As you know, Robb Adkins died this week in a tragic accident. We appreciate your kind words and prayers and wish to express our appreciation for your support during this difficult time. Many of you have called or emailed asking what you could do to help. I am listing information regarding a fund that has been set up in Robb’s name for his family.

Additional the students have decided to dedicate the south side of the administration offices to Robb. The boys will toil the soil, plant grass, and build a reflection pond/waterfall to honor Robb’s memory. Staff and most of the student body will be attending the services tomorrow morning. The boys have written letters to Robb’s family expressing their condolences and sharing the impact Robb has made on their lives.

It has been a tough week for students, staff, and families. We are very proud of our boys for the way they have reached out to help their peers, express their care and concern for the Adkin family, and help themselves in the process.

Loreli Adkins Fund has been set up at State Bank of Southern Utah. Donations can be sent to: 200 N. Main Street Tropic, Utah 84776. Account #: 4112314.

The mailing address for Robb’s family: 130 W. 200 S. Henrieville, UT 84736

June 2009

To my SBR families:

This came from the manager at Ruby’s:

Denise,

I have had people start calling about your August workshop dates. I don't know if I gave you the instructions to book the rooms inside the block, but here they are. If you could distribute them to all your potential attendees, it will make yours and my life easier. Thanks and let me know if you have any questions at all.

To book the rooms in your block we hope you will utilize our on-line booking system. First of all go to www.bryceres.com/rubys. Put in the dates for the block of rooms you have set up. In the field that says "Special Rates" choose Group/Block and in the blank put in the code 88G. This code is specific to our group and only works for the web. If you wish to call in, ask for the name of the block: Silverado Boys Ranch Retreat

Thanks,

Lance Syrett
Hotel General Manager
Best Western Ruby's Inn & Bryce View Lodge "Closest accommodations to the entrance of Bryce Canyon"
Phone: 435-834-8022
Fax: 435-834-5265

 One of our Students, JW, has just been awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Academic Performance from the Utah State Board of Education & Utah State Board of Regents  in recognition of scoring in the top ten percent of Utah students taking the ACT.

JW's area of Outstanding Performance was in Reading. Good Job!

 Following the core values of work, love and play, Silverado is excited to share some exciting
                  updates regarding the Academic, Clinical, and Residential program areas:

Work (Academics)

• Silverado Academy Building
Silverado’s main lodge consists of two floors totaling 13,000 square feet. The entire first floor
has now been remodeled to accommodate our academic department. The new academic
center consists of nine spacious classrooms, including state of the art science and computer
labs. Faculty will have the latest in technology, such as interactive whiteboards, allowing
teachers to continue helping students achieve academic success.

• New Teacher
Last semester, Brett Haderlie joined the Silverado Academic Team. Brett has a teaching
certificate in Physical Education, Spanish, and Psychology. He is also pursuing certification in
Special Education. Brett has ten years of experience as a P.E. teacher, most recently working
with students in residential treatment. Stay tuned for intramural sports at Silverado Boys
Ranch.

• High School Graduation
On August 22 Silverado hosted its fourth official high school graduation ceremony.
In all, seven students have completed their high school education at SBR. These graduating
students have gone off to universities, community colleges, vocational programs and to the
military.

• Overview

At Silverado, we are proud of our academic rigor. Students often comment that the curriculum
at SBR is significantly more challenging than the curriculum in public school. Our teacher to
student ratio, on average, remains around 1:8. Silverado’s small class size allows our
relationship‐based model to be utilized not only in the clinical and residential milieu, but also in
the classroom. At the end of last semester we had twelve students carrying a 3.5 grade point
average, fifteen students with at least a 3.0, and eighteen students maintaining a 2.0.

