CHAMBERLAIN International School
Middleboro, Massachusetts • USA
Mission Our mission is to provide comprehensive and diverse therapeutic programming in an environment that inspires academic success and personal growth. We motivate and support our students throughout their school experience and teach them to recognize, nurture, and celebrate their individual strengths as they prepare for life.
Our Campus map is an artist’s rendition drawn in a scale to encompass on and off site buildings, area activities which Chamberlain students participate in and Cities and Countries we travel to or are associated with. Please see our interactive campus map with further descriptions at www.chamberlainschool.org/campus tour.
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Welcome Welcome to Chamberlain International School, a co-educational therapeutic boarding and day school, for students ages 11–22 from Massachusetts, across the United States, and throughout the world. At Chamberlain we see the brightness and uniqueness in all of our students and we focus on developing those positive qualities and abilities. Founded in 1976 we are guided each and every day with each and every student by our original mission. That is to provide comprehensive and intensive therapeutic programming in an environment that inspires academic success and personal growth. We motivate and support our students throughout their school experience and teach them to recognize, nurture and celebrate their individual strengths. Students who attend Chamberlain can feel a sense of home on a peaceful and picturesque campus of historic buildings surrounding a traditional New England village green. Chamberlain International School was opened in 1976. The concept behind the school was to create an environment that offered educational excellence in a private school setting that also provides a high level of support and guidance. It is an important goal to have a feeling of family and caring throughout all aspects of our program. Chamberlain has a long history of assisting students in achieving academic, social, and clinical success. Chamberlain’s success is based upon the belief that all children are capable of achieving their goals in vital areas of their life if they are provided the support they need. Our guiding principle is to engage and teach students to develop the skills necessary to manage their lives to their highest potential. Our mission is to provide comprehensive and diverse therapeutic programming in an environment, which inspires academic success and personal growth. We motivate and support our students throughout their school experience and teach them to recognize, nurture, and celebrate their individual strengths as they prepare for their future.
“I came into education from a strong family history of helping others in extraordinary circumstances. That’s the ethic I bring with me, and it’s one that works well in a school for adolescents who have been through so much.”
—William sChUlPen doherty, Co-foUnder and eXeCUtiVe direCtor
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About Us Chamberlain students are between the ages of 11 and 22 and they share a common struggle facing some complex challenges in their lives. These challenges may include some combination of bipolar disorder, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and for many but not all our students specific learning disabilities. Our students benefit from a higher level of supervision and support than a traditional school environment can offer. Chamberlain faculty and staff work together in interdisciplinary treatment teams, which meet daily to provide a range of comprehensive services that meets each student’s individual needs.
Chamberlain offers a wide variety of activities after school, on weekends and during school
vacation breaks. They range from afterschool study hall, classes at the Burt Wood School of Performing Arts, sports, dances, trips to local attractions and into Boston or Providence for cultural or sporting events and everything in between. We offer a rigorous academic curriculum, high interest and hands on enrichment courses as well as study trips to Washington D.C., Bermuda, Europe and China.
Chamberlain is authorized under federal law to enroll international students as a SEVIS I-20
approved school.
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Academics Chamberlain International School is a diploma granting institution fully licensed in accordance with the standards set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. As such we meet the rigorous standards set forth in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. We offer college preparatory and general education courses to both middle and high school students. A strong focus of our academic program is on meeting the requirements of the core academic subjects: Literature, Writing, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Additionally, our students also benefit from studies in Foreign Language, Visual Arts, Automotive Technology, Physical Education, Health, and Study Skills.
The academic program at Chamberlain International School works within a larger
interdisciplinary team of professionals to ensure that students successfully meet their academic potential. Teachers and Educational Supervisors work collaboratively with Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Mental Health Clinicians and medical professionals to ensure that all strategies are being used to meet the students’ goals. This team approach, coupled with the low student to teacher ratio, allows our educators to tailor and individualize content and instruction to optimize success.
Chamberlain’s SAT and ACT Preparation Program, Vocational Training Programs, and
Enrichment Course Program further enhance our core curriculum.
