Carlbrook School

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Coordinates: 36°43′42″N 79°8′7″W / 36.72833°N 79.13528°W / 36.72833; -79.13528
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Carlbrook School
Location
Map
Halifax
,
Virginia

United States
Information
TypeCo-ed, Private, Boarding
Established2002
Closed2015
CEEB code472108
Academic DeanChris Soto, Ed.D.
Faculty56 (80% post-baccalaureate)
Grades9-12, PG
Enrollment80
Average class size8 students
Student to teacher ratio6:1
Campus200 acres (0.81 km2)
Color(s)   Gold, Navy Blue
AthleticsIntramural
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools
AdmissionRolling (year-round)
Websitecarlbrook.org

Carlbrook School was a private, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school located on 200 acres (0.81 km2) in Halifax, Virginia. It was non-sectarian and covered grades 9 through 12.[1] As of 2014, it reported an enrollment of 80 students.[2] The school closed permanently in December 2015. At that time, it had graduated almost 700 alumni.[3] Carlbrook's mission statement was to help students discover, internalize and effectively utilize the intellectual and personal resources necessary to succeed in college and in life.[4]

History[edit]

Carlbrook was founded in early 2002 by Cascade School graduates Robert "Grant" Price, Jr. and Justin J. Merritt.[5] Within the first week of their opening, there were seven students enrolled.[6] By June 2003, it had grown to 89 students. All new students were required to complete a wilderness therapy program before enrolling.[6][7] In 2003, a school official explained that wilderness programs help prepare students for success in the school program and function as a "filter," meaning that students who successfully complete these programs are more likely to succeed at Carlbrook.[7] Grant hired several former CEDU staff to implement a similar emotional growth program.[8][9][10]

On December 4th, 2010, student Forest Ferguson was reported missing and his missing person case is still open in 2024.[11]

Admissions[edit]

Admission to Carlbrook was selective, focusing on students of high aptitude and potential who had struggled academically or socially in previous educational environments.[12] Carlbrook was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[13] and the Virginia Council for Private Education,[14] and was a member of the Secondary School Admission Test Board,[15] the Small Boarding Schools Association,[16] and the Educational Records Bureau.[17]

Academics[edit]

The school followed a quarter-based academic calendar and awarded high school diplomas in accordance with Virginia Department of Education guidelines.[18] There were multiple Advanced Placement courses and several advanced and dual-enrollment offerings;[19] in addition to the school's academic requirements, graduating students were required to demonstrate leadership and character through extracurricular involvement and/or community service. Carlbrook reported that over the school's first decade, its graduates were accepted to over 500 colleges and universities.[20]

Carlbrook's Program[edit]

Carlbrook was a 15-month program which consisted of five workshops (Integritas,[21] Amicitia,[22] Animus,[23] Teneo,[24] and Veneratio[25]) which took place roughly every three months depending on the child's arrival at the school. Elizabeth Gilpin, who is a graduate of Carlbrook School, makes the following claim in Stolen,[26] a memoir about her time there:

At CEDU they weren't called workshops, they were "propheets." In their very first form, they were "trips," a word chosen for its association with psychedelics. Chuck Dederich wanted to induce an altered state of consciousness. An acid trip without the acid. Because there could be no drug use in Synanon, he created a mocktail from ingredients like sleep deprivation, repetitive music, and group hypnosis. In the hands of Mel Wasserman, they became even more insidious. His plan? Add another cult! Many of the workshop exercises were taken straight from the large-group awareness trainings that were a controversial part of the Human Potential Movement. Programs like est and Lifespring—which themselves developed from Dianetics—would bring groups of people together for several days of intense personal growth work. Techniques included hypnosis, guided meditation, and referring to people as "asshole"—an est specialty that fit in nicely with the CEDU model.