LOVE (Therapy)

• Program Graduations
Seventeen students have completed every requirement of the value‐based level system this
year. Based on the word TRUST, the boys have demonstrated their skills in being Truthful,
Responsible, Understanding, Serving, and Tenacious. These students have also earned
Transition status (highest program level) and have lived independently prior to discharge. While
many students leaving Silverado return home to their families, others have transferred to
traditional boarding schools or to college.

• Parent Workshops
In August, over 100 parents, siblings, and other family members were on campus for our
Summer Parent Workshops. Families participated in family conferences, multi‐family groups,
experiential therapy, and individual family sessions. Families attended workshops which
addressed issues related to parenting styles, adoption, discharge planning, and communication.
Our first night concluded with an outdoor chuckwagon dinner and western show. This allowed
parents the opportunity to “unwind” from travel and relax and enjoy each others company prior
to meeting with their sons and jumping into the weekend’s therapeutic activities.

Nick Pakidko, Academic Director, welcomed all parents to the new Silverado Academic building
for Parent‐Teacher conferences. The highlight of the weekend was Friday evening, which
included our high school graduation ceremony, comic entertainment (by one of our graduating
students), and a slide presentation of the boys involved in their numerous service, recreation,
and experiential activities. Our winter parent workshop is scheduled for December 18th
through December 20th.

Play (Residential Activities)

• Community Service
Recent Community Service Projects include learning how to roof a house, painting homes, trail
clean‐up and road maintenance in the nearby National Parks, laying sod and planting trees in
the community, volunteering at numerous local rodeos, fixing signs in Red Rock Canyon, and
volunteering at Best Friends Animal Society (which is the nation’s largest sanctuary for
neglected and abused animals).

• Music
We promote healthy leisure time pursuits for our students and have encouraged students to
express themselves with music and/or a musical instrument. Once a student achieves his first
level (T‐1), he may keep a musical instrument in his room to use at his leisure, to help him relax,
or to have on hand for a spontaneous “jam session” in our music room. At SBR we maintain a
“community” drum set that receives a regular workout from many of our boys. In addition, we
currently have a Golden Globe and Grammy Award‐winning songwriter among our parents. He
has generously donated his time to come out and offer workshops for students who are
interested in music and/or songwriting.

• General Activities
Summer is a favorite season at SBR. This summer the boys have enjoyed fishing, four‐wheeling,
paintballing, golfing, and horseback riding, just to name a few. Many students have hiked to
Lower Calf Creek Falls, navigated the nearby slot canyons, and have “zip‐lined” at the Zion‐
Ponderosa resort. We have facilitated several overnight trips to Lake Powell to practice tubing,
waterskiing, and wake‐boarding. The students even built their own home‐made “tobogganrafts”
and tried them out on the Sevier River. Although a few of the rafts didn’t float, the boys
got wet and had a riot.

• Events
Over the summer many students visited the Fremont Indian and Paunsaguant Wildlife
Museums. Miss Davis, our English teacher and Vice‐Principal, recently took many of her
students to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Film Festival’s productions of “School for Wise”
and “Serino DeBergiac”.

The Geometry class just finished building an “Isosahedron” as a hands‐on learning project. It
consists of 12 vertices, 20 faces, and 30 sides. Every face is an equilateral triangle. The intriguing
sphere is so large (15 feet tall) that it is currently displayed in the central plaza area of the ranch.
Mr. Whitmore continues to take math to new levels as he is teaching the boys, and some of
their parents, the fine art of parasailing.

The staff of Silverado wholeheartedly appreciates your support. We are thrilled the program continues
to grow to meet the needs of families and their children. If you have not been out to the Ranch, we
would love to have you visit. Please contact Denise Westman or Randy Hatton to arrange for a tour. If
you currently have a student at SBR, please feel free to contact us regarding any concerns, suggestions,
or general comments.  

   April 19, 2008

Numerous students from Silverado Boys Ranch have recently donated their weekly allowance, their snack shack money, and even their savings, in some cases (from their SBR earnings accounts) to help a local Panguitch family.

