A Parent's View of Glenholme:

There's no place like Glenholme
A little gem of a school
With vision and with foresight
It will give us the tools

To move forward in life
In a positive way
It helps us react well
At home, work, or play

There's no place like Glenholme
With its beauty and tradition
It allows us to grow
Helps us make our own decisions

There's no place like Glenholme
And the folks there who'll guide us
They have the " know how"
They have a touch just like Midas

They give us the time to learn
How to cope
In a world filled with hurdles
They give us hope

There's no place like Glenholme
Just as Dorothy said
When leaving OZ, it was these words
That I read

"There's no place like home"
Which Glenholme can be for a while
It can comfort and guide
Each fragile child

There's no place like Glenholme
Where each parent can see
The young man or woman
This child is destined to be

There's no place like Glenholme
Where every boy and girl
Will mature into fine adults
Ready to enter the world

There's no place like Glenholme
They are second to none
This writer should know
They have guided my son

They have given him gifts
Which the eye can not see
They are returning my boy
Now a man, back to me

The greatest gift we will cherish
No matter where we will roam
Is the absolute certainty
There's just no place like Glenholme!

A Child Came to Glenholme

A Child Came to Glenholme
Frightened, Diffident, Angry and Sad
A Challenge to Herself
And To Her Mom And Dad

Learning Was So Hard
She Found It Useless To Try
Friends Were So Scarce
That It Made Her Cry

She Had Never Known Success
So She Expected To Fail
When Its Seemed She Was On Track
Things Would Start To De-rail

A Child Is Leaving Glenholme
Confident, Happy, And Strong
Knowing She Can Succeed
Knowing She Can Belong

Knowing She Has Weaknesses To Work On
But Also Skills That She Has Mastered
Bolstered By Her Own Achievements
Which Have Us All Flabbergasted!

She Found Teachers Who Brought Out Her Best
Who Knew How To Nurture What Was Inside
Now She Could Be Herself
She Didn’t Have To Hide

She Learned To Be A Leader
She Learned How To Cope
She Learned About Control
And Not To Give Up Hope

Understanding Limits
How To Get On With Peers
Winning Over Mentors And Friends
At Last, Overcoming Fears

A Child Is Leaving Glenholme
Not Perfect, But Really Fine
She Seems Familiar – But Oh, So Different
My God, That Child Is Mine!

It was back in about December of 1986 +/- that my wife Barbara and I brought our son to you for treatment. Although Barbara and I are now divorced, I thank God every day for what she and you did for our son. "You" is not only you and your wife but the entire staff at Glenholme. Our son was assigned to a feisty little lady whose name I can't remember (might have been Debby). I cried the entire trip back to St. Louis, Mo.

Some highlights of our son's life since then:
1. Went back to public high school and graduated 5th out of 450 graduates
2. Attended Stanford University where, among other things, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa his junior year and graduated with honors in.
3. Received his MD from UCLA School of Medicine; once again graduating with honors.
4. Served his Pediatric residency at Oakland (CA) Children's hospital.
5. Began serving his Neurology residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF)

I have suffered several financial setbacks in the past 10 years. However, on the rare occasion that I buy a lottery ticket, I make a commitment that should "my boat come in", Devereux and Glenholme will too benefit. Although I take nothing away from my son for this success, without your intervention, professionalism, and personal approach to our problem this story may not have continued as happily as it has. Thank you again.

We are extremely grateful to The Glenholme School and its entire staff for giving us a program that made an incredible difference in our lives, as well as in the life of our son.

Our son was enrolled in March of 2002, having never slept away from home, being somewhat isolated and having difficulty dealing with social situations both at home and at school. While not a serious behavior problem, his lack of social skills resulted in inappropriate outburst and comments. In 1999, he had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a neurological social learning disability at the high functioning end of the autistic spectrum.

Through the Token economy at Glenholme, our son learned how to "earn" tokens by behaving more socially appropriate, and was highly motivated, earning an average of 97% throughout his stay at Glenholme. While he was somewhat motivated by the rewards of later bedtime, special lunch privileges, etc, he was most driven by the "percentage" of tokens earned!

As he approaches his graduation, we see a more confident, more independent young man, who while still possessing an introverted personality, tries exceedingly hard every moment to interact socially on a more appropriate level.

We are proud and pleased that through the Glenholme program, and his wonderful "coaching" sessions with his social worker, he has learned about daily life skills by living and sharing chores in his cottage, learned about peer interactions through conversations with his roommates and classmates, and learned about how to better handle many social situations through interactions with peers, teachers, and staff.

Thank you, Glenholme, for giving us back a more confident and happy child!

My son has been going to the Glenholme School for the past two years. He has just begun his third year, and will be leaving your school in June 2002. I can not express properly in words the relief and comfort we have felt knowing that our son has been guided by your incredible staff. They have all been "lifesavers", and are truly amazing people.

One teacher in particular has really helped our son. Ms. S has been an integral force in our son's growth and development. Through her life skills program, Ms. S has been able to help our son become more independent, as well as self-dependent. Her guidance has not only helped our son in his endeavors, but her quality advice has helped me deal with our son's problems in a focused and productive manner. I am riveted by Ms. S's dedication and commitment when it comes to helping the students at Glenholme.

Again, I am deeply grateful to all at the school who have been sensitive to our son's needs. From line-dancing to cooking to volunteer work….and the list goes on, our son has become a much happier, self-assured individual. My family and I will be forever grateful.

How do I properly thank all of the people who helped my son? I don't think that words can tell it all. As I tell people, you gave me my son back. But beyond that, you gave him a sense of self that he would never have had if not for your school. When he was interviewing at other schools he would tell them that he is doing better than if he had never gotten sick and had to go to your school.

That is true. As a child with ADHD and learning disabilities he would have done marginally. He would have been struggling all his life. You gave him the tools not just to get back to where he was before he got sick, but you gave him the tools to excel.

The donation I have enclosed is in honor of all of you. Although the amount of the donation is insignificant in relation to what you gave my son and me.

Thank you for everything.

I would like to thank all of you for bringing my daughter to me. Although placing my daughter outside my home was hard for me to do it was at the same time the best thing for her. She is now the happy young lady I always wished she could be. I would like to thank all of you who were so pleasant to me when I met you whether by phone, e-mail or in person. My daughter had a very difficult time making friends in the past and now with your help the first day of school she already has many! Thank you for all of your hard work. I will remember you always.