In part one of The Daily Herald’s look inside Greentree Village, you read about the trials and tribulations at the start of the program. In part two, you will find out how the kids are becoming part of a community and the academic progress that they are making after one grading period.
Before the start of the school day, there is a 15-minute period for a community meeting. In that meeting, the kids bring issues out in the open.
“We see kids stepping into leadership roles,” said Betty Sleighton, director of Greentree Village. “I see that with behavior in the dining room and when they don’t do their chores. One kid will stand up and say you didn’t do your chore. You need to do that. They keep on each other about horse play. Some of the kids are stepping up, but there are others who try to hide.”
The goal is to break through to the kid or kids who are trying to get away with not participating.
“Consistency is the key,” said Eric Raley, activities therapist. “You keep calling on them. You keep catching them doing things. You let them know when you see them doing something.”
Being a therapeutic school, academics are as important as treatment. Through one nine week grading period, in the five classes, 36 received an A, 34 received a B, 18 received a C and just two students received D’s.
“The students have shown improvement in many areas,” said John Dibert, principal at Greentree Village. “The change in attitude and performance that we have seen among the kids in just 10 short weeks is really promising. Although permanent changes don’t happen overnight, I am pleased with their commitment to classwork, their attendance and their classroom behaviors.”
Tyrone schools Special Education Director Frances Parker is pleased with the progress.
“The students have progressed remarkably well,” said Parker. “I have worked with other schools like this one and I believe the education at Greentree is better than what I have seen in some of these other programs. We are very pleased.”
Nothing is ever perfect. According to the 1999 Annual Report to Congress on the Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, 9.6 percent of children deteriorated after receiving treatment.
The goal is to have the kids return to a normal classroom environment. The question was asked, in one year, what do you hope for the kids who are still in the program?
“That they will be the leaders,” said Sleighton. “We hope they will be the ones who help newcomers. They will be able to teach them how things work here. You really see it in our group home kids.”
There are nine children who are in home residents at Greentree Village. These kids are stepping forward and becoming leaders.
“Our group home kids are becoming leaders,” said Sleighton. “They know that this is the way things need to be. They are teaching the partial kids now what they need to do.”
“They know if the community during the day does wrong, they get a consequence like they can’t chew gum for the day, the group home kids live here and they have to live with that consequence all day,” said Raley. “The other kids go home at 3 p.m. They are stepping in and saying hey knock it off, hey clean up that mess. They are becoming leaders.”
“The kids in residence are becoming more polite, they becoming better behaved,” said Sleighton. “They know that they lose privileges. Some of the group home kids have it better here than they have ever had it.”
Sleighton and Raley talked of a kid who was in a different Pyramid home they worked with last year.
“We had a kid in treatment one time who was used to sleeping on box springs at his house and when he came in he didn’t want to sleep on the mattress,” said Sleighton.
Raley said. “He would lift his mattress up on the edge of the bed and lay on the box springs and poke holes in the box springs so it felt like his bed at home.”
“We got him new clothes and he first refused them,” said Sleighton. “When we finally got him to accept them, he took very good care of them. This kid took pride in them. This kids was highly hyperactive and was bouncing off the walls. Once he got his medication regulated and got used to the program, he left on the highest level we have.”
Tomorrow, you will hear in the kids voices the progress that is being made.
