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May 28,
2008
Dear Mr. Fein, Mrs. VanHeyzen and the Kentwood High School
Staff:
I have been trying to write this letter since last weekend
and am having a lot of trouble getting started. My husband
and I were quite impressed with the graduation/awards
assembly last week. Mr. Fein, your speech truly captured the
growth that Kentwood has achieved during this past year.
There is so much for all of you to be proud of. During your
talk, I was reflecting not only on Kentwood's
accomplishments and growth during the year, but also on
Bradley's accomplishments and growth during this past year.
We have watched Bradley change from a friendless,
computer-game addict that isolated himself from everyone to
stepping out of his comfort zone to try and experience new
things. He became student body president, he speaks on the
phone to friends, he socializes with friends outside of
school, plays basketball after school, worked on the
yearbook, and he has even gotten his learner's permit and
drives on a daily basis. These things may not be a big deal
to most of us, but for Bradley these are monumental
accomplishments.
The young man that represented the 8th grade graduates last
week shared with us how Kentwood saved his life. Although
his issues seemed different from Bradley's, we echo the
sentiment. When we showed up at Kentwood's doorsteps 6 years
ago in Lantana, we were desperate. Kentwood saved Bradley's
life as well as our family. My husband and I
feel that it is time to formally say thank you!
This week the news has been filled with a most disturbing
story about the kindergarten boy with Asperger Syndrome that
was voted out of his classroom by his teacher and fellow
students. Although Bradley was not voted out of his class,
he had many humiliating and degrading experiences during his
time spent in public school. He shared with me today just
how traumatizing some of his experiences were. Frankly, I am
not sure where he would be today had we not found Kentwood.
Mrs. VanHeyzen, we owe you a world of gratitude. You have
counseled us when needed and have been a shoulder to cry on
when needed. You have taken the time to work with Bradley
during the year to develop his leadership skills. You will
always have a special place in our hearts.
We need to also thank the entire high school staff for the
outstanding job they have done this year. What
accomplishments -- the Career Day program that I had the
privilege of participating in, as well as the College Fair
to name a few of the memorable events of the year. The high
school staff has gone above and beyond educating and
challenging the students this year. Thanks to all of you for
a job well done!
I shared one of those "priceless" moments with Bradley last
Friday evening. I had just finished reading his plaque for
academic achievement to Bradley's grandparents who were not
able to attend the awards assembly. I had the plaque next to
me when Bradley came into the room, picked up the plaque and
read the inscription. The look of pure joy and pride that he
had on his face was a look I had never seen Bradley have. I
will be forever grateful for that wonderful moment and
memory.
We are looking forward to Bradley's senior year at Kentwood
and to continued success for everyone.
Sincerely,
Zena |
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Read a letter
from Mr. & Mrs. Walford
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Hello Mrs. Fein,
Please share this with all of your staff.
For years, Ian, Sean's father and I have been at odds
concerning finding a facility like yours for Sean. Finally,
Ian and Sande agreed with me to do so. And boy what a
difference I'm seeing.
Last week Sean came to visit me for 10 days. In the past,
anticipating a visit that long would cause stress due to his
inability to control himself and his urges and our full,
cramped, house. However, I've seen major, positive changes
in Sean. The weekends he's here have less and less problems
and more and more pleasant times.
When Sean was with me last week, he was well behaved. He had
to go to my office and work with me. He mostly did as I
asked and stayed out of other peoples stuff. He also
participated in my sales training class I provide. I am so
pleased and amazed at the progress he has made since being
at the residence. I don't even have to complete the progress
form you send with him anymore. We haven't had any problems
lately. While he was here for 10 day, we had 3 trust issues
which we resolved without confrontation instead we resolved
it with loving conversation.
Sean really works to communicate properly and clearly. He
was proactive in not being confrontational with my husband,
which is difficult even for a normal person. He has a desire
to work and drive. I am so proud of him.
When we went to synagogue, he not only behaved well, he also
participated and followed the service with interest. We
actually had fun. In the past, taking Sean to synagogue was
a challenge, stress, and embarrassment for me due to his
unpredictable behavior. In the past, I often would not go
to synagogue to avoid the stress.
These things which may seem small to some are HUMONGOUS to
me. You and your staff are amazing. For the first time in
Sean's life I truly have hope for his future. And now I shed
tears of joy for my son, instead of tears of sadness and
cries of frustration.
Thank you for helping my son. Thank you for helping our
family live more cohesively. Thank you for giving me hope
and promise for Sean's future. I really can see him being a
productive person in society who has an opportunity for
happiness, love, and success just like the rest of us. It's
all thanks to you and the systems you utilize and have in
place.
Thank you. You (all the staff) are greatly appreciated.
Kathryn
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Mrs. Vanheyzen:
I just wanted to take a moment and tell you how wonderful
the award ceremony was last night. As you know, before
Daniel came to Kentwood he was very difficult to handle, did
not want to listen, had meltdowns on a regular basis, that
you could set your watch by. He was just basically
impossible to deal with. We were at the end of our rope. We
did not know where to turn, the public school system did not
want to do anything to help him no matter how much we tried
to get him help. We found Kentwood and what a change. Daniel
has truly come a long way in the short time that he has been
at Kentwood. He listens, he is able to reason with, and yes
we still have tantrums, but they are few and far between. I
have to tell you how wonderful you and your staff is. You
all truly care about the students and them succeeding in
life. I do not think that a parent can send their child to a
better loving and nurturing place. I remember the first time
we came to Kentwood and Mrs. Miller had brought us upstairs
for our interview and she had apologized because there was a
difficult child that was upstairs. I proceeded to tell her
do not worry about it, you have not seen anything until you
see Daniel. You also had said to me in the initial interview
that you felt bad for me, because it was still early in the
evening and I had to go home and deal with the chaos of the
kids. Daniel is not the same child as he was when he first
came to Kentwood. He listens, I can reason with him, we can
go places as a family and not have to worry about him having
a meltdown over the littlest things. I just have to tell you
what a wonderful place Kentwood is, and we are glad that we
chose to send our son here. Thank you for everything.
Roberta Dulberg
Roberta
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I wanted to thank you for such a nice evening at the awards
and graduation ceremony last night.
And, also, thank you for the guest speaker, Ed Rudner.
Matthew's dad, Tim, works for Carnival Cruise Lines, and he
also worked for Renaissance Cruises about six years ago. Tim
recognized Mr. Rudner's name right away since he was
previously CEO for Renaissance Cruises, and I know that Tim
was listening last night!
I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see Matthew so
happy. It was a joy for everyone to see how positive and
caring the entire Kentwood staff is with the kids, parents,
family and friends. I'm truly grateful that we found
Kentwood!
Thank you!
Kimberly
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Dear Ms. Mayer and Mrs. Flores,
Thank you for such a wonderful production! I am so impressed
with the depth of talent, grace and determination which you
possess. So impressive is your dedication and powers of
persuasion to encourage these kids to get up on stage and
shine! Our children are so fortunate to have you as teachers
and mentors. I am so grateful to Kentwood and all of their
extremely dedicated and talented staff for the peace of mind
that has resulted from the Kentwood philosophy & solid
teaching methods. I just wanted to thank you again for all
you do for our children.
Best wishes,
Dina Tringali ================================================================================
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