College bound students will be interested in Chamberlain’s SAT and ACT Preparation
Program. This program consists of SAT and ACT preparation courses, a thorough assessment for all appropriate SAT and ACT accommodations, including onsite provision of the tests. This combination of early preparation and a comfortable setting for test administration assists the students in achieving the best scores possible.
Vocationally oriented students are offered instruction designed to prepare them for
future vocational studies or entrance into the world of work. For students who will receive academic instruction centered on a successful transition to work and independent living, our faculty use the nationally recognized Life Centered Career Education program Other students will participate in Chamberlain’s Integrated Vocational Training Program. In this program, Chamberlain’s Vocational Coordinator works individually with identified students to map out a plan for future employment and training by helping students identify areas of interest, and seeking out internships to gain valuable work experience.
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“I was very involved with our son’s former residential school, and I can tell you firsthand that Chamberlain is beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most incredible nurturing therapeutic school. I honestly don’t know of any other schools that would be able to bring out his gifts and support him so well! This is just the very beginning and I am so excited to see the amount of growth that has taken place in under two months time—incredible!”
—Chamberlain Parent
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Enrichment Supplementing our core academic courses, all of our students participate in our varied and exciting Enrichment Program. Chamberlain International School has a long history of offering students inspiring and non-traditional courses designed to stimulate their interest and foster a life long love of learning. These offerings are designed to reach the interest of a wide variety of students. Current offerings include: Aviation, Equestrian Studies, Asian Culture and Language, International Cuisine, and Drama. Chamberlain’s academic program is built upon the strong belief that every student, if given the right opportunity, can develop a life long love of learning. Part of the process of developing this love is our comprehensive Enrichment Program. Enrichment courses are offered for an extended block every week. These courses are an important component of the academic schedule for each student, are credit earning, and are varied enough to spark an interest in even the most reluctant learner.
“I wasn’t always the best student
eXamPles of enriChment CoUrses offered at VarioUs times throUGhoUt the year: j
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Student Council & Government Yearbook/Newspaper/ Newsletter Aviation Crew Music Jam Soccer Winter Hockey Dance Dramatic Arts Theatre & Screenwriting Equestrian Studies Culinary Arts/ International Cuisine Physiology of Sports & Health & Fitness
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Mock Trial Program Yoga Golf Swimming Tennis and Racquet Sports/Track Mountain Biking Healthy Choices & Healthy Change/Mind & Body Art & Architecture Historical New England Tours Spanish Culture You and the Law/ Legal Eagles Environment Explorer Ocean Study
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Outdoor Challenge (climbing & hiking) Entrepreneurs/Starting a Business/Seed to Harvest (gardening) Book Club Arts & Crafts/Board Games/Puzzles Music History History through Film Study of Comedy and Humor Community Service/ Fundraising Photography Managing and Understanding Diversity
in school growing up. By the time I got to Chamberlain I pretty much hated to go to class. My teachers spent a lot of time helping me to catch up to where I should have been and made me realize I really could do the work. The biggest thing that changed things for me was getting to work with Doug in automotive and building the Cobra’s. That was the most exciting thing I had ever done and it made me decide to apply to Universal Technical School where I am today.”
—Chamberlain alUmni
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International Programs Chamberlain offers many opportunities for students and staff to learn first hand about other cultures. We do that through educational trips to Europe, Bermuda and China, student and staff exchanges to the Hilltop School in Denmark, and through the faculty who work with our students from many varying countries. For any high school student, international travel with a school group teaches much about the regions visited and about the history, politics, language, ecosystems, animal life, and art of the area. But it also teaches invaluable lessons about the realities of travel—including how to communicate under pressure without a shared language, and how to negotiate airports and international borders. Chamberlain students who qualify have the opportunity to travel to: j
Europe (The Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany) where some of the places of interest they visit include historical museums, the home of Anne Frank, the Van Gogh Museum, the Peace Palace, and the Kinderkijk Windmills to study art, science, history, culture, and current events. Students have stayed in old villas and farmhouses, and in an old castle with a moat and with too many rooms to count. (Its front door is in Germany. Its back door is in Holland.)
