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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.
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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