Gary Harp has been raising two children on his own for the last few years. His 11 year-old daughter Josie was tragically killed in a hunting accident on April 7^th. Small town communities come together at times like this to offer support and assistance. The Silverado students received word of the tragedy and asked if they could help. SBR management agreed to “match” any student donations. The response from the students was overwhelming.

The local community is also organizing a rodeo and a silent auction to assist the Harp family. The ranch boys and staff, in addition to their monetary contribution, have offered six hours of spring-cleaning to be put out for bid during the auction. We are hoping for an excellent bid, as the community has become well acquainted with Silverado’s strong work ethic; every Friday one of the ranch teams is found performing a community service project. The boys have been involved in painting, roofing, pruning, delivering wood to the elderly, sweeping parking lots, providing landscaping, adopting highways, and decorating for various holidays.

In today’s society, adolescents are often stereotyped as self-centered and self-absorbed. We are very proud of our boys for their selflessness, and for engaging in service activities which demonstrate care and concern for others, and which “make a difference” in the community.

Silverado Boys Ranch

September 2007 

Evans, Neiss, and Aston

Join the Clinical Team at Silverado Boys Ranch

 The team is growing at Silverado Boys Ranch. In the last quarter, we have added Brad Evans, M.S.W., C.S.W.,  Kelly Niess, M.A., M.F.T., and Jan Aston, M.S.W., C.P.C., to the clinical team. They join our Executive Director,  Kreg Gillman, Ph.D., and our Program Director, Eric Fawson, L.C.S.W., who will continue to carry caseloads.

 Each therapist has worked with adolescents and adults in a variety of settings within the therapeutic, residential and chemical dependency fields. Jan Aston will oversee the Substance Abuse component and is currently screening all students prior to placing them in one of her four weekly SA groups. In addition to Jan’s formal psycho-educational Substance Abuse groups, many students participate in a Sunday night open 12-step sobriety meeting which is facilitated by the students themselves.

 All three therapists are outdoor enthusiasts, who bring tremendous energy and drive to the boys and to the spirit of SBR. Their experience, passion, and commitment compliments SBR core philosophy and belief in providing strong clinical support in awarm and nurturing atmosphere.

 Silverado Boys Ranch is an owner-operated therapeutic boarding school for boys, ages 13-17. We emphasize a positive peer environment, an emotional growth curriculum, and a value-based level system to assist boys in developing supportive social interactions through teamwork and shared responsibility via *work* love* and *play.

First Winter Parent Workshop at Silverado Boys Ranch

January 2007

At Silverado, we believe in treating the entire family; active parent involvement is a required component of our program. While the staff at SBR are dedicated to assisting students with rebuilding and rediscovering a healthy sense of self, we are firm in our belief that an essentialpart of the growth process is parent participation. 

Parents began arriving January 17 for three days of family, multi-family and experiential therapy. The first evening’s workshops concluded with a dinner hosted by SBR for all the families to begin getting acquainted and to begin new friendships. Additionally every parent had the opportunity to spend quality time with teachers and our Academic Director, during parent-teacher conference time, to review their son’s progress, grades and individual needs. The boys looked forward to spending time with their parents and families and had plenty of opportunity to do so during shared mealtimes, visiting and recreation time. Our Silverdome, (on site sports center) had quite a workout, and the sound of laughter was heard all the way to the main lodge.

The feedback we have received from our parents has been overwhelming supportive and positive. Many parents are initially concerned with placing their son in a new/small program; however, concerns have been replaced with confidence and gratitude at the level of individual attention, amount of therapy and the strong academic focus each young man is receiving.

