This Semester in the Art Classes.....

This last semester we had a lot of talented artists come through the classes  at Logan River Academy and we've been doing a variety of fun, educational projects. Here is a sample of some of the different projects we've done. Enjoy!!

Context Object Project

Propaganda Poster

Wycinanki

 Art Museum Mash-up Painting Project

Linocut Layers Project

Exquisite Corpse (Other Half Not Shown)

One Point Perspective

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Graduation!

Once again, we had the opportunity to celebrate with parents and students the achievements of Logan River Academy students at graduation.  Students were recognized for completing Logan River Academy’s program and graduating from high school.  We are always happy to see and reflect on the progress they have made during their time at Logan River Academy.  We are also always sad to see them leave, but we know they are moving on to bigger and better things and wish them the best of luck in their next endeavors.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

A Wedding & Logan River Academy?

What do a wedding and Logan River Academy have in common?  Recently, a former Logan River Academy student, who currently lives in northern Utah, invited some friends she met while here to her wedding.  While they were in the general area (that is, Utah), the bride-to-be and the five friends decided to visit their old stomping grounds.  It was fun to see and learn about how well the students are doing and to give them the opportunity to reminisce about the different people they knew, adventures they had here, food they liked and disliked, and the changes the program has made since their time here.  They also reflected on the lessons they learned while at Logan River Academy.  It was a great to see six former Logan River Academy students and the progress they are making their lives.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

USU & Bridgerland Tours Again

Another group of Logan River Academy students were able to tour Utah State University (USU) and Bridgerland Applied Technology College.   A student’s first impression of our first tour was the beautiful USU campus with snow capped mountains in the background.  It was followed by a video at the Admissions Office where the students learned what it was like to attend USU and the many learning opportunities and activities available.   Next, the students went on a walking tour where they were able to see a clean campus with no trash or anything out of place and the smiling and friendly USU students.   The students learned about the housing opportunities and got to go into one of the dorms to see how they could feel comfortable and at home there.  The final stop was “The Aggie Marketplace” for all-you-care-to-eat dining.  The students enjoyed the delicious food, but did not have enough time to take full advantage of it before they were off to Bridgerland for another tour.  It is a smaller school where students can learn an employable skill in only a year or two for much less money. Overall, it was a successful trip and the students got a good grasp of what opportunities are out there for them after their high school graduation.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Beauty and the Beast Ballet

Logan River Academy students participated in a culture event at the Ellen Eccles Theater in Logan as they attended the “Beauty and the Beast Ballet”.  Some of the students found it to be mesmerizing with the music, dancers, lighting and costumes.  The story was easy to follow even though there were no words.  The music was expressive (such as slow & soft or anger & concern) and the students were able to feel the emotions, but it was incomplete without the dancers.  The dancers showed the real story, the events that caused or displayed the emotions.  They did a fantastic job and it was a great opportunity for our students to be exposed to another form of art and expression.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Halloween

On Halloween, we had a party for the Logan River Academy students. We started by splitting the students up into three groups and showing them a short Halloween Film. Following the film, the students came to the gym for the party which began with a costume contest. There were four categories for the costume contest; Best use of Material, Most Creative, Most true to character and Best overall. Many of the students dressed up and participated in the contest. The winning costumes were: an 80’s fitness trainer for most creative, an 80’s Cat lady and her cats for best use of material, Steve Urkel for most true to character and Pocahontas for best overall.  After the costume contest, we divided the students into groups and had a haunted house contest. The students were all given the same materials and about 20 minutes to work on their houses. After the 20 minutes, three of the teachers judged the houses and chose three groups for the winners. Some of the students were very focused and creative on their houses. This was followed by refreshments and the students were allowed to participate in a group or individual Halloween photo booth.  The students could use fun holiday themed props to pose in front of Halloween backdrops. Overall the students seemed to enjoy the party and it was a big success.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Scary Stories on the Lawn

As part of a class at Logan River Academy, students went to Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon on Halloween eve and listened to Daniel Bishop.  The students drank hot chocolate and sat around a campfire as Daniel told the students about the mysteries and a few of the stories about the canyon, such as Bigfoot and the LakeMonster at Bear Lake.  One of the stories he told was about the Witch of the Wind Caves.  She was a settler in Logan.  But not just any settler, she was an outcast.  Eventually, she moved to Logan Canyon and no one has seen her since.  If you go to Spring Hollow Bridge today in your car at night and park there and if you wait long enough, the fog will come in on the bridge.  If you stay longer, you will start to see shadows in the fog.  If you stay even longer, you will see the witch at your window who will ask you, “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Gasa Gasa Girl Goes to Camp

For the Adventure Arts and Culture class the students at Logan River Academy recently went to a guest lecture by LilyYuriko Nakai Havey at the Nora Eccles Harrison Art Museum located on the campus of Utah State University. Lily is a Japanese American that spent four years of her youth in a Japanese Internmentcamp during WWII. As a result of this experience, Lily suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). When Lily identified that she was suffering from PTSD she started painting watercolors as a way to cope with the disorder. At this guest lecture Lily discussed some of her experiences in the camp and showed her different artworks and their meanings. The lecture was titled, “Gasa Gasa Girl Goes to Camp”, after the memoir that Lily has written.  The students found it insightful and it opened their eyes to a way of overcoming trials in life.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

PSAT

The students at Logan River Academy were given the opportunity to take the PSAT exam if it was something they desired to do.  Before the test, they were able to prepare by studying and practicing PSAT curriculum online.  It was well worth it for those who are interested in attending a university.  The students who took the PSAT now know what the SAT/ACT test will be like and are expected to do better on test day.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Electro!!!

Logan River Academy art students collaborated to make a cardboard representation of a robot affectionately named Electro. This was a good opportunity for students to problem solve and work as different teams to bring a large project to fruition. The students enjoyed this project and were able to flex their creative and constructive muscles!

