Montcalm Messenger Spring 2012 by BluFish

MO N T C A L M M E S S E N G E R A

A Quarterly Newsletter for Parents and Friends of Montcalm Students

Montcalm students were asked about their plans for spring break. Below are their responses:

NEWTON What I plan to do on my spring break is go home from March 23 – April 1 and spend time with my family and practice driving by visiting my sister, Mariah, at school. Just my mom and I are going to visit Mariah at Lincoln College for a weekend. Since that’s where I’m going to school, I’ll be meeting with an advisor to get myself more prepared for school. I’m really excited! I might see Cassidy, a friend at home, and spend time with her. by Devin On spring break, I plan to be home with my family. We probably won’t do much, but we’ll have lots of fun just staying home and spending time with each other. We’ll probably watch a lot of movies and eat popcorn because that’s what we usually do. I’ll spend time with the kids while I’m home also. Maybe we all could do something fun together like go mini golfing or roller skating. My mom and I will probably go to a baseball field and hit some balls or go to a batting cage. I plan on taking the dogs for walks and cooking people breakfast and cleaning my room. I plan on talking to my parents about rules for when I come home and making a schedule for when I come home. I want to just spend quality time with my family.

Spring 2012

Building Montcalm awareness Showing the positive impact that Starr Commonwealth and Montcalm School have on families across the country heightens awareness to a vital aspect of the community. Stacya Boyd, Activities Coordinator at Wilcox Cottage, and Olga, a student from Wilcox Cottage, recently gave a campus tour to community members and Margaret Grose, Labor Liaison for United Way of Jackson. The tour is part of an ongoing series of informational classes through United Way aimed at union members, families, retirees and the overall community. The purpose is to show the community all of the available resources so close to home. During the tour, the history of Starr Commonwealth and Montcalm School was discussed, as well as a tour of the Wilcox classroom. From there, the group visited the on-campus Chapel-in-theWoods and heard about the various services offered to students of different religious backgrounds. Olga then gave the group a tour of Wilcox Cottage and outlined the daily routine and schedule, including some of the treatment activities that have dramatically changed her life. “The tour at Starr Commonwealth had a deep impact on those who were there,” Grose said. “Some had never realized the seriousness of youth in trouble in our area.” Grose has done a lot of work with youth from Starr, dealing with both Montcalm School and other residential programs. “The program at Starr is intense but needed,” Grose said. “It shows that investing in our youth is also investing in our future. As the Labor Liaison at United Way, it’s my responsibility to show people how their donated dollar can do the work that is needed for many health and human service agencies like this one.” Boyd also believes that allowing members of the community to see the campus in person is more effective than simply telling them about Starr and Montcalm School.

by Tyler continued on page 2

NEWTON Over my spring break, I’m not exactly sure what we will be doing yet. One of the things we were considering was going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We would be going with my cousins Mickey, Easton, James, Jessie and my other cousin. I’ve never been there before, so I would be very excited to go. If we do not go to Myrtle Beach, we will just relax at home with the family. I’ll hang out with my sisters a lot and probably do some sort of volunteer work. by Shelby Over my spring break, I would like to go home so that I can help rebuild my relationships with my family. I would also like to see my pets and my brother. I plan to work and help some homeless animals get loving homes. I also plan to hang with friends a little but spend more time with family. by Katie

MEET OUR STAFF

Dana Higgins Client Service Cordinator, Norton Dana Higgins’ passion for working with youth started long ago, but the road to his current position was not exactly paved in the traditional way. After high school, Higgins attended the University of South Florida. He soon left school for quite a while, still trying to figure out his career path. Higgins eventually graduated from Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Mich. and is currently pursuing a degree in elementary education from Miller College in Battle Creek. Intertwined in Higgins’ academic endeavors has been a 19-year career at Starr Commonwealth. He has been at Montcalm School since 2000. As Client Service Coordinator for Norton Cottage, Higgins acts as a facilitator and liaison between parents, students and the program. “I enjoy the challenge of working with youth, in particular the Norton group,” Higgins said. “We as staff learn alongside the students every day.” In addition to his regular job duties, Higgins is heavily involved with coaching the basketball, golf and bowling teams at Montcalm.

