Courtesy AMITA Health
Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ
EThe day school, which opened in 1994 at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center GlenOaks with ten students, now has more than 200 students, ages 8 through 21, from 73 school districts.
Therapeutic Day School Opens THERAPEUTIC DAY SCHOOL ADDRESSES GROWTH WITH MOVE TO LARGER BUILDING When AMITA GlenOaks Therapeutic Day School students started classes last fall at its new Pheasant Ridge Campus in Glendale Heights, Illinois, it was the realization of a years-long dream of expansion. The day school, which opened in 1994 at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center GlenOaks with ten students, now has more than 200 students, ages 8 through 21, from 73 school districts. They fall into three general categories: those who are autistic or on the autism spectrum, those with health issues which can cause mood variations, and those who have social/emotional disorders. 38 MAY 2021
As the school grew, it opened three campuses around the Chicagoland area. But continued growth created a need for additional space and other amenities. Because the buildings the school was using had not been built as schools; they had narrow corridors — which was a special problem for students with sensory issues — and little or no outdoor space. Bruce Christian, CEO of AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center GlenOaks in Glendale Heights and AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook, and Lisa Grigsby, director of the Therapeutic
S P EC I AL FEATU R E
Day School and Transition Program, began looking for new space several years ago, but nothing fit the bill. Then they found a school in a nearby district that was unused because of declining enrollment. Christian spearheaded the effort to negotiate a lease on the school and worked to get buy-in from the community. His dedication to the school and its mission are among the reasons he was awarded AdventHealth’s Crystal Angel Award in September. Grigsby said that Christian worked hard to get the deal in place in time for the school to open in August for the 2020-2021 school year. “It was like Bruce was on a mission,” she said. Two of the school’s three campuses have been consolidated into the new Pheasant Ridge campus, which serves 130 students. It is a two-story building with elementary students on the first floor and high school students on the second floor. In addition, there is space for the Transition Program where high school graduates learn to function independently. The new building has been very popular with faculty and students. When staff members toured the new facility before classes started, “they were in tears,” Grigsby said. “We’ve been based in an industrial park, and now we’re in a real school. It’s a dream come true.” The students also were very enthusiastic. “Our students love the new space,” Grigsby said. “Many have written thankyou notes, saying how happy they are to be here.” To take a virtual tour of the facility, visit: https://bit.ly/3c5vNfM. P Julie Busch, associate vice president, Internal Communications, AMITA Health
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