Looking for an nonprofit therapeutic boarding school for troubled boys in Hagerstown, Maryland? Perhaps you will consider Heartland Boys Academy, an affordable Christian boarding school in Western Kentucky. Heartland is an adventure-based therapeutic boarding school known for its devotion to teenage boys who have wandered away academically, emotionally, legally, or socially.

Heartland Boys Academy enrolls underperforming boys from across the U.S., including from Hagerstown, Maryland. It is a faith-based boarding school that employs adventure as a powerful therapeutic method for turning around difficult boys. We are an alternative school with a mission to lead wayward boys to fulfill their individual purpose, or destiny, in Christ.

Heartland exclusively serves troubled or struggling boys. Parents of these boys find it advantageous for their boy to spend time in a new environment here at Heartland that is separate from negative influences back home in Hagerstown, Maryland. We display love and respect to disrespectful and unruly boys who are in need of a new life perspective including a new spiritual focus in life. Our mentoring and encouragement is meant to bring about new thinking and motivations where there was once only negative motivations and failed family relationships.

Accredited School for Teens from Hagerstown, Maryland

Our commitment to a quality education is also a top priority. Heartland Boys Academy is a fully accredited private school that employs a model of independent study with tutelage. Students work through courses at their own pace, with weekly goals set by tutors based on the student’s chosen course work. Heartland also encourages students to work toward post-secondary goals by helping them prep for college testing.

Students from Hagerstown, Maryland, who come here achieve phenomenal progress towards successful high school completion and beyond. Our partnership with Edgenuity produces an educational environment that spurs motivation to succeed, which gains momentum and helps the boys to reach their full potential. Edgenuity is certified by COGNIA, the highest accrediting body for schools in America.

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 lag behind or are not understanding a specific topic are helped, but if they are falling behind as an act of rebellion, they may lose out on some on-campus privileges like special outings until they understand it is better to get caught up.

Heartland Spiritual Focus

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

Many teens who enroll have rebelled against their spiritual heritage or have never professed faith in Christ. Heartland offers an open environment for them to take ownership of their faith as they may never have done before. Godly character surrounds every aspect of life at Heartland Boys Academy.

Where Teens from Hagerstown, Maryland, Can Receive Leadership Training

In addition to helping capable students learn to apply themselves academically and spiritually, we provide specific leadership training to unlock the potential in each teenager. We teach teens to serve and love other people. Mission trips and community service opportunities offer real life experience and application of the leadership principles demonstrated at Heartland.

Replacing the Negative with a Positive Peer Culture

Heartland recognizes that teenagers and their families in Hagerstown, Maryland, face enormous pressure from the culture. Boys 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 serving and caring for others.

Adventure Therapy is a Primary Tool

Adventure therapy is an important therapeutic tool of Heartland. We understand that boys are more open to talking and learning while participating in adventure activities, so we use those times to instill better thinking and to develop better communication skills. It also facilitates improvement in their ability to work in synch with others.

Adventure therapy is a form of experiential therapy that uses challenging adventure activities to aid the therapeutic transformation. It plays a key role in character maturation. Every boy is a part of our adventure program because of the important values that can be learned. We offer many kinds of adventure activities including camping, backpacking, rappelling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, and spelunking (cave exploration).

At a therapeutic school like Heartland, students get the opportunity to engage in various activities and new adventure experiences during their time here. Adventure therapy activities at Heartland are where boys learn to listen, learn regulation skills, and push themselves to overcome challenging fun tasks. The challenges the boys 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 learn how to do it themselves. This is called experiential learning.

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

Heartland Boys Academy is a place of healing and hope for boys in Hagerstown, Maryland. We have seen many at-risk and struggling boys transformed into hard-working, respectable adults. We help restore boys to their families; healthy, confident, and spiritually and academically on track. Call (888)300-2830 to learn more today, or fill in our online inquiry form.

Please consider looking outside of Hagerstown, Maryland to learn how our Christ-centered adventure-based therapeutic boarding school program can lead your troubled teen toward life transformation. To find out more, please contact us today.