I’m going to drive from here to my house, which is a six-hour drive. I am not quite sure how it’s going to go, but I hope it ends well. I also plan on going to Puerto Rico for my spring break. I want to have fun at the beach with my family. I also want to get my hair braided there. I want to get a tan and see some historical stuff.

“I enjoy taking my love of sports and sharing it with the students,” Higgins said. “It’s great to see the kids improve each and every day.”

by Izzy

To contact Dana Higgins, email him at higginsd@starr.org, or call 517.629.5591, ext. 2551.

I plan on having a lot of fun during my time with my family. I know for sure that I am traveling to an island off the coast of Florida. Just to walk on the beach and feel the sand between my toes will be awesome. I know that we’re also going to be going out to eat. Yum! Another thing that my dad and I talked about doing was making a meal for my grandparents. Of course, my brother will help me though. I’m looking forward to my spring break. by Chloe

Higgins said that he gets a lot of enjoyment out of his work, especially the positive changes he sees in students. “I believe Montcalm provides opportunities for our students that they may not have had in their past situations,” Higgins said. “I think with the students, we give them hope for their future, and that’s a very rewarding experience.”

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“I believe the main reason for the tour was showing how Starr Commonwealth provides a safe zone for the students with our beautiful and safe campus,” Boyd said. “It’s so important to show the community all of the wonderful things that go on here every day.” Because Grose is so impressed with the students she has worked with, the relationship between Starr and United Way is only getting stronger. Service learning activities with United Way like painting park benches and visiting the Jackson Friendly Home, a residence for women over 60, will continue in the coming months. “You know the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words?’ That’s how I feel about these tours,” Grose said. “Having Olga was the whipped cream on top. She was awesome and impressed many of our participants. I just want to thank Starr and Montcalm for all they do.”

I plan to hang out with my mom and family, cook and bake, celebrate Easter and hang out. Maybe we will see a movie or two. I want to play with my dog, go for walks and go to an ice cream place. I will help around the house and see my aunt, uncle, grandpa and grandma. by Lisa

STL For spring break, I will be going to Florida from March 30-April 6, and I will be on the beach 24/7 or in the ocean surfing on Coral Cove. When I get back on the 6th, I will be in New Jersey. I will be playing “Call of Duty” with my brother then going down to a high school party with my friends. The party is a cancer fundraiser. I will also be going to the Lifetime Fitness Center a lot to play basketball and lift weights.

Alumni success story by Kurt Tech, a 2006 graduate of the Starr program During my time at the Montcalm program within Starr Commonwealth, I changed the way I saw the world. I went in with low self-esteem and an overall sense of anxiety towards the world I knew I would soon be forced to confront. After a few months in the group cottages, I was placed in Montcalm’s individual living program where I did my own shopping, cooking and cleaning. I was responsible for myself, something I hadn’t ever needed to do before. This experience, while sometimes unpleasant, helped me gain confidence in myself and my abilities to be independent. Being given gradual increments of greater responsibility allowed me to push myself further and further in a controlled environment. Suddenly, I felt I could tackle more difficult tasks in school, as well as within my home environment. One of the most difficult problems I faced was overcoming a distance I felt between my family and I. The group therapy sessions made me realize I was not alone in this struggle and helped me to see that there was nothing but love between us. The sessions also helped me get over the anger I felt towards my placement in the program and the other problems I could simply not let go. No one man can control the events of the world, so we must focus inward and control our own emotions and behaviors. With introspective focus and control, the world around me suddenly changed into a much more desirable environment, and my relationships began to flourish.

by Scott My goal is to have fun over my break and to have a positive spring break. What I really want to do is go home. What I probably will be doing on spring break is go to the Bahamas. I hope to have a lot of fun on my trip. I will have great people around me, and it will be my birthday the next week. Lastly, going to a place where it is warm and a fun place to go will be nice. by Elliot For spring break, I would like to spend time with my family. I would go through downtown Seattle, go bowling and see movies and much, much more. I love my sister and the last three years, I haven’t seen her much. I would spend most of the time with her. I would also take a lot of walks with family. by Jonathan

