Stories of Hope

Alexander

“An important part of parenting is knowing when you need help and not being afraid to ask for it,” says Pam, a former Keswick School parent. She came to TKS when her son was 12. He had been treated for a mental illness but continued to have severe anxiety, was overwhelmed by school and was unable to function on his own. She realized he needed a level of structure and support that could not be provided at home, and thus began her search for a residential program where he could learn the life skills he was lacking.

From her first visit to TKS, Pam recognized how focused the staff was. “They are very organized,” she says. “Everyone works in sync with one another, and it was clear that nothing that happens at the school is random.”

She appreciates what she recognized as its thoughtful academic, social and emotional curriculum, as well. “My son’s therapist developed goals for him, and then she and the staff worked patiently with him, often with good humor, to help him to reach them,” she says. Her contacts at the school communicated regularly with her, so she felt connected to and very much a part of her son’s life. More importantly, he continued to feel tethered to home.

“The remarkable staff at Keswick School provided a nurturing environment where I always felt my son was safe,” she says. “Whenever I took him to the campus, I always felt like I was bringing him to something—never ‘sending him away.’”

After completing four years there, her son has a future to look forward to, Pam believes. “They slowly and meticulously helped him to become the boy he so longed to be, and our entire family is grateful. And my son, much to his surprise, looks back at his time at Keswick School with great fondness and appreciation.”

Pam’s son transitioned out of Keswick School in 2016 and went on to another boarding school, where he became a resident assistant. “He learned how to understand his anxiety at Keswick School and developed the tools to manage it. He also learned how to build friendships,” Pam adds proudly. “He is functioning at a level we weren’t sure he would ever reach.”

Owen

“Our son entered Keswick School as a very rigid little boy with autism spectrum disorder, who used routine to cope with his anxieties,” says Nancy, a parent of a former TKS student. “He came out of Keswick School four years later a much more flexible young man, much more aware of other people and what they might be thinking and feeling. To see those layers of anxiety rolled back so I could see the child inside—that was amazing.”

Nancy concedes that the decision to send her 11-year-old son to a boarding school four years ago was a tough one, but Keswick School was the right place for him. “We knew we were entrusting him to a group of people who are concerned, who are warm, who have the skills to help and who really have the best interest of your child at heart,” she says. “We couldn’t have left him any place else.”

Nancy’s son started a new school in fall 2017, and she says she cannot thank Keswick School enough for everything the staff did for her family. “I will forever remember all of the people there and what they accomplished for our son.”