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Bermuda, where students live at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and work hands-on with data collection and research. They also snorkel and enjoy the island’s beaches, crystal caves, and tourist attractions.
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China, where a group of students and Chamberlain faculty participate in a Chinese-Bridge two week Summer Camp with the Confucius Institute. The first stop is two days in Beijing where they will meet their guides and have a chance to tour the city. They then go on to Henan Province where they visit the Shao Lin Temple and Martial Arts, attend a Zen Music Performance at Shaolin Temple and meet other Chinese students. Other stops include White Horse Temple, Luo Yang Longmen Grotto, Song Yang Academy, Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan, Chinese Classic Music Performance, a performance at International Youth Leadership Conference and then back to Beijing for two more days. This is a well-planned study and visiting experience for 15 days of total culture and language exposure.
Each year Chamberlain’s faculty includes teachers and Student Life staff from foreign countries. This facet of the program allows the students to benefit from becoming familiar with other cultures and to understand the countries history and traditions. Some of the countries represented thus far include, Japan, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the U.K. Chamberlain International School and the Hilltop School in Skive, Denmark (www.hilltop.dk) have formed a student and staff exchange program. Hilltop is a school for students with similar backgrounds to ours and each year a group of students from each school have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program. Our students travel to Skive Denmark with Chamberlain faculty, and live and attend morning classes at Hilltop. They have the opportunity to spend time with their Danish counterparts and see what it is like to live the life of a student in a foreign country. Chamberlain students then spend afternoons exploring the area with faculty and evenings with the Hilltop students.
“Having the chance to travel internationally while at Chamberlain has been incredible. I’ve gone twice to Bermuda for the Marine Science trip and participated in the Hilltop School exchange in Denmark. Being able to travel to other countries around the world and taste the different the food is awesome! I think learning about the ways school is done in other countries is pretty cool too. Everyone is so nice and welcoming to us. ”
—Chamberlain stUdent
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“Thank you for all the years of love, support, and patience you have shown for Andrew and me. This spring he graduated with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He has done far better than anyone would have ever had guessed 10 years ago, graduating with a 3.0 GPA. Many never thought he would have finished high school a year early and gone on to complete a
Words from CliniCal direCtor
tough degree on schedule, but he
Lawrence Mutty, LICSW
has. Chamberlain played a big role
Lawrence has been working at Chamberlain since 1998.
to Andrew has resulted in the
“Generally speaking the clinical approach at Chamberlain is primarily Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy informed by Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. We also incorporate Exposure and Response Prevention for students with OCD. But with young people you have to be creative in therapy. So our staff is eclectic, and draws from a variety of traditions. To get students to fully participate we teach them communication skills. We approach them from all directions. One of the extraordinary advantages over people working in most other clinical settings is the collective experience in years spent at Chamberlain by our department leaders and our ability to draw from that. We share a passion to work together to find every possible means to help students find success. We go the extra mile in a way that seems unique to Chamberlain. Each therapist attends at least one daily meeting with the other therapists, the boarding staff, and the teaching staff. We all always know what’s going on with every student on campus. Our therapists also accompany the students to on-campus psychiatry sessions so that the psychiatrist gets more than a simple medical portrait of the child. We also offer family therapy at Chamberlain. Adolescence is a tough time for any family because the child needs to separate. So while everyone here wants families to be able to rebuild and reunify, we also know that it’s a normal task of adolescent development for the children to become autonomous. That whole mix can be touchy. It’s tough for families anywhere to get used to parenting newly confident children. If our families struggle with that, we can help them navigate those waters.”
in that process. Your committment outcome that we saw when he was awarded his “pinky ring” as part of the Order of Engineers and later when handed his diploma in his Captains uniform as part of the Corps of Cadets. The pride he was glowing with is the same you should feel for what you have done for him. Chamberlain’s efforts and support expressed to both of us have resulted in a truly amazing young man, one that will go on to give back to his community, much like you have done for him.