After graduating from Starr’s program and then high school, I went on to attend Albion College. During that time, I started a landscaping business with my three younger brothers, which provided a healthy income for my summers at home. I would Kolassa Sensory Integration Roomnot have been able to handle such responsibility if it weren’t for the communication and interpersonal skills I developed at Montcalm. In addition, I was very grateful for the Starr scholarships I applied for and received that helped to pay for my college education. More recently, in December 2011, I graduated from Albion with a B.A. in Economics and Management with an emphasis on Finance. I am now pursuing a career in investment banking in hopes of accelerating the young entrepreneurs out in the world to achieve their dream of taking a company public.

The Montcalm School boys’ basketball team recently finished a 3-5 season that saw drastic improvement over last year. The team played in the tough Michigan Alternative Athletic Association. Coach Dana Higgins, Client Service Coordinator for Norton Cottage, said the biggest differences in this year’s squad were the willingness to listen and learn from him and the overall effort put forth by the players. Even as Higgins introduced more complex offensive and defensive schemes, the players responded well and exceeded his expectations. Congratulations on a great season!

MENDELSSOHN MONTCALM SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Spring break has always been my favorite, that is besides summer of course. This one is going to be great because I’m planning on it being my first trip home since I have found myself at Montcalm School. The anticipation is eating me alive. I will be with my family anticipating the warm weather of summer and all the joyous times it brings. by Josh

NORTON During the upcoming vacation, I plan to be with my family all the time because I have missed them so much. During that time, we are going to celebrate by little brother’s birthday. It’s going to be exciting for both of us, since I missed his last birthday. We are going to spend the time in Acapulco, a popular city in Mexico. I look forward to seeing my brother and sister, mom and dad, aunt and uncle, my grandpa and cousins. In addition, I’m really excited about spending time with my grandpa because I haven’t seen him in any of my past home visits. Thank you, everyone, that has helped me become what I am today and to those that will continue to help me look forward to a better future.

Campus Activities • • • • •

Sprint Championships Campus Clean-up Field Day Family Day Track Meet

Norton • Off-campus movies • Basketball (gym time/ organized) • Bowling • Capture the flag, soccer, football (outdoor recreational activities) • Humane Society • Friday picnics

Reynolds

Mendelssohn

Recycling Center Reading to children Basketball Football Camping trip Special Olympics (service learning) • Friday Picnics

• • • • • • •

• • • • • •

Bowling Humane Society March Madness party Fishing Frisbee Golf Laser Tag Friday Picnics

STL Newton • South Central Food Bank • SPCA of Kalamazoo Animal Shelter • Special Olympics (service learning)

• • • • • • •

Blood Drive Inner Faith Shelter GPS scavenger hunt Trips to local library Music appreciation Basic auto care Bird watching tour

Evan strikes gold Participating in sports teaches youth a variety of lessons that can be applied to all aspects of life, including teamwork, responsibility and sportsmanship. Evan, a resident of Norton Cottage, exemplified these characteristics while winning the State Bowling Tournament High Series. He bowled a 561 series, which is an impressive 187 average for three games. “I am really excited to represent Montcalm by winning the State Bowling Tournament High Series,” Evan said. “There is no better way to represent Montcalm and myself than by winning.”

by Daniel

But Evan knows that sports are not all about winning and appreciates the opportunity to participate in something that he is so passionate about. “I know that winning isn’t everything,” Evan said. “But bowling is my dream. I would like to become a professional bowler some day. I love bowling because you always have to be competitive and focused.” It is that focus that Evan credits with helping him achieve success, and it is just one of the many skills that he has learned at Montcalm School. 13725 Starr Commonwealth Rd. Albion, MI 49224 PH 866.244.4321 FX 517.629.4650 montcalmschool.org

“I can apply the concept of focusing on the “here and now” that I have learned for everything in life,” Evan said. “It’s the same when I focus on each shot.” Evan’s determination and perseverance bode well for his bowling skills as well as his future in all walks of life. But for now, he will enjoy his victory. “I was so excited when I won,” Evan said. “Winning the tournament means a lot to me.”