Commonly asked questions from parents and students:
- What is the cost of Greenbrier Academy?
- What kind of issues do your students face?
- Will you accept a student who has not completed a wilderness or therapeutic program?
- How long will my daughter be at Greenbrier Academy?
- When will my daughter be able to come home for a visit?
- Will my daughter be able to send and receive letters and phone calls from her friends?
- How often to the girls get to go off campus?
- Do you have SAT prep courses and guidance for college/post high school planning?
- What physical activity and sports do girls do?
- What does the falconry program involve?
- What exposure will my daughter have to boys?
- Can my daughter attend church?
- What do the girls do for the service project?
- How secure is the campus?
- How do you control internet use?
- How much group and individual therapy do students receive per week?
- How are medicines monitored and distributed?
- We have other children. Will they be able to attend family programs?
- Do the girls wear uniforms?
What is the cost of Greenbrier Academy?
Greenbrier Academy’s tuition is $6875 per month. This includes room, board, books, school activities and associated transportation, equine therapy, and individual and family therapy. The School of Horsemanship is a comprehensive program that includes dressage, jumping and competitions and is available for $400 per month. Parents contribute to a Student Account for optional services and approved personal purchases, such as home visits/travel costs, medicine and refills, specialized medical services, and personal hygiene products. We accept checks, wire transfers, and credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover – all with a nominal fee) as payment options, and bill per diem by the trimester. Please see our Financial Information page for more information.
What kind of issues do your students face?
Our students are dealing with a variety of issues, some include: anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, ADD/ADHD, substance abuse, oppositional defiance, impulsiveness, emotional deregulation, lack of understanding consequence, and anger and/or attachment issues. Other symptoms are loneliness, meaninglessness, and confusion about their place in the world. What we’ve seen is that the students that we work with also come with a great skill set of positive attributes. We see the previously mentioned obstacles as barriers keeping young women from their full potential.
Will you accept a student who has not completed a wilderness or therapeutic program?
We will consider the application of a student who has not completed one of these programs once we have spoken with her therapist and/or educational consultant.
How long will my daughter be at Greenbrier Academy?
Our school takes a very personalized approach that is dependent on each girl’s goals and progress. While there is a minimum length of stay of 12 months, many of our students have chosen to stay two, three, or four years, or until they graduate. Upon graduation, students are eligible for a high school diploma from the state of West Virginia. If a diploma from another school is a necessity, we can work with other school districts to transfer credits.
When will my daughter be able to come home for a visit?
We want to work with you and your family to ensure the best way for all of you to come together for positive and fun interaction. An individualized plan is developed for each student by her counselor and academic advisor based on her and her family's needs and situation. Hopefully your daughter will be able to come home for holidays and family functions in the months following enrollment.
Will my daughter be able to send and receive letters and phone calls from her friends?
Based on the personal work your daughter accomplishes while here, your daughter’s counselor will determine when she is prepared to make a supervised call to family members; call to friends may follow. Students have supervised access to telephones for these approved calls, and cell phones are not allowed on campus. Our Admissions Agreement includes a place for you to list which relatives and friends your daughter should and should not be allowed to contact. Our counselors or mentors inspect all mail and inappropriate items (e.g., excessive amounts of candy or food, inappropriate reading material) will be removed.
How often to the girls get to go off campus?
Our students have a very full and diverse residential life! They engage in many different weekly outdoor adventures, such as mountain biking, kayaking, and hiking though a partnership with an outfitters organization at The Greenbrier Resort. Performances, concerts, plays, exhibits and festivals are monthly activities at Carnegie Hall and Greenbrier Valley Theatre in nearby Lewisburg, as well as field trips to Washington, D.C. and Virginia. Service projects are regular activities that allow students to participate in local volunteer efforts: helping with meals at local family support centers, home repairs for low-income families, and pitching in community beautification efforts. Faculty and staff also invite the students to their homes for cookouts and other get-togethers. We provide a rich, exciting and active schedule of activities in which they have opportunities to engage and learn.
Do you have SAT courses and guidance for college/post high school planning?
As a college preparatory high school, we provide SAT courses as a regular part of the extracurricular activities provided for all of our students, and we have local sites where students take the PSAT and SAT exams. Our Academic Department provides exceptional college planning, and we work with each student’s Educational Consultants (if applicable).