Closure[edit]

The school closed in December 2015 after giving notice a few days before end of the fall semester.[27][28] The email announcement attributed the closure to declining enrollments.[29]

In the news[edit]

  • December 4, 2010: 16-year-old Forest Ferguson disappeared from Carlbrook School's campus in South Boston, Virginia. He was never found.[30][31]
  • April 2017: Life Boat,[32] a short film based on the exercise used in Animus,[23] Carlbrook's third workshop, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.[33] It was directed by Jack Nicholson's daughter, Lorraine Nicholson,[34][35] and stars Carlbrook graduate and author of Stolen,[26] Elizabeth Gilpin.
  • July 20, 2021: Stolen, a memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin about the time she spent in the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains and then at Carlbrook School was published.[26][36]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Search for Private Schools - School Detail for Carlbrook School". Nces.ed.gov. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  2. ^ "About Carlbrook School". Carlbrook School. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2014-09-22. (archived)
  3. ^ "Carlbrook Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". The Gazette-Virginian. February 18, 2016.
  4. ^ "Carlbrook School Closes; Students Asked To Be Out By Sunday". The Gazette-Virginian. December 11, 2015.
  5. ^ "Seen N' Heard: Carlbrook School Announces Opening". Struggling Teens. October 1, 2001. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017.
  6. ^ a b Bozak, Steve (February 2002), "Schools and Program Visits: Carlbrook School", Woodbury Reports, no. 90
  7. ^ a b Eberle, Loi (October 27, 2003), "Visit Reports: The Carlbrook School", Woodbury Reports
  8. ^ "News & Views: Tim Brace Eying New Opportunities". Woodbury Reports, issue #67. March 2000.
  9. ^ Eberle, Loi (October 27, 2003). "The Carlbrook School". Woodbury Reports.
  10. ^ "Breaking News: Bender Retires from Carlbrook School". Woodbury Reports. August 10, 2012.
  11. ^ "Forest Ferguson – The Charley Project". Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  12. ^ "Carlbrook School - How To Apply". Carlbrook School. Archived from the original on 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2011-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (archived)
  13. ^ "Institution Summary". AdvancED. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  14. ^ "Home". vcpe.org.
  15. ^ "SSAT School Search". Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  16. ^ "SBSA | Find a School or Consultant". Smallboardingschools.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  17. ^ "ERB :: Membership Directory". Archived from the original on 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  18. ^ "Standard Diploma: Minimum Course & Credit Requirements". Virginia Department of Education. February 5, 2002. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  19. ^ "Curriculum". Carlbrook School. Archived from the original on 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2011-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (archived)
  20. ^ "College Acceptances". Carlbrook School. Archived from the original on 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2011-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) (archived)
  21. ^ "Integritas Workshop Script".
  22. ^ "Amicitia Workshop Script".
  23. ^ a b "Animus Workshop Script".
  24. ^ "Teneo Workshop Script".
  25. ^ "Veneratio Workshop Script".
  26. ^ a b c Gilpin, Elizabeth (July 20, 2021). "Stolen: A Memoir". Grand Central Publishing.
  27. ^ McClaughlin, Tom (December 10, 2015). "Enrollment on the Wane, Carlbrook School will Close". News & Record.
  28. ^ Bragg, Valerie (December 11, 2015). "Carlbrook School Permanently Closes; Gives Students and Staff Short Notice". ABC 13 News.
  29. ^ Email sent to alumni on December 10, 2015: "We regret to inform you all that due to continued declining enrollments, Carlbrook School will be closing this week after almost 14 years of work with students and their families."
  30. ^ "Forest Ferguson". National Missing Person Directory. December 4, 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-11-26.
  31. ^ "Carlbrook Runaway on Missing List". News & Record. December 9, 2010.
  32. ^ Nicholson, Lorraine (2017). "Life Boat". YouTube.
  33. ^ Nicholson, Lorraine (2017). "Life Boat". Tribeca Film Festival.
  34. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2017). "'Life Boat' Director Lorraine Nicholson on Guiding Stephen Dorff Through his First Short Film Experience — Tribeca Studio". Deadline.
  35. ^ Cantrell, Liz (May 24, 2018). "Watch Lorraine Nicholson's Short Film Life Boat". Town and Country.
  36. ^ Tedrowe, Emily Gray (July 19, 2021). "'Stolen': Harrowing Memoir Exposes Abusive Boarding School Industry for 'Troubled Teens'". USA Today.

External links[edit]

36°43′42″N 79°8′7″W / 36.72833°N 79.13528°W / 36.72833; -79.13528

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