The surrounding scenic beauty at the entrance to the grounds of Whetstone Academy in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains made me understand the wondrous opportunity that a program in this setting could offer. Whetstone Academy is a full therapeutic program in a Montessori environment where the emphasis is on hands on learning. The property included a gorgeous lake that the children used for swimming, canoeing, fishing, and learning, and the adorable mini-barn for the farm animals.

Sharon Stricker, Head of School, and Talina Carver, Director of Admissions greeted me. They extended great hospitality and helped me to understand the school and campus, answering my many questions and introducing the staff and the children to me and telling me special things about each of them. We discussed the future plans of the school which recently opened in May, 2011.

Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, believed that children have an innate desire to learn and that teachers (known as "guides" in Montessori) should not fill them up with information but rather channel their desire. She founded the Montessori style education in 1907 in Rome. Montessori recommends an erdkinder, or farm school, for middle schoolers. The flexibility within the academic framework is helpful to adolescents and it gives students the option to clear their heads and get fresh air throughout the day. A lot of the curriculum the students work on is based on nature. The students participate in nature walks, have a garden, and care for the campus animals.

The boys are between the ages of ten and fifteen and are in grades five through eight. They have the opportunity to become an important member of a working community currently made up of six young men. Each one is challenged to contribute intellectually, physically, and socially so that the community as a whole will prosper. The farm is the ideal setting for scholars to apply their knowledge to solve problems of real economic and personal consequence. Social understanding and mutual respect are learned and fostered through adults and students working side by side. Whetstone is a healthy, protected, engaging environment that meets the needs of those working to prepare for adulthood. The teacher/guide is observing each child for learning style, development stage and skill levels and uses these findings to guide the child toward appropriate work in the curriculum areas.

Before my visit, the boys had made both blackberry and blueberry jam and jelly. Two of them shared with me the entire process of growing berries, harvesting them and then turning them into the finished product. Their goal was to sell the extra jars to the staff and their families to earn money for a trip. The jam and jelly was delicious and the boys were nice enough to share a jar of the blackberry jam with me. This is a skill that will be useful throughout the years ahead.

The school is currently working on the completion of their facilities. The new building will house more rooms for the boys to sleep, a dining hall, shower and bath area, and a workshop area for the boys to work with the staff guides. They also have many ideas for future improvements on the 57 acre campus. The community does not plan to expand beyond forty boys.

The boys took me around the campus to show me their daily scheduled activities. They showed me the vegetable garden where they grow their own food. They explained to me what is required in maintaining the garden every day. I was introduced to all of the campus animals which were donkeys, chickens, guinea hens, geese, cats, and a rescue dog. The boys have to brush the donkeys and feed all of the animals each day. There is a barn that is very nice and it was made from a child's playhouse. It is very attractive and so unique.

The type of therapy that is used predominately by the school is person centered therapy which was developed by Carl Rogers. It is a non-directive approach to therapy which works very well with this type of program. The therapist is encouraging the children to unlock the door to self discovery, take brave steps, and to make decisions on their own.

The boys are there for various reasons and have many different needs. Some of the children have been diagnosed variously with Aspergers, attention deficit disorders, defiance, anxiety, depression, difficulty with school, non-verbal learning disorders, school refusal, relational difficulties and PTSD. A child can have varying lengths of stay in the program such as six months, a year, or even just summer terms. The program is really unique in that it offers a chance for credit recovery in the summer if a child has gotten behind in his studies throughout the year.

This program is very unique in the type of students they serve and the program that they offer. I was very impressed with the professionalism of the staff and the hard work that they have done to get this program off the ground. It is very rare to find a new program with most of the staff having at least five years of experience not only in this field but having worked together as a team..