Academy at Swift River

Academy at Swift River
Main buildings on the campus, 2016

The Academy at Swift River, also known as ASR, was a coeducational therapeutic boarding school for teenagers, located in Plainfield and Cummington, Massachusetts. Established in 1997 and closed in 2013, it was a part of the Aspen Education Group,[1] which in turn is owned by Bain Capital's CRC health group.

The school's student population was described as "bright but underachieving kids" with a variety of behavioral problems. The majority of students use prescribed psychiatric medications.[1] ASR was in session year-round and offered a college preparatory curriculum for high school grades 9 to 12.[2] Total enrollment was about 55 students.[3]

The school was the focus of the 2005 book What It Takes To Pull Me Through: Why Teenagers Get in Trouble and How Four of Them Got Out by journalist David Marcus.

Shane Reardon, son of major league baseball pitcher Jeff Reardon, graduated from ASR with honors, but later died from a drug overdose at age 20.[4]

In July 2013, Aspen Education Group announced that it would close the school later that summer.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Stephen Migden, Academy at Swift River visit report, July 6, 2006, Woodbury Reports newsletter, strugglingteens.com, posted July 27, 2006
  2. ↑ Curriculum, Academy at Swift River website, accessed April 7, 2009
  3. ↑ Program Facts, Academy at Swift River website, accessed April 7, 2009
  4. ↑ Toughest save: Grief-stricken Reardon tries to pull himself together, Boston Globe, November 26, 2006
  5. ↑ http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/AspenEducationGroupBN_130710.shtml

Further reading

Coordinates: 42°28′52″N 72°53′3″W / 42.48111°N 72.88417°W / 42.48111; -72.88417

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