Hope Academy’s Rachel Beehler and Rachelle Gardner were guests on Recovery Talks: A Fairbanks Podcast to discuss the school’s new alternative peer group, Guiding Paths to Success (GPS). It’s a peer-based program that promotes positive support for young people and their families struggling with substance use disorder and self-destructive behaviors. Hope Academy is hosting an open...Read More

How much do you think you know about teen drug use? On the March 12 edition of WISH-TV’s Indy Style, Hope Academy Chief Operating Officer Rachelle Gardner and Rachel Beehler, program coordinator for the school’s alternative peer group and an alum of Hope Academy, shared a few things that are imperative for parents to know...Read More

What I hear so often is that our teens and young adults lack confidence in themselves.  The dictionary defines confidence as having a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities. Some of our kids have anxiety and depression, in part, due to our society’s obsession with social media and smartphones. ...Read More

In the throes of today’s opioid epidemic, we know we need massive action and front-line advocates to save lives. I am in awe of parents and others who have been personally touched by this issue and use that experience to connect with other families struggling, holding their hand through ups and downs of this epic journey....Read More

Hope Academy celebrated another record-breaking Taste of Hope event this year by raising over $70,000 to support students in recovery from substance abuse. The annual fundraiser, held on Feb. 24 in the Fairbanks Recovery Center, included nearly 300 guests and featured delicious cuisine and treats donated by 15 local food establishments: Arni’s Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano...Read More

Hope Academy Chief Operations Officer Rachelle Gardner and Sarah, a Hope Academy senior, were featured live on FOX59’s morning newscast on Feb. 14 to discuss the 2019 Taste of Hope fundraiser. The interview included food that will be featured at the event by some of the participating restaurants. Arni’s Restaurant brought spicy Korean meatballs and...Read More

Teens face pressure to engage in substance use in a culture where alcohol and marijuana use is more prevalent than ever, and access to intoxicating drugs is as close as the family medicine cabinet. Stigma and lack of accurate information about substance use, and substance use disorder in teens can cause more harm than good,...Read More

Sarah, a senior at Hope Academy, recently testified and shared her story of recovery at the quarterly meeting of the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse. Read this report of the meeting by WISH-TV.Read More

When your son or daughter attends treatment for a substance use disorder, among other things, they’ll learn many techniques to maintain abstinence, and to make more pro-healthy choices. While individual therapy and group counseling are well-known techniques used to address substance use, it can be just as important that treatment includes life skills training. Often in the...Read More

E-cigarette use is surging among American teenagers, with millions of kids flirting with nicotine addiction by regularly vaping. Unfortunately, these kids are going to face a rocky road if they try to kick their nicotine habit, experts say. There are no tested or approved methods for quitting e-cigarettes, said Linda Richter, director of policy research and analysis...Read More