—Chamberlain Parent
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Clinical Care Our approach to clinical care is founded in the belief that all students are capable of enormous personal growth when they are provided with the support they need. Here, masters-level therapists meet individually on a weekly basis with students. The therapists attend daily interdisciplinary staff meetings with teachers, student life staff, nursing, psychiatrists and administration so that they have intimate knowledge of how each student in their care is doing in all aspects of student life. Therapists are part of the education program planning for each student, and they accompany them to on-campus psychiatry appointments.
Chamberlain serves a diagnostically diverse student population. Our students have a wide
range of learning and emotional challenges, including, but not limited to, learning disabilities, mood disorders, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, anxiety disorders, depression, attachment disorder, PTSD and borderline personality traits.
Students participate in weekly therapeutic groups. The clinical team has designed a group
curriculum based on areas of clinical expertise and current student needs. Input from each student, as well as each family, is an important aspect in deciding group assignments.
A sample of groups offered include: A New Beginning
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Anxiety Reduction
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Creative Expression
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Impulse Control
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Women’s Issues
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Family Matters
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Social Skills
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy
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Words from Chamberlain Psychiatrist
John Kersting, MD, Psychiatrist
John has been with Chamberlain since 2006. He is one of two psychiatrists on staff. “Studies I’ve read show that American students receive on average six times the medicines that British students do. And it’s not because we’re smarter than the British. There is a pervasive sense in America that only medicine can change behavior. Of course, many children indeed have significant psychiatric or medical problems that require medicines. But here, with all of this clinical and behavioral support, and with children always supervised by supportive adults, we can try to discontinue or change the medication of children who have come to us seeming overly medicated. The clinical staff, teachers, and boarding staff at Chamberlain operate as a team. For example, we all meet every afternoon at 3:00. We share information on every single student in school so that all of the important Chamberlain people in a child’s life are current on what’s happening with that child clinically, academically, and socially. I usually see a student along with his or her therapist so I can get a full picture of what that child’s daily pressures and ambitions are. I remember my first team meeting here. I was struck by the respect I saw for the students. There was no eye-rolling, for example, which is something that beleaguered teachers and clinicians often do. There was only respect and concern. That’s part of what I admire about Chamberlain. At those team meetings, people sometimes get into heated arguments, but it’s all resulting from impassioned concern for the students. I like to see that. And I like it that we resolve our conflicts with solutions that are workable. After all, that’s what we try to teach the students to do.”
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Transitions Guy Talk Cooperative Games Volunteer and Leadership
Life at Chamberlain Chamberlain International School creates a home like environment in each of its nine dormitories. Our student life staff work collaboratively with the other departments to ensure the individual needs of each student are being addressed. While each of the dorms has a unique design, they all follow a similar structure. The atmosphere is designed to be relaxed and calming, so that students may focus on their individualized goals, from the intricacies of effective communication and social skills, to building basic daily living skills. In addition, student life offers students an opportunity to experience a healthy, fun and productive lifestyle with the guidance and support of our experienced and well-trained staff.
As part of our goal to build skills to guide students into adulthood, Chamberlain students
learn the value of good nutrition and are taught how to budget for and prepare healthy meals. Students are encouraged to participate in a physically active schedule, through unparalleled access to activities that challenge body, heart and mind. Students have daily access to the community, enabling them to develop the necessary social skills they will need to navigate the modern world.
Throughout all these experiences our student life staff are there, developing strong
relationships within a therapeutically structured environment, offering feedback and guidance, so that our students can become healthy and productive young adults.
What is the food like? Breakfast and dinner are home cooked in the dorms and each dorm has developed their own menus for the week. One of the things students learn while at Chamberlain is to help plan, shop for and cook meals. This is a great skill to have when you are living on your own and it allows you to help choose the food for the week you are the assigned “cook” at your dorm. During the school week lunches, which are also home cooked, are served in our cafeteria. All meals are nutritionally balanced and very tasty!
