Residential Life
The residential program at Little Keswick is a relationship-based model. Students not only build strong relationships with their counselors, but also with their peers. Through the group experience of living in a dorm, students learn values of mutual respect and cooperation. As students develop a sense of belonging in residential life, they grow in confidence in other areas of the program. Little Keswick School students reside in one of four living areas based on age, social/physical maturation, and long-term goals. The Madison and Jefferson dormitories house eight to nine students in private and semi-private bedrooms, balanced to optimize self-regulation and therapeutic interactions. Throughout the building, interior spaces have been designed to control visual and auditory stimulation, facilitate individual and social development, encourage organizational skills, and support the growth of personal responsibility and pride in one's living environment. The Barn dormitory houses twelve students, and the Yellow House independent living program houses six students.
—A Parent from Colorado“We knew that at LKS he was finally safe from the teasing and bullying and feelings of isolation he had experienced for so many years. The transformation during his time there was nothing short of miraculous: he came back to us a confident, relaxed, happy young man who laughs easily and enjoys friends, family, and life in general.”
Students experience daily support, nurturance, positive and constructive feedback, and a structured daily schedule. Students feel organized with the consistency and predictability of their time at Little Keswick School. With an atmosphere of trust and community themes such as respect and belonging, students develop a sense of safety. The safety and support they experience then allows them to participate throughout the program, even trying new things. Building off of students’ strengths and introducing them to new things develops a stronger self-identity in each student, and begins to restructure their self-esteem. This is seen on a daily basis as students encourage one another with positive praise and recognitions in the community. Finally, as students become connected to the community, they are able to collaborate with residential staff in order to problem-solve around their emotions and needs.
—A Parent from Texas“[Our son] gained a self-confidence that has stayed with him since he left; this has enabled him to succeed at a mainstream college prep school. Another wonderful result is that he learned to treat people with respect. He continues to do that consistently with us and others, and we believe it has become one of his core life values. In summary, sending (our son) to LKS was, we believe, the best decision we have ever made on his behalf, and the effects have been lasting”
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Dorm Meetings
Each evening, students participate in a group meeting. This structured time is one key to building healthy dorm relationships and dynamics. During the meeting, students give and receive feedback, and reflect on their goals as individuals and as a group. Therapists attend these meetings once a week to facilitate group counseling and to introduce themes and goals for the dorm. During this time group and individual goals are monitored, and students learn how to effectively communicate.
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Leisure Skills
Throughout the residential program, students experience various ways of relating to others, as they learn life skills that are useful in relationships at school, at home, and in their community. Lessons in social skills, independent living, and recreational activities are provided daily. These daily activities range from scavenger hunts to dart tournaments. During these structured times, students have the opportunity to build relationships with peers from their dorm group. At the same time, students are exposed to a variety of leisure activities. Through these experiences students learn to structure their own down-time at Little Keswick and at home.
Twice a week, during Clubs and Quest, students are able to choose their activity. These activities could include board games, cooking, rockets and models, fishing, and survival skills. During these times students socialize with peers from different dorms. While participating in the activities students practice social skills and form valuable friendships.
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Chores & “Jobs” Program
All students who attend Little Keswick School help support the community. As a community, students and staff share chores on a daily basis. These include everything from sweeping floors, organizing shelves, and straightening up game closets, to taking out the trash. With chores built into the day and evening structures, students learn responsibility, organization, and a sense of community pride.
Along with daily chores, Little Keswick offers an on-campus Jobs Program. Students may express interest in working in a particular area on campus. One example of this is when students apply to work in our kitchen. Students then participate in a formal employment process by submitting an application and participating in an interview. Once “hired,” students work with a supervisor to continually evaluate their performance. The student is responsible for completing the job on a regular basis, finding a replacement when necessary, and maintaining contact with his supervisor. Besides kitchen helper, other examples of student jobs are horse helper and counselor helper. The Jobs Program is devised to build off of students’ strengths and to teach responsibility, a strong work ethic, and community pride.
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Athletic Activities
Students of all ability levels participate in athletic activities on a daily basis. With an emphasis on health and fitness, students are encouraged to participate in group games such as soccer, lacrosse, basketball, softball, ultimate frisbee, flag football, tag, and cooperative learning games. Through these activities, students practice skills such as sportsmanship, leadership, and communication.
In addition to regularly scheduled athletics, Little Keswick has a soccer team and a basketball team in which all students participate. Students have practice throughout the year to develop the athletic skills needed to participate in games against local schools. Both on and off the field, Little Keswick players are known for their sportsmanship.
