Editors Note: To read the essay written by Lon Woodbury entitled
“Size Matters” Click
Here...
As an emotional growth boarding school with a current student
population in excess of 200, we couldn’t agree more with your
contention that “Size Matters” (Woodbury Reports, September 2005).
From our inception some thirty years ago, we’ve been a family-centered
program, and each of our 200-plus students functions as part of
a family. There are currently eight “families” at The Family Foundation
School, each with 25-30 students and 15-20 staff members, for
a maximum functional size of 50—well below your recommended 150.
Our families provide the closeness and structure in which students
can and do develop healthy and responsible relationships with
one another. The students eat, sleep, work and play within their
assigned families. Their interaction with students from other
families takes place in the classroom, on the athletic field,
on stage—places where a student population of 200-plus is an advantage;
where diverse backgrounds, talents and points of view can only
strengthen the learning process.
So while your point, as always, is well taken, we would ask your
readers to look beyond size to operating structure and philosophy
when considering an emotional growth program. We know, for instance,
that the high degree of staff-student integration at The Family
Foundation School also contributes to our success. In fact, this
is the subject of a workshop we’ll be presenting at the IECA Conference
in Philadelphia in November. We hope to see you and many of your
readers there.
Best regards,
Emmanuel Argiros, President
The Family
Foundation School
Hancock, New York
845-887-5213
