New Loudoun County high school will help students recovering from substance use disorders stay on track

The staff at RISE Academy in Leesburg Virginia WTOP Scott Gelman The staff at RISE Academy in Leesburg Virginia WTOP Scott Gelman A new Northern Virginia high school set to welcome students this week will help them catch up or remain on track in class while they re recovering from substance use disorders The campus called Recovery Inspiration Strength and Empowerment Academy is located in a wing of The North Star School s building in Leesburg Jen Evans Loudoun County Society Schools director of pupil mental fitness services reported opening the school was a priority for Superintendent Aaron Spence The model is the first of its kind in Northern Virginia and could expand to welcome students outside Loudoun next year The rigor that LCPS and other school divisions have for students that adds pressure Evans stated So then imagine you re also dealing with a diagnostic malady of addiction at the same time Balancing those two is really hard to do The school is starting with students enrolled this academic year Evans revealed There are four general coaching and two special instruction teachers in addition to a leadership gang While students will engage with traditional coursework Evans reported within the school day there will also be individual or group counseling a chance to work with peer recovery specialists and sessions with area partners to emphasize wellness and nutrition among other things Related stories In a reversal vote Loudoun Co school board will allow charter schools to ask for funding to cover facility upgrades Virginia liberal arts Christian school shines among nation s best in US News ranking I make my move Kids learn enjoy chess after school Those topics are really critical when someone s in early recovery because they ve been using so once you get clean it s really hard to handle emotions that you have not felt in a while Evans explained Fredericka Mack the school s principal mentioned classes will be small and the small staff size means educators can collaborate more intensely and regularly I knew that we were taking on students that other schools find formidable so that makes us a little different in that we want that population because we have that skill set Mack noted In various cases Evans mentioned that students are behind academically or have to take a break from school to receive recovery The new campus will allow kids to catch up to or get ahead of where they were in school Students are required to have a healthcare provider to enroll and the school division is offering them transportation Evans reported Students can either return to their original school or work toward a diploma with the academy and remain there until they graduate How can we really touch as a great number of lives as we could with these students and help to change the trajectory of their lives while they are with us Mack revealed Source