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Weekend Schedules & Trips
Weekends at Little Keswick are packed full of structured activities. Throughout the weekend, students participate in community-wide activities such as soccer and basketball games. Individual dorms plan activities based on student interests that can include fishing, reading, drawing, sports, or canoeing. One staff and student favorite is Friday Night at the Movies. Most Friday nights, the entire community joins together in the dining area to watch a movie. Students bring their flashlights, blankets, and lawn chairs to sit in front of a large-screen television and enjoy a classic movie or new release. One Friday each month, students have a community night that includes Bingo and/or other games.
Hikes in Shenandoah National Park and other local spots are quite popular in the fall and spring. Other trips may include apple-picking, UVA sporting events, fishing, indoor swimming, and visiting local attractions such as Luray Caverns.
Each quarter, a special trip is planned to celebrate the success of the upper level students. Putting those high-level social skills to the test, these trips may include a day in Washington D.C., Kings Dominion, or canoeing down the James River.
Every year, the students who are transitioning on from Little Keswick attend an overnight camping trip at Virginia Beach. During this time students reflect on the personal goals they have reached and are able to celebrate the friendships and social gains they have made in their time at Little Keswick School.
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Yellow House Independent Living Program
The intimate nature of the Yellow House dorm is designed to encourage deeper social connections, independence, and self-management in addition to compliance with behavioral expectations and skills for success targeted in the other dorms. The small numbers translate to increased time with individual dorm-mates and staff, resulting in less opportunity to diffuse relationships and ignore or avoid others. In addition, smaller numbers in the dorm are especially useful to boys who are stimulus sensitive. Finally, higher levels of functioning allow for more intensive therapeutic work with the social group.
Living in the Yellow House requires greater responsibility on the part of LKS residents. Activities of daily living are taught with increased expectations for independence. As old patterns of dependency are addressed, expectations for initiative on daily care tasks can be appropriately increased according to each student’s individual development. Besides daily responsibilities, residents are routinely asked to devise and implement a household budget, shop for the ingredients of weekend meals, cook for their dorm and occasional student guests, and wash their own laundry. They are also responsible for roadside clean-up in the Adopt-a-Highway program.
We promote an expectation among students that Yellow House residents are generally more mature and hold higher status than other students on campus. Accordingly, Yellow House students typically interface with the community outside of LKS more frequently than residents of other dorms. To encourage students to meet these higher expectations, we foster a perception of dorm-wide maturity and status that clearly scaffolds their ability to act accordingly. A student’s alignment with program values and expectations is implied by their acceptance to the Yellow house. Because his membership in the Yellow House signifies program support and personal competence, we do not have to continually negotiate behavioral compliance. Our task becomes supporting the success already assumed.
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School Spirit
Throughout the year our community celebrates many different festivities together. In October, students and staff participate in a Halloween day. A theme is chosen, and staff and students creatively dress in their best costumes. The day begins with trick-or-treating on campus, followed by a haunted house, hay rides, and costume contests. The evening ends late in the night at the dining hall, with a party full of games and treats. To end the night, students participate in breaking a piñata and doing the limbo before they head back to rest from all the fun.
At least twice a year, the staff and students participate in athletic events with one another. Just a few examples of this include staff-student basketball and softball games. In the gym or on the field, students and staff run around with smiles and energy. Songs, halftime shows, and a visit from the school mascot, the Timber Wolf, make these games a time to remember.
In the spring, Little Keswick holds our very own three-mile running/walking event. Students and staff participate and celebrate as each staff and student works toward his/her own personal goal of crossing the finish line. At the end of the event, all participants receive a t-shirt and a finisher’s medal to mark their accomplishments. The occupational therapists join us with massage booths for our tired and sore muscles, as staff and students sip on sports drinks and eat granola bars.
Other examples of campus fun at Little Keswick include a Superbowl party, a chili cook-off, and a yearly Spirit Week/Carnival. Each event demonstrates the excitement and sense of community Little Keswick thrives on.
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School Culture
Little Keswick School maintains an intimate relationship-based community where students are known and appreciated as individuals, and are encouraged to function as an important part of their group and the school as a whole. We teach and emphasize the themes of supporting others, choosing your attitude, and joining and belonging within the greater community.
Failures are understood as barriers to be overcome together, rather than evidence of character flaws. Attention to detail within a highly-structured environment clearly defines pathways to success. Students become aware of the effects of their behaviors on others, and are taught strategies to achieve social acceptance and success. Our students learn to celebrate and encourage the successes of their peers during community and dorm meetings.
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