(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) Jan. 10, 2005 – Wedgwood Christian Services, an established provider of leading residential treatment and prevention programs for at-risk teens, is expanding its continuum of care with the opening of a unique street school targeting expelled youth. Wedgwood’s Lighthouse Academy will welcome its first students on Jan. 24 at facilities offered within the United Methodist Community House (UMCH), 904 Sheldon Ave. SE., in downtown Grand Rapids. In addition to a classroom, students will have access to UMCH’s auditorium and state-of-the-art computer lab.

At an opening ceremony today, community stakeholders ranging from Wedgwood’s leadership staff to juvenile court administrators to funding partners celebrated the reality of a collaborative, community effort. “We’re proud to lead the community in an extraordinary ground-breaking effort which combines our 45-year history of treating at-risk teens with a proven national model of street school education,” said Gary Ellens, executive director of Wedgwood. “Lighthouse Academy is a ‘beacon of hope’ for some of the most disenfranchised and vulnerable individuals in our community.”

The school’s highly specialized, customized learning environment is reflective of the specific needs of Kent County’s at-risk youth. Lighthouse Academy’s instructional approach is based on an established model pioneered by the National Association of Street Schools of Denver, Co. The model emphasizes academic, social, career and spiritual development through personalized, experiential learning, counseling, life-skills training and individualized, computer-based training. “We’re extending our mission of `Helping Hurting Kids’ by bringing our vast clinical expertise into a customized, nurturing and appealing learning environment,” said Randy Zylstra, Director of Professional Services at Wedgwood Christian Services.

The school’s staff includes a full-time instructor and a licensed, Master-level Social Worker who is also a Level 1, Certified Addictions Counselor. Family involvement, case management and referral services, and an elective faith-formation class for students are integral to the program. A diverse, community-based steering committee will oversee Lighthouse Academy.

For more information, please contact Karen Hogan at (616) 863-0009 or 450-8508.

Founded in 1960, Wedgwood began as a “lifeline” for assisting at-risk teens. Over the years, the fully-accredited, not-for-profit agency’s leading treatment services and prevention programs have expanded into northern and southeastern Michigan.