What physical activity and sports do girls do?
Students dance and drum daily as well as participate group exercise that varies in ability level: running, walking, pilates, yoga, and free weights. Seasonal sports such as volleyball, basketball, soccer, field hockey, and softball are fun activities both on and off campus.
What does the falconry program involve?
Students have the opportunity to interact therapeutically with an array of falcons. We have a licensed falconer on staff and a permanent home for birds on campus, and students work with the Greenbrier Outfitters of The Greenbrier Resort to have the proper equipment and monitoring by experienced handlers. The girls train and work with birds as often as their schedules permit. Students who exhibit additional interest in the ancient art of hawking will have the opportunity to participate in Falconer’s Club where students can work towards licensure as a falconer. The connection between bird and handler also introduces a greater attentiveness and sensitivity toward relationships. For more information on our Falconry Program, please click here.
What exposure will my daughter have to boys?
At many of our off-campus activities, boys/young men are present. As with all of our off-campus events, students are always accompanied by staff. During one specific service activity, students are able to interact with students their age (of both genders) from across the country. This allows our girls share dinner with peers that are practicing altruism in their daily lives.
Can my daughter attend church?
We encourage students to make their own decisions regarding spirituality and religion, and students can attend a nearby church of their choice. We honor and respect the diversity that different faiths and practices bring to our community.
What do the girls do for the service project?
We have partnered with Mountain Mission School in Grundy, VA, which was created in 1921 as a safe haven for Ethiopian refugees. Greenbrier Academy has had cultural exchanges with the school so that our students have an opportunity to experience very different views and lifestyles without the normal cost and time of world travel. For more information, please visit the school’s website at www.mountainmissionschool.org.
How secure is the campus?
Greenbrier Academy is located along the Greenbrier River in southeastern West Virginia. Our privately owned contiguous wooded areas provide the perfect, quiet setting for our students to focus on healing. Constructed at the turn of the century, the site has gone through an extensive two-year renovation. This historic facility has state-of-the-art safety and security systems. The surrounding quiet community is very close-knit, and we have quality relationships with the local agencies and authorities. The 140 acres of beautiful campus provides the ideal location conducive to creativity and growth.
How do you control internet use?
When using the computers in our schoolhouse, a faculty member closely supervises small numbers of students and our computers have passwords known only to key staff. While we
want to make sure that students are kept up-to-date with information technology, safety and proper usage are paramount.
How much group and individual therapy do students receive per week?
You daughter has the opportunity to talk with her counselor for up to 90 minutes per week. The length of each session may vary depending on the focus of therapy and what is going on that week. We meet as a community five times a week to further explore the dynamic nature of relationships and how these relationships play out in students’ lives and in our community.
Families have one therapeutic call per week for up to an hour. As each girl progresses and communicates her commit she is allowed social calls.
How are medicines monitored and distributed?
Our full time Medical Coordinator, Dinah Palmer, is an LPN that distributes medications daily to the students. She maintains impeccable communication with our contracted psychiatrist and each family. We continuously do staff trainings on medicine distribution, policies, and procedures for students who take medications after business hours. Our Medical Coordinator also establishes health baselines for the girls upon their arrival at Greenbrier Academy. She works closely with each young woman to insure that she is developing healthy life styles to strengthen and care for her body.
Will siblings be able to attend family programs?
Some of our family programs are designed for the whole family while others are just for you and your daughter. We will send information on each gathering to you so that you can determine what makes the most sense for your family at each particular program.
Do the girls wear uniforms?
We want our students realize that self-expression shouldn’t be limited to their attire. By providing a dress code, students learn how to express themselves through their actions. The dress code allows our students the individuality and flexibility to wear comfortable and neat clothing that is appropriate for the various activities they participate in. During the school day, the girls wear khakis and polos. For outdoor and off-campus activities, students can wear jeans and activity specific apparel. For more information, please see our Dress Code.
If you have unanswered questions, please call or email us. We would love to hear from you.
Admissions Contact Information
Telephone: 304-445-7790
Toll Free: 877-788-8422
Email: admissions@greenbrieracademy.com
