Shepherd's Hill Academy

Shepherd's Hill Academy (SHA) is a fully accredited and licensed therapeutic boarding school located in Martin, Georgia, United States, that provides year-round residential care and a private school for grades 6 through 12.

History

Shepherd's Hill Academy was founded in 1994 by Trace Embry and his wife Beth. Before starting a therapeutic boarding school that has served families from all across America and around the world, Embry served as a police officer and entrepreneur just outside Chicago from 1978 to 1991. Sensing a higher calling, Embry moved his family to Georgia, to pursue a Christian Education degree at Toccoa Falls College (TFC) in Toccoa Falls.

Before founding SHA, Embry served the local community by doing work for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.

During his time at Toccoa Falls College, Embry and his family searched extensively through Northeast Georgia for property to begin the work that would eventually become Shepherd's Hill Academy. In what would become documented as a leap of faith,^[1] Embry purchased a 60-acre tract of land in Martin, with $200 and a handshake.

In 1994 Embry and his family moved onto the property and lived in the old abandoned farmhouse. The house had no running water, electricity or functioning facilities. Embry and his family diligently worked to build their home, while he was simultaneously attending classes at Toccoa Falls College and building the foundation for Shepherd's Hill Academy. In the very beginning, staff and students from TFC assisted with piecing together the Embrys' home, which would later become one of the first buildings on campus for SHA.

From 2001 to 2003, Shepherd's Hill Academy partnered with the Atlanta-based school Gables Academy in a joint effort to provide residential care to families. At that time, the program was known as "The Edge at Shepherd's Hill."^[2]

Today, SHA, now residing on 86 acres, has broadened its reach by providing an accredited private school and licensed residential care for students and their families from all across America and around the world.

Governance

Shepherd's Hill Academy is a 501(c)(3) organization and is governed by a board of directors. New members of the governing board are elected by the current members. The SHA Board of Directors are responsible for assigning an Executive Director, operational policies and the annual financial budget. Day-to-day operations are led by the Executive Director. SHA's academic program and faculty are overseen by a Georgia-certified on-site principal. The SHA therapeutic program and residential care are overseen by a licensed therapist.

Private school

Shepherd's Hill Academy's private school is accredited for grades 6-12 through the Georgia Accrediting Commission (GAC) under the Education Agency with Special Purposes^[3] accreditation. SHA is a member of the Georgia Association of Christian Schools^[4] and the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS), and is a National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned school.

As with most private schools, the principal ensures that all students are enrolled with proper transcripts and remain on track to fulfill the Georgia-required minimum 23 credits. SHA provides its graduating seniors with the opportunity to take the SAT and ACT, earn a high school diploma, and stay on track to enroll in college, the military or a trade school.

SHA provides Advanced Placement (AP) classes through Georgia Virtual School^[5] and extra-curricular opportunities that range from intramural sports to field trips pertaining to particular areas of study.

SHA students have been chosen from only 39 other students in the entire nation to attend ^[6] the annual AACS Youth Legislative Training Conference^[7] in Washington, D.C.

Residential care

In addition to its private school, Shepherd's Hill Academy offers a unique residential care facility for its students. SHA is licensed by the Georgia Department of Human Services^[8] through its Outdoor Child Caring Program^[9] licensure. SHA is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors.

The structure of SHA's therapeutic program is congruent with the authoritative community model discussed in Hardwired to Connect: The New Scientific Case for Authoritative Communities,^[10] a study conducted by the YMCA of the USA, Geisel School of Medicine and the Institute for American Values.

SHA typically serves students who struggle with rebellious and defiant behaviors, addictions, ADD, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, depression and the like. SHA has also served students with reactive attachment disorder and many other medical and behavioral conditions.

Because of its authoritative community model, SHA uniquely assists families using a wide variety of therapeutic activities such as wilderness-style living, high and low ropes courses, individual therapy, team building activities, sports, devotionals, and equine therapy.

Other works and contributions

Due to its private school, residential care and radio broadcast, SHA has been acknowledged by key leaders across America including Ravi Zacharias, Tullian Tchividjian and David Barton.

The Executive Director of SHA, Trace Embry, is also the host of the radio broadcast License to Parent. This global broadcast operates from its own studio on the campus of SHA, and is a member of the National Religious Broadcasters.^[11]

Embry contributed to the book The Digital Invasion.^[12]

SHA staff and students were featured in a full-length documentary directed by Colin Gunn and produced by Phillip Telfer, entitled Captivated - The Movie,^[13] which outlines the effects of media on human behavior and brain chemistry.

References

External links

• Website