Troubled Teens Resources

Tipton Academy is located in Tipton Kansas; it was opened in spring of 2005.
Tipton is unique from many other schools in that it operates on principles of a Positive Peer culture. This means that the boys are given a lot of freedom as they move through the program. Troubled Teen boarding schools have come under fire in recent years because of abuse that has happened at a few schools. Tipton has worked hard to see that students are not abused, but given the opportunity to make the changes necessary in their lives. Mike McClendon is the Program Director at Tipton Academy he has 10 years of experience working with troubled boys. His experience has been the catalyst of success for Tipton. His sincere love for the boys and determination to see them succeed is at the core of the Tipton Academy success.

Tipton’s remote location also adds to the entire experience of the boys. The country lifestyle and honest work ethics from the people of Tipton are an example to the boys in the Academy. The Tipton Community fought to keep their own middle high and elementary school’s in town. As a community they built an elementary school in 30 days with volunteer help and donated funds. Tipton is truly a remarkable town and Tipton Academy feels fortunate to be located amongst such great Americans.

Tipton Academy is unique in that it has a dog training program for the boys which allow them to assist in training dogs to assist the handicapped. They work in conjunction with CARES a non profit organization in Kansas. CARES provides dogs to people with special needs. The boys are also able to present the dogs to their new owners. This is an emotional event when the boys present something they have become attached to; to another person is a life changing event. The person in need is very appreciative and new owner and old trainer share a very positive experience.

Tipton Academy also offers the boys opportunities to work while they are enrolled. Tipton is home to some of the finest bird farms in the area. Many people come to Tipton each year to hunt pheasants and other game birds. This industry gives the Tipton Academy boy’s opportunities to work in the game bird industry when they invoke enough trust from the program staff.

Tipton Academy has truly become a positive place for change. Many boys have made drastic improvements in their lives graduating high school and going on to college. Like any school Tipton has also had students that didn’t make the best of their stay at Tipton and some have gone back home and fallen back into their old ways. Overall Tipton is an effective option and positively affected the lives of many young men.

When a troubled teen is given chance after chance to clean their act up and they just keep getting into trouble it might be time to send them to a troubled teen boarding school.

“The 15-year-old narrowly avoided a detention sentence, after she refused to co-operate with the Youth Offending Service and continually breached her curfew order.
The girl had been sentenced to a supervision order with a curfew earlier this year for a number of offences, including being drunk and disorderly, punching and headbutting her boyfriend outside the Wrexham Tesco store and smashing equipment in a Wrexham youth home.
However, she failed to comply with this order on a number of occasions, despite being given a last chance to do so in September.
Magistrates at Wrexham Youth Court heard representations from the Youth Offending Service, who expressed concerns about the girl’s safety and said she was “spiralling out of control”.
The youth offending team told the court the only way to deal with the teenager was to send her to a detention unit.
Jane Meyers, defending, told the court she agreed and saw no other option.
She said the common thread through was alcohol misuse.
Ms Meyers said the teenager, who had been in care since the age of two, had no previous records until these offences and had found it difficult to adjust over the last two years after leaving her foster home of 10 years and being relocated.
She added her client was very vulnerable and incidents of self harming were becoming more serious.
However, magistrates decided not to send the girl to a detention unit but sentenced her to a 12-month conditional discharge.
They defended the decision, saying they were putting more responsibility on the teenager to prove she could sort herself out with the help of her social workers.”

Tipton Academy is an effective option for troubled teen boys.
(source)