Spring Creek Lodge Academy

Spring Creek Lodge Academy was a boarding school located in Thompson Falls, Montana.[1] The school, formerly known as Spring Creek Community, was first opened in the 1970s by Nancy and Steve Cawdrey.[2] In 1996, the school and the property were purchased by Cameron Pullan and Dan Peart and given the name Spring Creek Lodge Academy.[3] For several years the school was associated with the Utah-based World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.[4][5] The school was opened as a place to address behavioral issues of young people from across the United States as well as motivate students for success.[1]

Spring Creek Lodge Academy
Address
75 Spring Creek Road

Thompson Falls
,
Montana
Coordinates47.771°N 115.4577°W / 47.771; -115.4577
Information
Established1997
Closed2009
Age14 to 18
AccreditationNorthwest Accreditation Commission

Its curriculum included a points and level system that rewarded compliance and punished noncompliance.[3] Extremely non-compliant individuals were often kept in solitary confinement.[3] At its peak enrollment, Spring Creek Lodge Academy housed over 500 students and employed about 200 individuals in various positions, making it the largest employer in Sanders County at that time.[1] Spring Creek Lodge Academy was also the largest of WWASP affiliated programs.[6]

In 2010, the Montana-based Academy for National Native Leadership purchased the former Spring Creek facility and began to offer college classes at the school.[7]

Notable alumni

Author Cindy Art includes personal experience from the school in her memoir Trapped in Paradise: A Memoir, CreateSpace, 2012. ISBN 978-1475192278

Authors Claire and Mia Fontaine include personal experiences from the school in their memoir Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back.[8]

References
  1. Doran, Jamie (January 14, 2009). "Spring Creek Closes Its Doors". Clark Fork Valley Press/Mineral Independent.
  2. "News and Views: Making a Difference". Woodbury Reports. February 1997.
  3. Rau, Anna (2006). "Who is Watching the Kids?". Montana PBS. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  4. Szalavitz, Maia (2006). Help At Any Cost: How the Troubled Teen Industry Costs Parents and Hurts Kids. New York, NY: Riverhead Press. pp. 172, 247, 257, 314. ISBN 1-59448-910-6.
  5. Independent Staff (June 29, 2006). "Leaving WWASPS' Nest". Missoula Independent.
  6. Weiner, Tim (2003-09-06). "Program to Help Youths Has Troubles of Its Own". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  7. Switalski, Danielle (May 19, 2010). "College Set to Open in TFalls: Leadership Academy to Occupy Spring Creek Campus". Clark Fork Valley Press/Mineral Independent.
  8. Fontaine, Claire & Mia (2006). Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey through Hell and Back. New York: Harper Collins. pp. 193, 197, 199, 200, 201, 235, 264, 270, 274, 286, 294, 302, 304, 309. ISBN 0-06-085971-7.


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