Our Silverado Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity to accept my son as he changes,
The courage to change myself;
And the wisdom to just love him 

Site Visit by Larry Stednitz, Educational Consultant

SILVERADO BOYS RANCH 

   
December 9, 2006
 
Silverado Boys Ranch is situated on 200 acres near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. This therapeutic boarding school accepts boys, ages 13-17, who struggle with anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, ODD, and their profile is; average to above average intelligence, respond to group oriented milieu, have demonstrated the potential for a strong academic achievement, struggles with accepting consequences of their actions, experiencing family conflict or deteriorating family relationships, need a traditional academic setting, and have experimented with drugs. The prospective students have done well in wilderness or needs an outdoor setting. They are kinesthetic learners and struggle with poor self image, social skills and have mild emotional difficulties. These boys are described as being amenable to treatment. The school will not accept reactive attachment disordered boys, sex offenders, aggressively assaultive behaviors, or boys with a history of running.

Silverado staff has invested over a million dollars in transforming the former western town resort, into a therapeutic boarding school. They have added an indoor Silverdome (multi-purpose sports center)and are in the process of fencing in a 200 by 300 foot outdoor horse arena, and plans are in place for athletic fields as well. The program currently works with seven boys and is expecting 12 by the end of the month.

 
The experience of Silverado's leadership is impressive. Dr. Kreg Gillman is the Executive Director and previously has been the head of Aspen Ranch, Sunhawk Academy and Provo Canyon School. Dr. Robert Christ has been involved in several programs in Utah as both an owner and practicing psychiatrist. Denise Westman was the Midwest Regional Director for Provo Canyon for eight years prior to developing Silverado. Eric Fawson, is the program director and has extensive experience in the field of adoptions. He has had six years experience at Provo Canyon as both a direct care staff as well as a therapist. Nick Pakidko was the Director of Academics at Provo for 27 years. Experience will do them well during the start up! While we won't know what the program will ultimately look like, we do know that this experienced team knows how to run programs.

Silverado operates on three pillars; work, love, and play. Conceptually, they are teaching boys to work, produce and to give back to society. Love represents taking care of relationships which is strongly emphasized. In addition students learn how to play and to take care of themselves. The program is relationship based with an emphasis on building upon the strengths that the boys bring to the ranch. Therapists are assigned to each boy with the ratio of therapist to students is one therapist for every twelve boys. The therapist has the responsibility of communicating weekly with parents, conducting group therapies and providing individual therapy weekly. Families are heavily involved with quarterly three day workshops and multi-family therapies. The program places a strong emphasis on communication and working as a team with all involved professionals and parents.

In addition to the therapeutic milieu, the ranch has a clearly defined level system based on TRUST.
T = Truthful
R = Responsibility
U = Understanding
S = Serving
T = Tenacious

As the student moves through the TRUST system, they learn important concepts, which are taught and modeled by staff. The administration of Silverado stressed that they do not believe in an authoritarian approach to working with students. They have only three rules: be honest, be responsible, and be in self-control. They reinforce these concepts with the students, striving to create a positive peer driven program, students being helped by students. Silverado has what they call the "self-awareness cabin" where the boys can request a time out to address difficult situation, or if needed, the staff can initiate the self-awareness cabin designed to assist students who are struggling emotionally, behaviorally or academically. The purpose is to provide a supportive time and system whereby the students can actively process important issues.

Academics are a cornerstone for Silverado. The school schedule runs from 9:00am until 5:00pm. Nick Pakidko, the principle, is strongly opposed to "packet" learning approaches to education. He expects traditional classroom instruction including lectures, class discussions and remediation if necessary. The school operates year round, three semesters a year and offers small classes with 8 to 12 students in a class. He promotes a "unified studies" concept where the boys will be in classrooms four days a week. On Fridays, the staff integrates traditional academic learning with experimental learning on-campus or off-campus. A key focus of Silverado will be a comprehensive experiential component. All teachers are required to be special education trained or to provide a plan to become SE credentialed.
 

Nick expects the classrooms to be rigorous, providing senior high, junior high and special education tracks. All teachers will have specific degrees in the subjects they teach. The academic program follows the standards for the Utah State Office of Standards and is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. It is not difficult to foresee an excellent educational program at Silverado. Academics at Provo Canyon were strong and it is likely to be very strong at Silverado.

