I have never been to Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. The website states the academy is Utah’s only “co-ed college preparatory boarding school”. I am posting a comment I read on a forum from a family that recently sent their teen to the academy. This particular teen had been in residential treatment before attending Wasatch Academy, this would have been a step down program.
It was not a good fit for their teen, the academy advertises itself as a college prep. high school but many troubled teens go to it and they do not have the staff to deal with them. There were drugs and alcohol in the dorms and a lot of using while the students walked around the town. The school is located in a small town, but the students meet up with the town folks to get drugs and alcohol.
Obviously, they felt Wasatch Academy was not a good fit for them. Students have been expelled from the school due to drug use. If drugs, addiction and alcohol are an issue for your teen it may not be the best environment. Once again this was one families experience and is posted to keep you informed it is not meant to determine placement.
Wasatch Academy is approximately 60 miles south of Provo, Utah. I invite anyone to comment that may have experience with Wasatch Academy.
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I attended wasatch for 3 years and I must say it attracted many troubled teens with a variety of issues. A troubled teen probably shouldn’t be sent to a small town with not much to do that’s when they start to get in trouble. The school tries to keep kids busy with rec events but a lot of the students (me included) thought they sucked and didn’t want to go on them because they were things like bowling and other stuff that just got really repetitive. Most of the American students there smoke cigarettes and I saw the year above me had a bit of a drug problem and my class did as well but I didn’t see much of the younger kids doing it but as they grow up that may have changed. I really see no reason why anyone would send their child or why any child would want to go to this school there are probably much better places that aren’t located in the middle of nowhere Utah. Although this is my view I know many other students who had a great time because of the other students that are there but I just didnt see it. The drug problem was rarely things like marijuana because that’s a more commonly tested drug and students would get caught if they did smoke trees. It was more like thinks like drinking mass amounts of cough syrup, smoking “spice”, and other stupider ideas that students have to get high that were much more dangerous and harmful than smoking weed would have been in the first place. Also since boys were not allowed in the girls dorms and vice virsa people would have sex in the most disgusting places such as abandoned crack dens, and little shacks around town that were absolutely disgusting and probably were infested with all sorts of insects. The food also was terrible ..like really really terrible they would mess up meals like Mac and cheese and make it taste so bad to the point that I usually wouldn’t eat meals and would rather just go hungry. The staff knew the students thought this and didn’t do anything about it despite the insane tuition to go there. Also I’m not sure if it’s still like this but when I was there (like 2 years ago) they made every American student room with an international student which sucked because our cultures are so different that it was more difficult to get along with and make actual friends with your roomate due to as I mentioned the cultural differences and language barriers. Bottom line is this place sucks and no child should be sent there against their will and students thinking about going should think long and hard about the school as a whole and what it means to live in such a small town before going.
As a parent of 2 alumni of Wasatch Academy and a member of the Mount pleasant community, I find it sad that this post even exists. Boarding school, not residential treatment is in the title. There are many capable people that work at the school but they are there to prepare students for college (they did a very good job for my teens), not to help teens with alcohol or drug problems. There are schools for that (one also located in Mount Pleasant but not associated with Wasatch Academy). If the person that said the school was not right for their child had done their homework rather than just send their child away they would have found that the school does not tolerate alcohol and drugs, they do random drug screening to make sure there are not problems. It sounds like the child was not on course for college so why choose a college prep school in the first place. And how do you know where your child got the drugs and alcohol? Did make an assumption or did you see for yourself? We all know kids do not lie to stay out of trouble (right) they are going to tell you what you want to hear or maybe what will get them back home in the first place. There are wonderful students at Wasatch Academy, the international students bring a diversity and understanding of the world that is a great thing to have, I watched my son grow and be a better man because of this school. So before you go writing things you know nothing about, do your research and get it correct or don’t write at all.
It was not a good fit for their teen, the academy advertises itself as a college prep. high school but many troubled teens go to it and they do not have the staff to deal with them. There were drugs and alcohol in the dorms and a lot of using while the students walked around the town. The school is located in a small town, but the students meet up with the town folks to get drugs and alcohol.
This just sounds like a parent trying to justify why there child did not do well there. My question is why is this site even up? Is it to just get insight? and where is this forum that this family posted? I’m interested in reading it.
FYI there is drug and alcohol use where ever you may be…as a parent you may be oblivious to this fact…as a young adult I am not. The students at Wasatch Academy don’t come primarily to the ‘town folk’ as you mention (o and thanks for making residents of a rural community seem as though we are Amish drug users/sellers) the drug seeking students can obtian what ever type of substance they choose when they attend day outings in more urban areas of Utah ie: on field trips, shopping outings ect. So if you are sending your son/daughter to this school because it is better for their future then great we are so glad to have them in our community…if you’re sending them here to get a break from your troubled teen- KEEP THEM WE DONT WANT THEM IN OUR COMMUNITY making more problems for us…and if you think that ANY school IS DRUG FREE–GET REAL!!
Sincerely
The Town Folk
i have been at wasatch for the past 3 years and disagree with this… wasatch has so many bright students and really smart kids and if you have problems with drugs and you wanna keep doing them, they won’t take you. if you had problems with drugs/alcohol but you are willing to change, then they will give you a chance. but it is truly not tolerated. if drugs/acohol are ever foundin the dorm, it is pretty certain that the students will be expelled. wasatch is a great place to meet people from all over the world, since 45% of the student body is from other countries… if your kid is having issues, send them to treatment/wilderness, NOT wasatch. it is a great schools with really challenging classes (many AP offerings), and we do not want kids causing trouble and making a bad impression of our school.
