Carlbrook School Explained
Carlbrook School was a private, coeducational, college preparatory boarding school located on 200acres in Halifax, Virginia. It was non-sectarian and covered grades 9 through 12.[1] As of 2014, it reported an enrollment of 80 students.[2] The school closed permanently in December 2015. At that time, it had graduated almost 700 alumni.[3] Carlbrook's mission statement was to help students discover, internalize and effectively utilize the intellectual and personal resources necessary to succeed in college and in life.[4]
History
Carlbrook was founded in early 2002 by Cascade School graduates Robert "Grant" Price, Jr. and Justin J. Merritt.[5] Within the first week of their opening, there were seven students enrolled. By June 2003, it had grown to 89 students. All new students were required to complete a wilderness therapy program before enrolling. In 2003, a school official explained that wilderness programs help prepare students for success in the school program and function as a "filter," meaning that students who successfully complete these programs are more likely to succeed at Carlbrook. Grant hired several former CEDU staff to implement a similar emotional growth program.[6] [7] [8]
On December 4th, 2010, student Forest Ferguson was reported missing and his missing person case is still open in 2024.[9]
Admissions
Admission to Carlbrook was selective, focusing on students of high aptitude and potential who had struggled academically or socially in previous educational environments.[10] Carlbrook was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[11] and the Virginia Council for Private Education,[12] and was a member of the Secondary School Admission Test Board,[13] the Small Boarding Schools Association,[14] and the Educational Records Bureau.[15]
Academics
The school followed a quarter-based academic calendar and awarded high school diplomas in accordance with Virginia Department of Education guidelines.[16] There were multiple Advanced Placement courses and several advanced and dual-enrollment offerings;[17] in addition to the school's academic requirements, graduating students were required to demonstrate leadership and character through extracurricular involvement and/or community service. Carlbrook reported that over the school's first decade, its graduates were accepted to over 500 colleges and universities.[18]
Carlbrook's Program
Carlbrook was a 15-month program which consisted of five workshops (Integritas,[19] Amicitia,[20] Animus,[21] Teneo,[22] and Veneratio[23]) which took place roughly every three months depending on the child's arrival at the school. Elizabeth Gilpin, who is a graduate of Carlbrook School, makes the following claim in Stolen,[24] a memoir about her time there:
Closure
The school closed in December 2015 after giving notice a few days before end of the fall semester.[25] [26] The email announcement attributed the closure to declining enrollments.[27]
In the news
- December 4, 2010: 16-year-old Forest Ferguson disappeared from Carlbrook School's campus in South Boston, Virginia. He was never found.[28] [29]
- April 2017: Life Boat,[30] a short film based on the exercise used in Animus,[21] Carlbrook's third workshop, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.[31] It was directed by Jack Nicholson's daughter, Lorraine Nicholson,[32] [33] and stars Carlbrook graduate and author of Stolen,[24] Elizabeth Gilpin.
- July 20, 2021: Stolen, a memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin about the time she spent in the wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains and then at Carlbrook School was published.[24] [34]
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Search for Private Schools - School Detail for Carlbrook School . Nces.ed.gov . 2011-01-31.
- Web site: About Carlbrook School . Carlbrook School . 2014-09-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130129075519/http://www.carlbrook.org/about . 2013-01-29 . (archived)
- Web site: Carlbrook Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. February 18, 2016. The Gazette-Virginian.
- Web site: Carlbrook School Closes; Students Asked To Be Out By Sunday. December 11, 2015. The Gazette-Virginian.
- Web site: Seen N' Heard: Carlbrook School Announces Opening . October 1, 2001 . Struggling Teens . https://web.archive.org/web/20170502063301/http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/SnHOct01_011001.shtml . 2 May 2017 . dead.
- Web site: News & Views: Tim Brace Eying New Opportunities. March 2000. Woodbury Reports, issue #67.
- Web site: The Carlbrook School. Loi. Eberle. October 27, 2003. Woodbury Reports.
- Web site: Breaking News: Bender Retires from Carlbrook School. August 10, 2012. Woodbury Reports.
- Web site: Forest Ferguson – The Charley Project . 2024-03-07 . en.
- Web site: Carlbrook School - How To Apply . Carlbrook School . 2011-01-31 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20141231235959/http://www.carlbrook.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=426 . 2014-12-31 . (archived)
- Web site: Institution Summary . AdvancED . 2011-01-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718081426/http://www.advanc-ed.org/oasis2/u/par/accreditation/summary?institutionId=12587 . 2011-07-18 . dead .
- Web site: Home . vcpe.org.
- Web site: SSAT School Search . 2010-05-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100329012802/http://search.ssat.org/search/schools.html . 2010-03-29 .
- Web site: SBSA | Find a School or Consultant . Smallboardingschools.org . 2011-01-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110728032219/http://www.smallboardingschools.org/pages/school_info.cfm?id=620 . 2011-07-28 .
- Web site: ERB :: Membership Directory . 2010-05-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091231040431/http://www.erbtest.org/members . 2009-12-31 .
- Web site: Standard Diploma: Minimum Course & Credit Requirements . Virginia Department of Education . February 5, 2002 . 2011-01-31.
- Web site: Curriculum . Carlbrook School . 2011-01-31 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20101106021554/http://www.carlbrook.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=43 . 2010-11-06 . (archived)
- Web site: College Acceptances . Carlbrook School . 2011-01-31 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20101106021554/http://www.carlbrook.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=66 . 2010-11-06 . (archived)
- Web site: Integritas Workshop Script.
- Web site: Amicitia Workshop Script.
- Web site: Animus Workshop Script.
- Web site: Teneo Workshop Script.
- Web site: Veneratio Workshop Script.
- Web site: Stolen: A Memoir. Elizabeth. Gilpin. July 20, 2021. Grand Central Publishing.
- Web site: Enrollment on the Wane, Carlbrook School will Close. Tom. McClaughlin. December 10, 2015. News & Record.
- Web site: Carlbrook School Permanently Closes; Gives Students and Staff Short Notice. Valerie. Bragg. December 11, 2015. ABC 13 News.
- Email sent to alumni on December 10, 2015: "We regret to inform you all that due to continued declining enrollments, Carlbrook School will be closing this week after almost 14 years of work with students and their families."
- Web site: Forest Ferguson. https://archive.today/20211126192457/http://www.missingin.org/reg6720/forest_ferguson.htm#selection-8949.0-8951.55. dead. 2021-11-26. December 4, 2010. National Missing Person Directory.
- Web site: Carlbrook Runaway on Missing List. December 9, 2010. News & Record.
- Web site: Life Boat. Lorraine. Nicholson. YouTube. 2017.
- Web site: Life Boat. Lorraine. Nicholson. 2017. Tribeca Film Festival.
- Web site: 'Life Boat' Director Lorraine Nicholson on Guiding Stephen Dorff Through his First Short Film Experience — Tribeca Studio. Matt. Grobar. April 26, 2017. Deadline.
- Web site: Watch Lorraine Nicholson's Short Film Life Boat. Liz. Cantrell. May 24, 2018. Town and Country.
- Web site: 'Stolen': Harrowing Memoir Exposes Abusive Boarding School Industry for 'Troubled Teens'. Emily Gray. Tedrowe. July 19, 2021. USA Today.