Preparing for the Future

Logan River Academy students have now finished their first four weeks of having at least one class in the Learning Resource Center working on online courses.  This is the first semester using online courses to prepare students for the future as more vocational colleges and universities are requiring their students to complete part or all of their coursework through online courses.  We believe having a combination of online courses and traditional classroom courses will benefit our students by helping prepare them for all aspects of their future education. This also gives us the opportunity to offer a wider variety of classes to better meet our students’ interests and needs.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Graduation!

Before we knew it, we were celebrating another Logan River Academy graduation for the students who worked hard and earned their high school diplomas.  At this graduation, we added the recognition of those students who graduated from the program, which includes reaching and maintaining the highest level in our residential milieu and meeting their own individual treatment goals.  Parents from across the United States and half a world away attended to honor the accomplishments of their children.  We were able to hear a teacher, therapists, and students give wonderful speeches.  Of course, many pictures were taken, tears shed, and good-byes said.  We are sad to see the students leave, but excited for the progress they have made and the opportunity for them to move on to the next step in their adventure of life.  Best of luck to all of our graduates!

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Logan River Academy helps youth from 13 to 18 years old.

Art

We just finished a great semester of creation and learning at Logan River Academy. Here is a sample of some of the different projects that we did!

Identity Mandalas

For this project I have the students create symbols that represent different personality traits that describe them. Once they have created their symbols they use them to create a mandala wedge which is repeated to create the final design. This is a great project that creates a lot of successful outcomes. See for yourself!

Color Masking Project

For this project we explore the technique of masking and layering and we learn about color schemes. The students are asked to pick three different color schemes from a list and then to create a composition that separately represents those different color schemes using the masking and layer technique. A simple project but can have great results and is effective for teaching color schemes.

Block Print Pattern

For this project the students explore the linocut printmaking process and pattern. The students are asked to create a square design that is symmetrical on a diagonal axis which allows the image to be rotated and create a complete design. This is another project that a lot of the students experience success with. 

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Les Miserables

This summer some of our Logan River Academy students were able to go to a production of Les Miserables at the Ellen Eccles Theater here in Logan, Utah. Every summer the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater puts on shows of high quality, so we were excited for the opportunity to expose our students to some great theatre. Before the show the Founder and General Director, Michael Ballam, gave the students an introduction to the play including historical context, information on Victor Hugo and a synopsis of the plot. It made for a long afternoon, but we saw and heard some incredible performances. Some students had never been to a musical production before so it was a great way to get them excited about musicals and theatre, and after the play some students even showed interest in reading the book.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Activity Day

We recently had another activity day at Logan River Academy! This was our second activity day during this summer semester and the students and teachers all had a lot of fun. We like to do activity days during the summer to give the students a chance to get out in the beautiful sunshine and take a break from school. We spent the first part of the day doing various indoor activities including: making friendship bracelets, a sculpting contest (with prizes), games and a movie. After lunch the students participated in some water fun outdoors involving: a slip n’ slide, water balloon volleyball, and a water relay race game. After the activities the students had some popsicles and time to just relax and socialize, which is always welcome. For the last hour of school the students split up into groups for more activities, a number of students played volleyball in the gym, the students interested in the game of Magic played a large game all together, and a few students watched a movie. Overall, the day was a lot of fun and it was a nice break from the everyday routine.


LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Flowers Everywhere!

This summer the flowers at Logan River Academy were a beautiful sight!  The science classes planted, weeded and maintained the flowers beds and we all enjoyed the fruits of their labors. The flowers added a wonderful burst of color to our campus and were a delightful sight. See for yourself in the pictures below!

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Logan River Academy wants to go solar!

The Results Are In!

The results are in and Logan River Academy students did a great job!  Five of our students took the ACT this past year and their average scores beat out the Utah state averages in all areas:  English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Composite.  Each of the students did excellent work and need to be congratulated!  We are so proud of these students and wish them the best as they venture out to college.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Activity Day

Logan River Academy celebrated the last day of the term by having an activity day.  This is always a fun time for teachers and students to interact in a less formal way; as one student said, “I liked being able to hang out with my teachers more”.   We played badminton, pulled taffy, played "Guitar Hero" on Xbox, watched movies with popcorn, and played board games. The students were able to pull taffy with the science teacher, hold the snake and watch the snake eat a mouse.  Music filled the hallway as it burst from the art room where the students were able to rock out with Guitar Hero on the Xbox (and we were able to discover who was not shy).  The history teacher showed Thor, not quite historical, but fun. There was also a badminton tournament in the gym along with Dole whips (pineapple smoothies similar to the ones at Disneyland) to cool down the players.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Logan River Academy students work hard and play hard.

Two Former Students Visit

A teacher looked down the hall during the last period of the day.  She commented that she felt like she was seeing two former students.  A counselor walking down the hall stated that she was.  Two former students returned for a short visit, talking to former teachers and counselors.  It was fun to learn that both students were doing well at their present school and enjoying their summer break visiting Logan River Academy and the next day Bear Lake.  The two former students did admit that they did miss Utah a little.


LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Allegations against Logan River Academy are false.

Keeping Context

Logan River Academy students were asked to take some different objects from my closet and create an artwork where these objects were placed in an unusual context. The objects range from something as simple as a chain or as complex as a bust of Beethoven. The results of this project are always creative and unique.

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY
A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER

Student demographics shown for Logan River Academy.

Exploding Boxes

The Logan River Academy Painting and Art II classes have been exploring different shapes through the Exploding Boxes project.  This is a project that the students really enjoyed and we ended up with some exciting results!

LOGAN RIVER ACADEMY

A PREMIER RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER