Academy at Swift River
Encyclopedia
Academy at Swift River, also known as ASR, is a coeducation
al therapeutic boarding school
for teenagers, located in Cummington
, Massachusetts
. Established in 1997, it is a part of the Aspen Education Group
.
The school's student population has been described as "bright but underachieving
kids" with a variety of behavioral problems. The majority of students use prescribed psychiatric medication
s. ASR is in session year-round and offers a college preparatory curriculum for high school
grades 9 to 12. Total enrollment is about 55 students.
The school is the focus of the 2005 book What It Takes To Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out by journalist
David Marcus.
Shane Reardon, son of major league baseball
pitcher Jeff Reardon
, graduated from ASR with honors, but later died from a drug overdose
at age 20.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al therapeutic boarding school
Therapeutic boarding school
A therapeutic boarding school , alternatively known as an emotional growth boarding school, is a boarding school based on the therapeutic community model that offers an educational program together with specialized structure and supervision for students with emotional and behavioral problems,...
for teenagers, located in Cummington
Cummington, Massachusetts
Cummington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Established in 1997, it is a part of the Aspen Education Group
Aspen Education Group
Aspen Education Group is an American, for-profit business organization that operates a variety of therapeutic treatment programs for troubled adolescents, including wilderness therapy programs, residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and weight loss programs. Aspen is a...
.
The school's student population has been described as "bright but underachieving
Underachiever
An underachiever is a person and especially a student who fails to achieve his or her potential or does not do as well as expected.Of particular interest is academic underachievement...
kids" with a variety of behavioral problems. The majority of students use prescribed psychiatric medication
Psychiatric medication
A psychiatric medication is a licensed psychoactive drug taken to exert an effect on the mental state and used to treat mental disorders. Usually prescribed in psychiatric settings, these medications are typically made of synthetic chemical compounds, although some are naturally occurring, or at...
s. ASR is in session year-round and offers a college preparatory curriculum for high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
grades 9 to 12. Total enrollment is about 55 students.
The school is the focus of the 2005 book What It Takes To Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out by journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
David Marcus.
Shane Reardon, son of major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher Jeff Reardon
Jeff Reardon
Jeffrey James Reardon , nicknamed "The Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and 98 mph fastball, is a former professional baseball relief pitcher from 1979-1994 who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati...
, graduated from ASR with honors, but later died from a drug overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
at age 20.
Further reading
- David L. Marcus (2005), What It Takes To Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out, Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-618-14545-4
External links
- The Academy at Swift River
- CAFETY - Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth