Agape Boarding School

Well my name is David G. I graduated agape on January 21^st 2014. I believe this facility is made to temporarily fix your teenage problems by removing you from society. How does this happen by breaking your will to resist. Knowing that if you didn’t do those push ups you were eating like shit and rollin around til you threw up in brown town. Although I was never restrained, the restraints are inhumane. Yes the student may be out of control and dead wrong but 5 big grown men pinning a teenager to the ground, funny part is some staff not ALL but some walked with there heads a little higher after a restraint like they were proud of themselves. The screening on the letter is extra however necessary because if it wasn’t there we’d tell our parents anything to come home. I was given the option of stayin til I was 18 which would’ve been 14 months for my arrival or graduate with 2 years of schoolwork ahead of me before then. Started out rebellious and was not allowed in school for it, isn’t that dumb. Kids would rebel to get out of school. Not me I was determined to leave and finished 2 years of school in a 10 months stay with at least a 2 month stay in brown (suspension in the sense you can’t go to school) and my reward for getting this school work done was being able to not go to school more often. I’d love to say this school is filled with genuine staff that want to help your children progress but I’d be lying it’s all to get your money in the end and that’s the sad truth. There are some genuine staff members and I won’t lie if they see you struggling they try to help and some can help better then others in certain aspects of life. I listened I took it in I partook in everything and when I reflect although some of the moments were bright the whole school just seemed to be in vain to me. That temporary mold is quickly broken. I’d never let another man belittle, downgrade, or speak to me in the manner these men did. You get out and have so much built up anger when it comes to being told what to do. Not even out of rebellion but something snaps when your asked for more then what’s requires. That was built at agape for me where being told what to do when your wrong and being told what to do when there wrong but still being forced to do it because your guardians gave them a right. Why would you sign your son over to someone else. Be a parent, stop trying to make your child into the perfect child. You were blessed with that child so make an effort to support them and get on a friend level. Want to hear where I stand with my parents just 2 short years later. After agape my parents tried to give me a curfew I responded «I haven’t been home in 10months now you want me to be home» and slammed the door from then on my parents spoke to me about as much as they did when I was at agape and I NEVER let them live it down. They now live in Texas and I live in New York still on my own and have been for about 9 months now. As a parent when you send your child away and he gets back a year later able to live without you and with a heart full of anger for all the time they missed because of you. They always said they did it so I wouldn’t end up in jail. I had a clean record when I went to agape. Ive now been arrested 4 times and have an open case with 8 felonies and 2 misdemeanors. I’m out on 5,000 bail and have been rear rested since then. Also your child’s drug use won’t stop unless it’s something serious aka «heroine, meth or crack addiction» which it wasn’t for me. It’s a temporary stop where you come out and do the drug you’ve been waiting however long for. I learned more about hard drugs there then I did on the street due to the large variety of people from various different places where certain drugs are more plentiful. The thing about a drug addiction at a young age is the fact that you don’t yet have the wisdom to appreciate being clean. You get out and now everything you were shunned from is right there & all it takes is one bad decision to return to an addiction and when your so young that bad decision doesn’t seem as bad. The bible is there and we read it everyday but after watching so many hypocritical men hold that book and tell us how wrong we are for being slightly out of our parents mold for how we should be. A male isn’t suppose to be confined to an all male facility that literally what prison is. Don’t get me wrong I’ve done a little time it’s heaven compared to prison but it preps you. I cried my first week at agape. I didn’t cry my first night in jail. I was so young and couldn’t comprehend why my parents would do that to I’ve long forgiven them but when they make a decision like moving out of state I had to stay and knew I could because of agape, my financial situation was also fitting, thank god. The temporary mold won’t last your kids will learn to manipulate and lie to you better then ever. And the chatter amongst the student only educates your child in what you didn’t want. It’s hell disguised as heaven.

If you have a teenage son struggling and making bad choices. Maybe, he has gotten into a lot of trouble. I am telling you that your best choice is AGAPE Boarding School. With God’s help, they have saved my son. They are a Christian facility. The kids are held accountable for their behavior but taught in a Godly way how to make better choices.
Blessings,
Diane

I went to Agape from 99 – 01. What a he’ll hole. A bunch of power tripping men picking on boys. I mean why does a 30yr old man need to slam a kid? I went to Agape on a court order so either there or jail so I can’t complain but if your kid isn t robbing people and in gangs try something else.

sorry this is so long — Three Part review — stay with me
First let me start off by saying — back in the day I was the Agape Rah Rah Cheerleader. Until my blinders
were off and saw them for what they really were. Now they call me the disgruntled ex parent. I can’t
agree or disagree with what the students reviews are because let’s face it — what teenage boy wants to
go to an all boys boarding school for at risk students. So… I wasn’t there I don’t know. But what I can
share is my experience from a parent perspective.
After my son not receiving some things I sent him I learned quickly to note in his letters what I had sent
so that he knew to expect it and if it didn’t get there then I had something to work with. Since I started
that procedure nothing came up missing that I sent, but… being my son did not do his own laundry,
some of his «stuff» did come up missing and when it was time for him to be sent home some of his stuff
did not make it home with him. With that being said it is safe to say that there are possibly thieves that
work at the school. Can’t say for sure but…
During my first visit I am enjoying some time with my son and the enrollment counselor brings a
prospective parent to «visit» with my son and I so I can share my experiences with them. Really? I get
three days to visit with my son and you want me to sell your school? This happened not only once but
twice during my three day visit. Not asking my permission just brought the prospective parents to our
table to «visit». That was my first experience with the staff not respecting me or my time with my son.
The 2^nd incident of disrespect during my first visit was while I was in the restroom, my son is looking at
the pictures on my camera (not my cell phone my camera) that we had taken. The staff grabs it out of
my sons hands and tells him that he is not allowed to look through the pictures. First of all don’t ever
grab anything out of my son’s hands, 2^nd that was not in the rule book and he had every right to look at
MY camera at the pictures that WE took during the visit.
I did have an opportunity with my son to cook dinner for all the boys and we made chicken parmesan
and had a good time doing it.
My son struggled academically badly. He would do minimal if any paces (classwork) and would not
receive a consequence for this. I am frustrated because this is one of the main reasons I sent him as he
was flunking out of school at home. I call the principle (who is very difficult to get in touch with) and
discuss my son’s academics. He states, oh your son is doing very well, and even quite a head in some
classes. I asked are you sure you are looking at my son’s records cause his progress reports says he is
way behind and not on schedule to complete a years worth of school. The principle didn’t quite know
what to say — he obviously just wanted to get me off the phone and say what I wanted to hear. That is
not why I am paying $ 3,000 a month to this school. Finally I dangle a carrot in front of my son for school
work and he blows it out of the water, I mean doing 8 – 9 paces a week as opposed to the 1.5 paces a
week he was doing, so… what did the school do? they rewarded him, by allowing him to stay out of
school for one and watch movies. The Dean said I can’t believe the principle told you that, I was not
going to let you know, cause I knew you would blow a gasket. So they know how I am how I react and
they a) do it anyway and b) consider not telling me. OK
I was «sold» on this school for their «Stellar» academics, weekly counseling and equine therapy. I was
thrilled that my son would have opportunities he did not have home. I was widowed and did not marry
so to be around all these men and doing manly things and manly/​Godly counsel was what the doctor
ordered, or so I thought.
won’t let me add the other two parts maybe tomorrow will try then