Passages

It is an exciting day when students stand in a place of honor and bang the gong announcing to fellow students that they are “on transition” and getting prepared to graduate! While this is a very exciting time, it is also one filled with anxiety as students anticipate their next steps, post-Cherokee Creek.

Our Passages program is created to ease the anxiety and prepare students for the transition. William Bridges, in his book Transitions, asks us to be mindful of the stages of transitions: “endings, neutral zones and new beginnings”. We offer a curriculum of activities, therapy sessions begin a new focus, and boys get the opportunity to live more independently in the dorms. There may be more home visits. Home contracts are worked to establish a routine and outline expectations and boundaries. Parents also have the chance to attend our Parent Passages program where they cover much of the same territory with their child. All this preparation ends with a powerful graduation ceremony that highlights student achievements and gives everyone the chance to say a heartfelt goodbye.