Hi Sarah, I guess your rant is pointed at me. I did mention the following in my blog post:
The post was intended to provide information only on a facility and I do agree with you; any teen that has a substance abuse issue is going to find it no matter where they are unless it is a facility that completely monitors when the kids come and go.
Thanks for your comment.
you know, it all comes down to parenting, if your kid has issues don’t send them away in hopes that someone else will fix them, and 2nd of all if the kid had drug and alcohol problems know that if they would have sent the kid to a normal public school they probably would have encountered drugs and such there too, drugs and alcohol and all sorts of stuff r everywhere, it’s up to the kids to say no,. Stuff like drugs are not everywhere at Wasatch they are only available to those who seek them , so if your kid is seeking drugs and alcohol then that makes them a problem not the school. As far as Wasatch academy it’s not a treatment center so, Boarding school in general is not the answer if you have a troubled teen, who needs constant taking care of, it’s not the schools fault that there was drugs and alcohol they aren’t the one’s supplying it, the school is there for educational purposes not to babysit troubled teens, and it’s funny how “expulsion” was mentioned. Obviously there is going to be expulsion if there is a kid who is not suitable for the school, Wasatch doesn’t want bad kids. As for the staff not being able to deal with the trouble teen’s ummmm lets see maybe that’s because it’s not a school for troubled teens trying a therapeutic boarding school may be more suitable. so here is some advice do your research before you talk, talk to alumni’s, or take a tour don’t talk about something you haven’t experienced or because your friends had a bad experience do your research like someone with common sense would do take a tour of the place or call and ask about what you heard, perhaps talk to some of the students, or better yet send an email to the head master. so many people have walked the halls of Wasatch academy and are now very well known and respected alumni’s, and even millionaires. Maybe you should have attended Wasatch and learned how to think for yourself instead of gossiping or writing about how your friend’s kid had a bad experience there, if they didn’t like the place then why aren’t they writing about it? Why are you the person who didn’t even attend there? honestly the fact that you have never even been to the place as you mentioned in your blog makes you an idiot, honestly i would hate to know what your research papers where like in highschool.
As a graduate of Wasatch Academy, and now a parent of two teenagers, my perspective may be biased – but on both ends! During my tenure there, drugs were NOT tolerated, and the previous poster is correct in her statement that expulsion was the consequence. I would never send a child with drug or alcohol issues to a boarding school, period, at least not in a typical college preparatory setting. The staff and faculty are well-equipped to handle typical discipline issues/teen angst/whatever, but are not drug and alcohol counselors. As such, they do not have a grid for the issues facing such students. Another point to consider is this: at least during my years at Wasatch, “fraternizing” with local people (or “Townies,” as they are known) was strictly forbidden. In fact, one year, my roommate and another student were expelled for sneaking out and getting in a Townie Boy’s car. Boom. Gone. Next plane out. That being said, teenagers are known to push limits, and prep school kids are no exception. Students with drug or alcohol issues should only go to residential schools specifically designed for them, in my opinion. Wasatch has never advertised as such, nor did I find it to be such. Prep school faculty tend to be very highly qualified to teach within their particular area of concentration, as well as having a heart for kids and the ability and willingness to go “above and beyond” in terms of relationship — as the students lack daily interaction with parents. At this point, I am not aware that Wasatch seeks out drug-addicted or troubled children. The poster who stated that it was not a good fit for such a child would be quite correct. A boarding school setting requires students to operate with a certain amount of critical thinking, if they are to be successful. Only a “lockdown” setting can promise parents a 0% likelihood of drug use, etc. There are “boarding schools” that are known to attract troubled students. I will not name them, as I am not a stupid woman. But they are out there, and quite well-known among kids who attend upper-shelf schools. These lower-shelf schools exist to serve parents whose children have been booted from good schools…..and still want them to live away. If you can write a valid check, your child’s admission is secured. The aforementioned roomate went directly from Wasatch to one of these schools. Sadly, there will always be a demand for such schools. If I were speaking to someone in person, I would name these schools, but not on a public blog.
Dear Kat, thanks for sharing your experience at Wasatch Academy. It is a good perspective on what the school is able to handle and may not be the right fit for teens needing more supervision.
I attended this school for 2 years, and was one of the troubled youth mentioned above, although alcohol and drugs were not an issue. This school has indeed attracted many emotionally troubled students ( I do not know why), but they are the exception. Most of the students there are bright, motivated, responsible youth. About 20% of the school is made up of foreign students, ranging from Rwandans to Tibetans to Germans. Drugs and alcohol were present, as with any other boarding school. Immediate expulsion was the result of anyone found to be using or harboring illegal substances, and I would say that the actual number of these substances was minimal indeed. This school does not claim to be a stepping stone in the treatment of troubled children, and understandably has no full-time staff to handle such disturbances. Kids will be kids – no matter WHERE you send them, unless it’s a facility designed specifically to cripple real world interaction – they will find drugs if they desire. If your child is at a point where they are able to make responsible decisions, the opportunities presented at this school are limitless. If they are unable to make rational choices, they need to stay in a program designed for their needs.