The semi annual Parents Seminar was held May 24-26th at the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah.
Joe Thomas was the keynote speaker at the event. Thomas is known for the communication seminars he presents to some of the top companies in the United States, and brought his business communication expertise to the area of family communication in the conference. In addition, Discovery Academy staff members gave presentations on experiential therapy and academics.
While the best thing about the seminar is the chance for parents to see their children, it was also an opportunity for them to interact with staff in a way that helps parents understand DA treatment objectives.
This year parents and students also got a chance to share equine and ropes activities at Discovery Academy’s experiential campus.
The event was also a forum for parent/teacher conferences. Parents discussed and evaluated their child’s academic progress with their student and DA educators.
The student Variety Show was the seminar finale. Hundreds of rehearsal and preparation hours went into the production, which is always a Parent Seminar favorite.
The next parent seminar will be held in the Fall.
Discovery Academy mentors interact with your student every day. Besides monitoring daily activities, mentors are mirrors to successful young adult living.
Lee Jensen, Director of Education
He grew up in California, played semi-professional basketball in Denmark, and loves murder mysteries. Lee Jensen is a man of many talents and interests.
“My grandfather was a small town doctor in Utah,” he says. Lee’s mother traveled from the family home in Los Angeles to have her father deliver his grandson. That marked the beginning of Lee’s life of travel.
As a youth he lived in northern California and Montana. He worked as a missionary for his church in Denmark, where he met and later married his Danish wife. Lee graduated from the University of Copenhagen and was accepted to Columbia University’s doctoral program.
He turned that offer down and instead pursued teaching and administrative positions in secondary education. He’s been an adjunct college professor and worked in the private sector in curriculum development for Stanford Research Institute.
But the lure of Discovery Academy proved irresistible. Although he had experience working with adults in a 12-step rehabilitation program, Lee says Discovery Academy is more personally rewarding.
“I missed what I think is more down to earth realness about the younger generation,” he says. “The idea of working with youth before they got to the point where the only thing that mattered was their addiction was very appealing.”
“What we’re involved with, in my opinion, is preventative. We’re trying to give them the building blocks to avoid future problems in adulthood.”
Heather Westenskow, Registrar
From academic transcripts to immunization authentication, Heather Westenkow is the woman who keeps Discovery Academy’s records in precise order.
A Utah native, Heather has been with Discovery Academy since 2005. She began her career at DA working as a mentor while finishing a Bachelor of Music degree at Brigham Young University.
Writing music for various media formats also puts Heather in the spotlight for her other DA job &ndash Theatre Director.
“I’ve always loved the arts so while I was in college I took lots of dance and theatre classes,” she explains. She toyed with the idea of becoming an actress but picked music instead because of the demand for writers and composers.
When the Registrar’s office is humming along, she turns her attention to teaching dance and musical theatre to Discovery Academy students. “Most of them would never have been caught dead in a dance class!” she says with a laugh. “At first they’re really reluctant and act like they’re too cool. They end up just loving it by the end.”
She especially enjoys seeing the change that comes over students as they discover and develop new talents. “It’s so cool to praise the kids in a different way than they’ve ever been praised before. It’s fun to laugh with them as they practice their comedy routines.”
The biggest productions of the year are the Parent Seminar variety shows. Students rehearse for the big show about two hours a day but Heather’s prep time extends far beyond that. She’s responsible for orchestrating everything from music production to costumes, choreography and technical details. “It takes a lot of patience and sweat to pull it off but it’s all worth it in the end,” she says.
In her free time, Heather enjoys performing with a musical comedy group and recording in her studio at home. As a farm girl raised in Bicknell, Utah, she says she loves animals but has no pets. “My husband’s allergic to everything!” she says. Heather also enjoys hiking, camping, and Mexican food.
Welcome to “In the Loop”, – the quarterly newsletter for Discovery Academy. We’re pleased to offer news and information to enhance your family’s DA experience. In the coming months you’ll see updates on programs, information about our staff, relationship helps and parenting tips from respected authors and speakers. We welcome your contributions as well. Please give us your feedback at editor@discoveryacademy.com
A loose cannon. That’s how Karen describes her daughter, Emma. “We couldn’t keep her safe.”
Karen and her husband sought help from Discovery Academy after Emma had run away from home three times. The Chicago-area couple knew their daughter was struggling with adoption issues, drugs, and low self-esteem.
She says Emma picked the wrong group of friends. That led to drugs, failing grades, and bolting from home. “We were in fear for her safety.”
Emma says, “The thing I needed most, though I didn’t realize before, was a long time of separation from the people/environment back home.”
Karen and her husband, Mark, began looking for help. “I don’t know anyone who had sent a child anywhere for help,” Karen recalls. “For about three months we did a lot of research on the Internet, but everything sounds wonderful on the Internet.”
Finally, the family turned to an educational consultant who recommended Discovery Academy. “She talked to us and talked to Emma. She wanted to find a good match for Emma’s personality.”