What are the kids like? All of the students who come to Chamberlain are here to work on the varying challenges they are facing. Just like anyone else they want to have fun, to have friends and to find success in school. We have both boys and girls who are all between the ages of 11-22, most are 14-18 years old. Kids come from all over the United States as well as other countries such as Bermuda, China, Canada and Egypt to name a few. Come visit and meet a few. We always have a student lead new families on the tour of campus when you come to interview.
When can I call or have visits with my family? Students can make and receive calls any evening after school during the designated hours. So that everyone in the dorm has time to use the phone if they want to we allow two calls for ten minutes or less each night. Parents can come to campus to visit you most anytime as long as you aren’t in class. Many families live quite a distance from the school and many of our students are going home on a scheduled visit. Parents work out a schedule that is best for your visits with your therapist.
What electronics can I have at school? You may bring your cell phone in to have when you are traveling to and from school and home. We will keep the phone in a locked, secure place while you are at the school and you can collect it when you are ready to travel. You may have any device as long as it does not connect to the internet during non academic hours and during the academic day you will have use of computers for educational purposes. There is also a weekly internet café where you may bring your computer or use one of the school’s.
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“ I was at Chamberlain 20 years ago. I now own my own construction business and have a 6-year-old son and I am happy. I struggled at first but after a short time I found my way. Chamberlain gave me the knowledge that I could have a better life if I choose. It gave me the knowledge that it was possible”
—Chamberlain alUmni
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Hiking Rock climbing Horseback riding Soccer Basketball Swimming Crew Golf Ski trips Europe and Bermuda trips Athletic club and gym Aviation The Automotive Tech program Movies and theater Professional sports games Student dances Community Service opportunities
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“Without Chamberlain I do not know where I would be today. The staff really cared about me and stuck with me no matter what happened. There were times when I never thought I would get past, but, with the help and support of staff over and over again I graduated and now am about to graduate from college.”
“Success means having the courage, the determination and the will to become the
—Chamberlain alUmni
person you believe you were meant to be”
—GeorGe sheehan
Where do we go from here? Chamberlain encourages each of our students to follow their dreams and passions and to embrace their own uniqueness as they do so. There is no generic future path for our students, rather, we work with each individual to develop what is best for who they are and what they are most interested in and suited for. That being said, many of our students go on to a wide variety of colleges each year ( see website link to FAQ), while others will take the vocational skills they have learned with us and move into the working world. Other younger students tend to transition to a school closer to home once they have completed their goals at Chamberlain. We are always thrilled to hear from our past students and their families and learn what they
admissions We understand that choosing the best possible school is a very difficult task and we appreciate all of the effort and emotions that go along with this process. We welcome you to call and talk with an admissions representative and to schedule a visit to see us at anytime throughout the year. Chamberlain accepts applications on a rolling admissions basis, they may be submitted at anytime. We are always happy to answer any of your questions and to describe all that Chamberlain offers on the phone or in person. We highly recommend coming to see us to fully appreciate the campus, programming and our students. An application for admission may be found on our website under the admissions tab. Please submit the application along with any educational or other testing, reports and grade cards to admissions. We will promptly review and respond to them. We look forward to hearing from you.
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design: Good Design | illustrations: John Burgoyne | photography: Tom Kates Photography | printing: Service Press
are doing with their lives and how Chamberlain helped them at a time that they most needed it.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Phone: 508-946-9348 Fax: 508-947-1593 Email: admissions@flcis.com Website: www.chamberlainschool.org
MAILING ADDRESS:
Chamberlain International School P.O. Box 778 Middleboro, MA 02346
PHYSICAL ADDRESS:
Admissions
Chamberlain International School 36 Plymouth Street Middleboro, MA 02346
Main Campus
Chamberlain International School 1 Pleasant Street Middleboro, MA 02346
To see our interactive campus map, scan this QR code.
CHAMBERLAIN International School
Middleboro, Massachusetts • USA chamberlainschool.org