Kreg relayed to me a story about how he was finally able to reach a boy only through teaching him how to play baseball. Out of this experience, he grew to appreciate the power of experiential activities. Silverado emphasizes experiential activities that include working with horses, and/or students doing practical work projects like ranch work, hiking, rock climbing and other experiential programming. These activities enrich the academic approach as well as provide staff and students opportunities to develop positive relationships. Silverado combines daily living, academics and experiential learning together, creating an environment where boys can build upon their strengths, and develop genuine relationships.

I met with all of their boys, one giving me a tour and the others at a family style brunch. The boys clearly understood the basic concepts of the school even though many had been there for only a week to four weeks. It was clear that the philosophy was understood and the boys felt that they were a part of the excitement of a new school. 

Silverado Boys Ranch Welcomes New Teacher

December, 2006 

The team at Silverado Boys Ranch is pleased to announce a new addition to our Academic Department, Annette Davis. Annette joins us as we begin our winter semester, and will teach English and Social Studies. Our Director of Academics, Nick Pakidko, has known and worked with Annette for a number of years, and is delighted to have her on board. Her energy, commitment, and passion for teaching are reflections of the strength, experience, and quality of the staff at SBR.

Annette comes to the Ranch with fourteen years of experience as an English and U.S. History teacher. She taught English at Provo Canyon School for five years, and then moved to Panama, and taught classes at the Department of Defense Schools for three years. Annette loved living at the base, surrounded by jungle, with the Panama Canal in her backyard. She has traveled extensively with her family throughout the world and loves meeting new people and enjoying different cultures. 

In addition to Annette's teaching history, she has also been the Assistant Principal of Timpview High School. Her student population ranged from 2500 to 3500, with a staff of 165. Annette attended Brigham Young University, and received a bachelor's degree in English, and a master's degree in Educational Leadership. 

Silverado Boys Ranch is an owner-operated licensed therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 13-17. We have one of the most seasoned and committed management teams in the industry. The ranch is located in beautiful southern Utah, justs minutes away from numerous national parks and prime wilderness areas. Our daily focus on experiential therapy and our belief in the healing power of sunshine, fresh air, and exercise allows boys unlimited opportunities of self-discover and self-awareness.  

Our mission is to provide a positive environment for boys, while guiding them to become respectful, responsible, and resilient young men.   

Silverado Boys Ranch is OPEN!

October, 2006

The team at Silverado Boys Ranch is pleased to announce we are officially open and enrolling students. After many delays due to construction and waiting for back-ordered materials, the end result is a beautiful facility that combines the comfort of a cozy lodge, the spirit of a ranch, and the prestige of a private school. Our goal was to build an environment that combined beautiful accommodations while incorporating opportunities for students to experience our core principles of work, love, and play. Every effort has been made to re-create a family-like environment which supports challenging academics and relationship-based therapy. 

We recognize the importance of a healing and healthy environment for our students as well as our staff, and we intend to make SBR a place where people are excited to come to work and have the opportunity to think creatively while assisting students in becoming their best. We know that staff members’ positive energy and excitement is infectious with students and with families. 

Silverado Boys Ranch is an owner-operated licensed therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 13-17. We have one of the most seasoned and committed management teams in the industry. The ranch is located in beautiful southern Utah, just minutes away from numerous national parks and prime wilderness areas. Our daily focus on experiential therapy and our belief in the healing power of sunshine, fresh air, and exercise allows boys unlimited opportunities of self-discovery and self-awareness. 

Our mission is to provide a positive environment for boys, while guiding them to become respectful, responsible, and resilient young men.

