (standard color)
name = Family Foundation School


motto = Building Character. Changing Lives.
established = 1984
type = Private Middle / High School
religion = Inter-faith
head_name = Academic Vice President
head = Sidney F. Parham, Ph.D.
director_name = Director of Admissions
director = Jeff Brain, M.A.
city = Hancock
state = NY
country = USA
campus = 150 acres
enrollment = 260 co-educational
faculty =
class =
ratio = 8:1
year =
patron =
SAT = 1250
ACT =
athletics = Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Golf
colors = Blue and Gold
mascot = Falcon
conference = New York State Class D, Section IX
homepage = http://www.thefamilyschool.com/
ceeb = |

The Family Foundation School is a New York State accredited, private, co-educational, college preparatory boarding school located in Hancock, New York. [New York State Department of Education, Administrators Listing for Public and Non-Public Schools and School Districts [http://www.nysed.gov/admin/120906/999098.html] ]

History and Practices

Founded in 1984, the school serves families of middle-school age (Grade 6, 7 & 8) and high-school age (Grade 9-12) children considered to be " [http://www.aish.com/family/mensch/The_At-Risk_Teen.asp at-risk] ." The school employs a residential behavior modification program, chiefly based on a 12-Step approach to aid students in achieving sobriety (emotional, physical and spiritual), while emphasizing principles of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love.School Close-Up: The Family Foundation School, Hancock, New York; [http://commondataset.org/common/about.asp?path=hs.home,%20hs.home&sponsor=1 Peterson's Educational Guide] [http://commondataset.org/pschools/code/IDD.asp?orderLineNum=910941-1&reprjid=11&inunId=134691&typeVC=InstVC&sponsor=1 Profile] ]

Enrollment, Graduation and Accomplishments

The school has an enrollment of around 260 students [NewYorkBoardingSchools.com, Profile Page [http://www.newyorkboardingschools.com/family.asp] ] ranging from ages 11 to 18 years (Grades 6 - 12).

Over the last five years, 100 percent of graduates have been accepted at postsecondary institutions, with 85 percent to four-year colleges and 15 percent to two-year schools or professional training. Many graduates are active in the FFS Alumni Association, an outgrowth of the school's first Alumni Reunion held in September 2006, which attracted more than 125 former students from around the country.Woodbury Reports, February 2007 Edition [http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives/2007/pdf/150-February07sm.pdf PDF] ]

In 2005, the school's debating team won the Seventh annual Delaware-Otsego Bar Associations Forensic Speech Tournament, ["Family Foundation School wins team speech contest," The Daily Star Newspaper, March 24, 2005. [http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2005/03/24/speech11.html] ] a regional debating competition. This was the second consecutive year that the FFS team won this competition.

The school is also known for its excellent athletics program and most notably its soccer team, which has won several championships in the New York State Class D, Section IX Conference. ["Family School Falcons Soar To Class D Boys Soccer Title, "Sullivan County Democrat, November 08, 2005 [http://www.sc-democrat.com/archives/2005/sports/11November/08/family.htm] ] Moreover in 2007, Wells Thompson an alumnus of the school, was selected as the fifth overall draft pick in the 2007 Major League Soccer (MLS) Super Draft by the New England Revolution. [New England Revolution Official Website, Wells Thompson Biography [http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=32452] ]

Faculty

The Family Foundation School employs over three-dozen trained educational professionals, counsellors and support staff, and maintains an 8:1 student-teacher ratio.School Overview: The Family Foundation School, American Education Services Education Planner [http://www.educationplanner.com/PSchools/code/instVC.asp?inunid=134691&sponsor=2859 Profile] ]

The school's English and Philosophy instructor, [http://www.answers.com/topic/jan-cheripko Jan Cheripko] , in addition to being the Middle School Principal, is the author of nine books, has won numerous national and international book awards and has been a featured speaker at the National Council of Teachers of English, the International Reading Association, and numerous other New York State and Northeastern U.S. regional education conferences. [Highlights Foundation Website, 2003/2004 Founders Faculty Page [http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/foundationFW_bios_03.html] ] He has also conducted graduate teaching accredited workshops on how to reach at-risk students through writing and literature. [Highlights Foundation Website, "Reaching at-risk Students: A Weekend of Writing and Literature" [http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/pages/current/FWsched_atriskStudents_04.html] ]

Allegations of Abuse

Recently, some practices formerly employed by members of the school's faculty have become a source of serious controversy. Though the school, many alumni and their parents point to a decades-long history of producing graduates that lead successful, productive lives, that view is disputed by at least one member of the youth advocacy group CAFETY, whose members describe themselves as survivors of residential treatment programs for at-risk youth. During an April 24, 2008 hearing before the United States Congress Committee on Education and Labor"Child Abuse and Deceptive Marketing by Residential Programs for Teens", http://edlabor.house.gov/hearings/fc-2008-04-24.shtml] , the school was named in testimony, which in part stated that from 1995 through 1997, members of the school's faculty engaged in practices that included "verbal abuse, often of a highly derogatory and sexual nature, at times regarding sexual orientation," and a practice of "wrapping kids up in Duct tape and blankets." Written transcript of testimony of Jon Martin-Crawford http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/2008-04-24-JonMartinCrawford.pdf]

The school responded to the testimony by issuing a statement declaring their support of the efforts of the committee to keep children safe from harm, adding that they had since modified their crisis-management methods to meet the standards of both the New York State Department of Education and the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) program developed by Cornell University. The school also stated that since 1999, all school faculty and staff are required to be trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention techniques.The Family Foundation School Responds to the Recent Hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor. http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/FamilyFoundationSchoolBN_080505.shtml]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.thefamilyschool.com The Family Foundation School Website]
* [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guide_to_Schools/Family_Foundation_School WikiBooks Guide to Schools]
* [http://www.amazon.com/s/?search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=jan%20cheripko Books by Jan Cheripko]
* [http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/ New England Revolution, U.S. Major League Soccer Team]
* [http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/2008-04-24-JonMartinCrawford.pdf Testimony of Jon Martin-Crawford]