Wearing a bright orange NASA suit and noise-canceling headphones, Turner Sanderman gathered apples from a water-filled crate using a mesh sieve on a windy October morning.
At Serendipity Center, a K–12 therapeutic school that helps adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues, it had been a difficult week. adolescents had been throwing objects on the playground, kicking walls in the hallway, and yelling obscenities at staff.
A much-needed break was provided by the half-acre garden and orchard. Kids roamed beneath the trees and used corn they grew themselves to make popcorn in an antiquated machine. All of the pupils were given cider after Sanderman, 15, and a few others ground the apples in a wooden press, then pressed and filtered the pulp.
Big actions are normal and anticipated at Serendipity, which is sometimes the last option for kids who are judged too unruly and dangerous for public schools. Every one of its pupils has mental health conditions or disabilities, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some people have gone through trauma, which includes neglect and abuse.
Teachers and professional staff here assist people in healing, stabilizing, and developing emotional self-control. Additionally, cutting-edge initiatives like art therapy, cooking, and therapeutic gardening, when combined with personalized mental health care, help kids develop their social skills and sense of community.
Saying, “Oh, these are bad kids,” is quite simple. They’re not. Matthew Berryessa, executive director of Serendipity, stated that they are making the most of their limited resources. These children require the assistance of individuals who possess exceptional skills, abilities, and empathy.
Located in outer Southeast Portland, Serendipity Center is a recipient of The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2024 Season of Sharing holiday fundraising drive. Previously called Serendipity Academy, it now serves 70 children from 18 school districts in the Metro region, and some attend from as far away as Vancouver and Woodburn. Their districts, which cover each student’s tuition and provide transportation to school, refer the pupils.
> Contribute to the Season of Sharing general fund or the Serendipity Center. The code Season2024 can also be texted to 44-321.
After going through several schools and therapy programs, many of the youngsters were forced to homeschool. While some students stay at Serendipity until they graduate, others leave after just three years, on average, and return to their home districts. Families can attend the school for free.
With only three high school students and a small staff, Serendipity began as a nonprofit organization in 1979. In 1989, it grew and added an elementary and middle school wing.
Since many of the employees are highly qualified and licensed, salary is by far the largest expense of its $7.6 million yearly budget. About 85% of the budget was funded by district tuition last year, with the remaining 15% coming from donations.
Re-Ed, a set of ideas that emphasize focusing on children’s strengths rather than focusing on their shortcomings, serves as the foundation for the school’s guiding philosophy. Its teachers and staff think that children are not mistreating adults; rather, they are experiencing difficulties, and that large behaviors are the result of a lack of abilities rather than a lack of will.
The low student-to-staff ratio and highly skilled staff at Serendipity are the keys to its success. Among those who deal directly with the pupils are 71 therapy teachers, coaches, behavioral interventionists, clinical case managers, and helpers; 23 staff members do administrative tasks. The school even has a specialized team to manage pupils’ tailored education plans, a responsibility that public school instructors must handle despite their hectic schedules.
Additionally, the surroundings is specialized. Students can safely vent their emotions without causing permanent harm because to Serendipity’s plywood walls and incredibly resilient Plexiglass doors.
If their behavior improves, they don’t need to fear that the personnel will criticize them. We comprehend. We understand. Berryessa declared, “We’re ready.”
Serendipity, however, also strives to be as much like a school as possible. Children can join the Student Council, a gender sexuality alliance, a music club, a Dungeons & Dragons club, and a student newsletter.
At Serendipity, a large portion of the work is accomplished through the development of relationships between the staff and students. According to his mother, Renn Sanderman, that has been the secret to Sanderman’s success as a sophomore at the school.
Despite being academically comparable to his peers, Turner, who has autism, was overwhelmed by public school, she said. He hit, kicked, and screamed. An administrator was bitten by him. A laptop was thrown across a classroom by him. Additionally, he cut himself off from the very social connections that he most desperately needed.
I put my phone on the toilet every day while I showered since, according to his mother, as soon as I got in, I would get a call from the school and have to go get him up. He would therefore forfeit the remainder of his academic day.
Turner’s mother claimed that despite being enrolled in the special education program since first grade, the school system still required him to attend regular classes despite the fact that his teachers were excellent but overloaded. The district recommended Serendipity when his challenging behaviors worsened and he was also diagnosed with anxiety and attention deficit disorder. When he enrolled, he was thirteen.
According to Renn Sanderman, the initiative has been a blessing. Turner has developed close bonds with his teacher, aides, and case manager. By going to the garden class every morning, where he enjoys playing chess in the greenhouse and spreading wood chips, he has developed social skills and learned how to control his emotions. The meals at Serendipity’s café are based on produce from the garden.
His behavior is literally not his responsibility because of his impairment. His mother stated that he simply needs more help because he is unable to manage everything that is happening. He is regaining his composure and reentering the classroom at Serendipity. They are preventing him from fully opting out of people.
He has also been given the opportunity to attempt new things by the school. On the Student Council, he serves. He assists in planning the yearly dance. He recently wrote the six-page script for a professional video tour of Serendipity.
My team and I have made great progress, and I am proud of it. Turner Sanderman remarked, “I needed the support and I got it here.”
He intends to work as a TriMet MAX train operator after graduation, and the family can now concentrate on making plans for his future since they aren’t distracted by his frequent outbursts. His mother has only been summoned to Serendipity twice in the last two years.
According to Renn Sanderman, he will not outgrow his neurodiversity. However, things have much improved for this child.
OregonLive/The Oregonian
What your donation can do
$25: Adds to an hour of Serendipity’s therapeutic programming.
$50: Gets one pupil some art supplies.
$100:Provides a student welcome kit with sensory need supports, academic tools, visual aids, and alternate classroom activity options.
Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her [email protected] 971-421-3154.
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