Academy of the Sierras
Encyclopedia
Wellspring Academies is a pair of therapeutic boarding school
s for overweight
and obese children, teens, and young adults, both operated by Wellspring, a division of Aspen Education Group
. It is said to be the first weight loss boarding school
in the United States
.
As of September 2009 Wellspring Academies had two campuses.
was established in 2007.
Admissions are ongoing throughout the year, with a minimum 4-month stay. Incoming students for the fall semester have the option to participate in a multi-week wilderness program
conducted in a location near the campus.
Wellspring Academies utilizes an integrated approach to fitness and weight loss. Once in the regular program, participants learn diet and activity management, with culinary, nutrition, fitness and aerobic training to enable participants to learn lifelong skills. Students eat three low-fat meals and two snacks daily, totaling only about 1,300 calorie
s and less than 12 grams of fat
per day. Extensive daily physical activity, including walking or running at least 10,000 steps per day, is also required. Behavioral changes are reinforced with cognitive behavioral therapy, training students on the self-regulatory behaviors required for long-term weight control. This includes use of a Self-Monitoring Journal to record everything a student eats throughout the day. According to weight-loss researchers, the self-monitoring technique is a key component of long-term weight loss success. In addition, students meet with a "behavioral coach" three times per week to reinforce the training, improve frustration tolerance and stress management skills, and work through the issues that are typically contributing to the weight gain, like emotional eating or resorting to food as an unhealthy coping mechanism. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is central to the Wellspring program as it has been shown in numerous studies to reinforce key self-regulatory skills (such as self-monitoring) and has favorable short and long-term effects on weight loss
, includes grades 8 – 12, with a college program available through an affiliation with Reedley College. Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas offers an academic program accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
for grades 7 – 12.
Curriculum at both Academies includes core classes such as English, math, history, and science, as well as fitness, nutrition, and culinary courses that reinforce skills for weight loss. Electives such as foreign languages, theater, and horticulture are also available and vary by Academy and semester.
Some experts, such as Anjali Jain, a pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center
, question the expense and necessity of boarding school, pointing out that participants have not been followed long enough after leaving the program to evaluate the long-term results.
Recent long-term results were presented at The Obesity Society 2008 Annual Meeting.
for summer weight loss in locations including New York, North Carolina, Florida, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Vancouver, Canada, and England. and after-school programs for fitness and weight loss
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,...
s for overweight
Overweight
Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
and obese children, teens, and young adults, both operated by Wellspring, a division of 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...
. It is said to be the first weight loss boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
As of September 2009 Wellspring Academies had two campuses.
- The California campus is in Reedley, CaliforniaReedley, CaliforniaReedley is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. Reedley is located east-southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 348 feet . The population at the 2010 census was 24,194. Its chief economic source is agriculture, particularly fruit and vegetable cultivation. The city is dubbed as...
, about 30 minutes southeast of FresnoFresno, CaliforniaFresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, and has 90 students ages 13–24 (grades 8-12, as well as a college-age program run in conjunction with Reedley CollegeReedley CollegeReedley College often referred to as Reedley, RC, or known to locals as The College is a public community college located in Reedley, California, USA southeast of the Fresno Metropolitan Area and only a 3 hour drive south to Los Angeles or 3 hour drive north to San Francisco...
). - A second campus, located in Brevard, North CarolinaBrevard, North CarolinaBrevard is a town in Transylvania County, North Carolina, United States. The 2005 population estimate by the United States Census Bureau was 6,643. It is the county seat of Transylvania County....
and known as Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas (or WSCL), has roughly 30 students ages 11–18 (grades 6-11).
History
The Academy of the Sierras was founded in California 2004 by Ryan D. Craig, who also served as the school's first Executive Director. Aspen invested $6.5 million in the start-up. The school's second location in North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
was established in 2007.
Methods
Wellspring’s focus is on living a healthy lifestyle, with long-term success of its participants presented at international scientific conferences on obesity. Wellspring claims that its program, founded on decades of scientific research in obesity, has among "the best documented outcomes of any non-surgical weight loss intervention for any age group.".Admissions are ongoing throughout the year, with a minimum 4-month stay. Incoming students for the fall semester have the option to participate in a multi-week wilderness program
Wilderness therapy
Wilderness therapy is a subset of adventure-based therapy. It is the use of wilderness expeditions for the purpose of therapeutic intervention. There are a range of different types of wilderness therapy programs, with a range of models and approaches. Some grow out of a survival approach and some...
conducted in a location near the campus.
Wellspring Academies utilizes an integrated approach to fitness and weight loss. Once in the regular program, participants learn diet and activity management, with culinary, nutrition, fitness and aerobic training to enable participants to learn lifelong skills. Students eat three low-fat meals and two snacks daily, totaling only about 1,300 calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...
s and less than 12 grams of fat
Fat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
per day. Extensive daily physical activity, including walking or running at least 10,000 steps per day, is also required. Behavioral changes are reinforced with cognitive behavioral therapy, training students on the self-regulatory behaviors required for long-term weight control. This includes use of a Self-Monitoring Journal to record everything a student eats throughout the day. According to weight-loss researchers, the self-monitoring technique is a key component of long-term weight loss success. In addition, students meet with a "behavioral coach" three times per week to reinforce the training, improve frustration tolerance and stress management skills, and work through the issues that are typically contributing to the weight gain, like emotional eating or resorting to food as an unhealthy coping mechanism. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is central to the Wellspring program as it has been shown in numerous studies to reinforce key self-regulatory skills (such as self-monitoring) and has favorable short and long-term effects on weight loss
Academics
Students continue their education while they work to lose weight. Wellspring Academy of California, with an academic curriculum accredited by the Western Association of Schools and CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
, includes grades 8 – 12, with a college program available through an affiliation with Reedley College. Wellspring Academy of the Carolinas offers an academic program accredited by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of the six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation...
for grades 7 – 12.
Curriculum at both Academies includes core classes such as English, math, history, and science, as well as fitness, nutrition, and culinary courses that reinforce skills for weight loss. Electives such as foreign languages, theater, and horticulture are also available and vary by Academy and semester.
Outcomes
Wellspring Academies claims that students lose more than 3 pounds (1.4 kg) per week and maintain this weight loss, on average.Some experts, such as Anjali Jain, a pediatrician at Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center
- Introduction :Children’s National Medical Center , is the only exclusive provider of pediatric care in the Washington, D.C., area and the only freestanding children’s hospital between Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Norfolk, and Atlanta...
, question the expense and necessity of boarding school, pointing out that participants have not been followed long enough after leaving the program to evaluate the long-term results.
Recent long-term results were presented at The Obesity Society 2008 Annual Meeting.
Related programs
Wellspring also offers Wellspring campsWellspring camps
Wellspring Camps are 1-week to 8-week summer weight loss camps located in New York, North Carolina, California, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Vancouver, Canada, and England...
for summer weight loss in locations including New York, North Carolina, Florida, California, Texas, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Vancouver, Canada, and England. and after-school programs for fitness and weight loss