Mother and daughter boarded a plane for Utah. “It was nerve wracking,” Karen says. “I remember thinking, ‘What are we going to do if I walk into this place and get this horrible gut reaction that it’s not a good fit?’”
In fact, her reaction was just the opposite. Over the next ten months Karen and Mark watched their daughter blossom. She loved her teachers and finished her junior year of high school. “They saw her wonderful potential and her ability to succeed in school,” Karen says.
Emma progressed equally well with her therapy. As she advanced to a Level 4 she earned the right to leave campus by herself and was encouraged to find a job. Therapist Rachel Christensen helped Emma prepare a resume and discussed possible questions she may be asked in job interviews. Emma’s preparation paid off. She landed a job at a local mall.
“Having an off-campus job was a really important learning experience for me,” Emma says. “It gave me a chance to get used to being out by myself before I went home. It also gave me a sense of accomplishment, and pride that I had finished what I started.”
Christensen says Emma changed from a teen filled with doubts and confusion about who she was and what she wanted to a strong and confident young woman. “With each month she got stronger and stronger,” Christensen says. “She stood up for what was right and emerged as a leader.”
Now Emma is back home, preparing for her senior year at her old school. For now, she’s working at a local clothing store and trying to reconnect with friends who are positive influences.
She admits her Discovery Academy experience was difficult. But she believes it was all worth it. “I used to focus on just the moment, but now I look at my future and I see that I can do anything. All the possibilities just opened up for me once I got myself back.”
Hunker down. Hands on. Real life. Real lines. Those are all phrases used to describe Discovery Academy’s Family Workshop.
The workshop, held March 14th and 15th, gave parents a chance to sequester themselves with “the best of the best.”
Brent Hall, Discovery Academy’s Executive Director, says the goal of the seminar is to let parents learn one on one with some of the top-rated presenters from the Parent Seminars. Those speakers included marriage and family counselor Dr. Terry Olsen; Joe Thomas, a top business communication speaker; and Brad Barton, a magician who specializes in illusions on stage and in relationships.
Dr. Olsen is an Arbinger Institute trainer. This year he taught workshop participants about leadership and self-deception.
Joe Thomas is a respected business communication teacher. His clients typically include Fortune 500 companies. But in the course of his communication studies Thomas realized family communication is even more critical. He shared tailor-made communication strategies.
Brad Barton gets rave reviews from D.A. students when he performs his magic shows that mix a little conventional wisdom with some spectacular magic tricks. At the Family Workshop, Brad takes the opposite approach with parents. His presentation on better living is loaded with sound ideas parents can apply immediately with a little magic thrown in just for fun.
“We wanted to give parents access to these presenters in a format that’s very interactive &ndash far more so than in the Parents’ Seminar.”
He adds, “It’s a very unique blend of professionals and parents &ndash teacher and students – in an environment where people feel like they gain real tools to go home with and use with their children.”
Hall says the group’s size is limited to less than two-dozen parents to allow all the participants to have some serious “face time” with each of the presenters.
Parents stay in the same hotel where the seminar is held. They eat together, along with the presenters, and discuss problems specific to their situations.
“It’s a very intimate setting,” Hall explains. “Parents go together from classes to meals. They’re sitting around the table with the same group. That gives them a chance to share experiences and give each other support.”
The Family Workshop also gives parents a chance to practice talking with their teens in role-play situations. “You can ask the presenter to help you develop a strategy for your unique situation,” Hall explains. “You can practice what you could say or do before you’re in the heat of the battle.”
He says parents appreciate the ability to role play their exact situation and see where they get stuck. “It’s that kind of interaction you don’t really get in any other part of our program.”
The two-day workshop, held once a year, is tentatively scheduled for Spring 2008. Parents of current and former Discovery Academy students are invited to attend.
Discovery Academy officials plan to break ground this summer on a new, 26-thousand square foot academic center. The facility will be built just south of the current building.
“Our individualized teacher supported/student driven education program won’t change,” Executive Director Brent Hall explains. “But now that learning will take place in an environment designed from the ground up to enhance it.”
The $3-million center will contain nine “smart rooms” that will serve as classrooms. Each room features state of the art computers, wireless Internet with built in firewalls and safety features, and lecture/presentation capabilities.
Hall says the new center will offer three times the number of computers. Instead of having a computer lab, students will access the machines right from their classrooms.
In addition to the new classrooms, the center will also include a new library with an expanded and updated collection.
Living facilities in the new building will include a lighter, brighter cafeteria with easier access, and a fitness/recreation room complete with circuit training. Girls residential living will also move to the new center.
“We will continue to limit the numbers of students we accept to the Academy,” Hall explains, “but the 32-bed girls dormitory area will shift from our old building to the new learning/living center.”
Hall says current classroom space will be converted to handle school graduations and assemblies, as well as theatre arts electives.
Administrators hope to have the new building ready for use by the end of this year.
Discovery Academy | 105 North 500 West | Provo, UT 84601
801-374-2121
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