Monarch aided my growth as a student, a son, and a human being.  Before I came to Monarch, I held back my potential where ever I could.  While there, I came to a greater understanding of why I did these things, and what I really wanted to do with my life.  Although the program at Monarch certainly helped me to examine myself and realize who I am, it was the people there who really affected me deeply.  Teachers, staff and friends really made the experience at Monarch what it was.

- Drew Wise

Monarch is a very special, loving place. When I first came to Monarch, all of the students and staff welcomed me with open arms. I made friends instantly and they will be friends who I will keep for a lifetime. Previously to coming to Monarch, I struggled with honesty. The staff, particularly Erin and Jane, worked me with me to create honest relationships where I felt safe to share who I was. I gained a level of confidence that I never knew I could have and I value myself more than I ever believed possible. I was on the road to ending my life, and Monarch gave me my life back.

- Molly Reed

Sending our sixteen year old to Monarch School was the most difficult decision we ever made.  While those days felt like the "worst of times" , they became one of the best & most productive times for our family.  Our son landed at Monarch School with low self esteem, anger, sadness, and a sense of disengagement from our family; he had tried to camouflage many of those feelings from himself by using drugs and engaging in life-threatening risks.  About half way through the Monarch program, we felt we had our old son back --one who had joy in life, worked hard, reflected on his decisions, and looked forward to a future. The combination of the arts components, the vocational opportunities (culinary arts; farming), the emotional growth and family counseling program, and the small classroom academics provided an ideal environment for our son to blossom into a strong young man. When he graduated we had a set of tools that could be used to maintain positive communication and strong relationships with one another. It's been a joy to watch our son's continued growth after graduation; he completed more than two years of AmeriCorp work and is now enrolled in college pursuing a degree in fine arts. We will always be grateful for what Monarch School did for our son and our family.

- Cheryl Messick

Monarch is a school of vision, acceptance, understanding, a dedicated well-trained staff, an extended family, hard work and hard play, strong academics, nutritious delicious food, health, lots of laughter, honesty, friendship, community, beauty, simplicity, creativity,.... or simply put, love.

- Nadine

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. ~Anne Frank
I really like this quote. Monarch improved my world....well the people I got to know did. But if it weren't for people like Patrick and everyone else, there wouldn't be such an amazing place like Monarch. I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been for them. What wonderful people to want to do such amazing things, and who want to make a difference in the lives of others.

- Lorie Grigg

When I first arrived at Monarch School I was under the impression that we are here to get everything that we like taken away. I should say; everything we define ourselves by. I was so angry that they were taking away my clothes, my music, and TV. “They’re restricting who I am. I won’t conform to this,” I said. All that was happening was I was being stripped of the shell that I wore around everyday. Without this shell of an image - preppie, and distractions and TV, who am I?

“Who am I?” Upon arrival I was asked this question, and I had no idea. It struck me quite odd that without describing myself by my shell or my past, I had no idea who I really was, or how to describe myself. I had to really search and do a lot of work on “me” to even be able to describe myself. At that point I asked myself, “but why can’t I have all my stuff?” It was impossible for me to really get honest with myself as long as I was defining “me” by my labels that I was given at home and by my possessions.

By removing the entire aspect of image adds safety. Without being discriminated and separated by their clothes, people get to know each other for who they really are. It adds safety by putting everyone on the same playing field and eliminates social ranking. Without social ranking, the past “popular kid” can hang out with the past “nerd,” and realize that although they lived almost opposite lives at home, they struggle with the same issues and have a lot in common. I have gotten to know kids here that I never would have talked to at home, and I have been able to see through the front people try to put up when they first get here. This skill extends much further than a school in Montana.

Throughout my life, if I can really look past someone’s clothes and see them for who they are, it will be great. The possibilities are endless. My greatest fear and doubt is that this safety and lifestyle could never be carried out, or attained in the outside world. The beauty of the whole thing is that we create the environment around us.

I put myself in every situation I was in at home and how I surrounded myself with people that didn’t care and settled for their fronts as friends. Now seeing what I can have in life, and realizing that no true happiness lies in anything outside myself, I am left with a choice.

No one can make me live a certain way, and all I am doing here is taking a look at the other side of life that I could have. If I want to go back to the life I lived at home, I can. Now I know what I can have in either side, and I have felt true happiness. I have reconnected with a joy in myself that can come from no circumstance. I am happy with myself truly because I am being myself. I don’t need to rely on what I wear to define who I am. At home I strived to live a counterfeit life comprised of distracting myself from the truth. With all the distractions that I relied on taken away, I am found.

-Mark L