Searching for an private therapeutic boarding school for troubled boys in Akron, Ohio? Perhaps you will look at Heartland Boys Academy, a low-cost boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an alternative year-round boarding school known for its commitment to adolescent boys who have wandered away academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy enrolls underperforming boys from across America, including from Akron, Ohio. It is an evangelical boarding school that uses adventure as a powerful therapeutic method for turning around difficult boys. We are an alternative school with a purpose to lead troubled boys to realize their individual purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively works with troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it valuable for their boy to grow in a new environment here at Heartland that is detached from negative influences back home in Akron, Ohio. We show love and respect to disrespectful and difficult boys who are in need of a better life perspective including a foundational spiritual belief system. Our mentoring and encouragement brings about new thinking and motivations where there was once only ungodly motivations and failed family relationships.

Accredited Academics for Boys from Akron, Ohio

To provide a quality education is also our top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited high school that operates under a model of independent study with personalized instruction. Students complete courses at their own pace, with weekly objectives set by instructors based on the student’s chosen course work. Heartland also encourages students to work toward post-secondary goals by offering assistance with college testing.

Students from Akron, Ohio, who attend Heartland achieve quick progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity facilitates an educational environment that builds motivation to succeed, which gains momentum and helps students to reach their full potential. Edgenuity is certified by COGNIA, the highest accrediting body for schools in the United States.

While the Edgenuity program is intuitive and self-paced, our own certified on-campus teachers make sure that the boys reach goals with their coursework. They tutor, answer any questions, and give each student plenty of encouragement. Our teachers can see at a glance how well each student is progressing. Students who fail to keep up or are having difficulty with a specific topic are helped, but if they are dragging their feet as an act of rebellion, they may lose out on some on-campus privileges like fun times until they choose to get caught up.

Heartland Spiritual Focus

Spiritual life is the cornerstone characteristic of Heartland Boys Academy. We believe that ultimately Jesus Christ is the only answer for struggling youth from Akron, Ohio. We are devoted to introducing every teen to a relationship with their Maker. We help them find their spiritual gifting and purpose in Christ.

Many teens who come have rebelled against their religious heritage or have never professed faith in Christ. Heartland offers a safe place for them to take ownership of their faith, perhaps for the first time. Godly character surrounds everything we do at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Boys from Akron, Ohio, Can Gain Leadership Training

Beyond helping capable students get back on track academically and spiritually, we provide specific leadership training to unleash the potential in each teenager. We teach teens to serve and love other people. Mission trips and community service projects provide real life experience and application of the leadership principles learned at Heartland.

Replacing the Negative with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland recognizes that teenagers and their parents in Akron, Ohio, face huge challenges from the culture. Teens are surrounded by a barrage of negative peer pressure. The Heartland model for change is called Positive Peer Culture (PPC), which asserts that young people can develop self-worth, significance, dignity, and responsibility only as they become committed to the positive values of helping and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is a Primary Tool

Adventure therapy is a primary therapeutic feature of Heartland. We understand that boys are more open to communicating and learning while participating in adventure activities, so we use those times to instill better thinking and to develop better communication skills. It also helps improve their ability to work cooperatively with others.

Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic healing process. It is meant to contribute to character maturation. Every teen is a part of our adventure program because of the valuable life skills that can be learned. We offer a number of adventure activities including camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and spelunking (cave exploration).

At therapeutic boarding school like Heartland, students get the opportunity to engage in many activities and new adventure experiences during their stay. Adventure therapy used at Heartland are where boys learn to listen, learn regulation skills, and push themselves to overcome challenging fun tasks. The challenges students face through our adventure programming are meant to forge a more positive identity, build character, and develop a sense of accomplishment. Students do not just participate in the activity; they reach for a goal and accomplish it. This is called experiential learning.

Our staff are trained to facilitate the adventure program in a safe and effective way. The same team members who live with students all week, building rapport and making connections, are then able to mentor students during their adventure activities.

Heartland Boys Academy is a campus teeming with healing and hope for boys in Akron, Ohio. We have seen hundreds of at-risk and struggling boys transformed into hard-working, respectable young men. We help restore boys to their families; healthy, confident, and spiritually and academically on track. Call (888)300-2830 to learn more today, or contact us through our online inquiry form.

Please consider looking outside of Akron, Ohio to see how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can guide your troubled teen toward life transformation. To discover more, please contact us today.