Silverado Boys Ranch Opening Update

August, 2006

We are pleased to announce that Silverado Boys Ranch will be opening the first week of October, and we will begin accepting student applications September 5th, 2006. Please visit our new website at www.silveradoacademy.com

Dr. Kreg Gillman, and his management team have designed and developed a unique therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 13-17. The ranch is located in magnificent Bryce Canyon Country of Southern Utah.

SBR utilizes a relationship based, experiential program model in a therapeutic natural setting. Our program philosophy is based upon three core principles: work, love, and play and have been incorporated into all aspects of the program and lay the foundation of a value-based level system. These concepts are supported by a positive peer culture and a therapeutic approach based on the power of healthy relationships.

For additional information please contact Denise Westman, Director of Admissions at 435-690-9185 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NEW STAFF AT SILVERADO BOYS RANCH

June, 2006 

Dr. Kreg Gillman, Owner and Director, is pleased to announce two new additions to the management team at Silverado Boys Ranch, Eric Fawson, CSW and Nick Padiko, M.Ed. Eric will join us as Program Director and therapist and Nick as the Academic Director and Principal The addition of these two exceptional and seasoned professionals is a reflection of the strength, experience and quality of the staff at SBR.

Eric has worked with youth the last ten years in various roles, coach, mentor, counselor and supervisor. He has special interest and experience working with adolescents dealing with substance abuse and attachment disorders. Eric attended Utah Valley State and BYU studying social work with a clinical emphasis.

Nick has twenty plus years of experience working with students in residential treatment settings. He has been a teacher, supervisor, and principal. Nick has worked with numerous school districts nationally and internationally to implement and coordinate students academic needs. Additionally Nick has his Special Education teaching credential and his Principal/Administrator credential.

Silverado Boys Ranch is a private therapeutic boarding school for boys ages 13-17 located in magnificent Bryce Canyon Country, six miles outside the town of Panguitch, Utah. SBR utilizes a relationship based model that integrates real world skills through experiential therapy, challenging academic curriculum, and student-parent-family workshops.

We anticipate opening in the Fall of 2006 and will soon be accepting student applications.

May 23, 2006 

KREG GILLMAN AT SILVERADO BOYS RANCH

Kreg Gillman, PhD, Owner and Director has designed and developed a unique therapeutic boarding school for boys ages thirteen through seventeen. SBR is on two hundred acres in Southern Utah, five miles from the town of Panguitch. The location is rural, rustic and offers unparalleled access to natural resources. We are approximately twenty minutes from Bryce Canyon and within close proximity of Zion National Park, Brian Head and the Grand Staircase. This location was chosen for its ability to provide a powerful and inspirational setting while allowing boys to discover and develop new skill sets, new attitudes, and new awareness. Silverado utilizes a relationship based model that integrates real world skills through experiential therapy, stellar academics and healthy relationships.  

Over the last fifteen years, Kreg has worked with many adolescents and families in a variety of roles, from primary therapist to CEO, in both wilderness and residential settings. He has experienced first hand the numerous treatment models, theories, and approaches to working with troubled youth. His extensive experience has led him to develop a program with three core beliefs that affect and impact every aspect of our lives. These principles will be incorporated on a daily basis through experiential and traditional therapy, through academics, and through positive healthy role modeling. Our families will be doing their homework as well and will be attending on going family workshops focusing on communication, trust, and the integration of our core principles. 

Denise Westman has also joined the team at Silverado as the Director of Admissions & Marketing, and brings with her twenty plus years of experience working with adolescents and families. Denise's background is in nursing and she has worked as a charge nurse in acute care facilities and residential settings prior to making the move into business development. In the last ten years, Denise has primarily worked in admissions and marketing for adolescent hospital based programs and in residential treatment facilities. Denise brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and compassion to Silverado and most importantly understands the needs of families in crisis.  

Silverado Boys Ranch is committed to providing a positive environment for boys, while guiding them to become respectful, responsible and resilient young men. We anticipate opening our doors and accepting students in Fall 2006.

For additional program information or questions please call Denise or Kreg at 435-690-9185