New Years Eve

ICE AGE 3

The girls were very excited when they found out they we were going to watch "Ice Age 3" to celebrate New Years Eve.  But nothing could top the fact they got to eat the taffy they had made with Mr. Force.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

-posted by Melanie

Christmas Coins for Kids

This year our students helped our local community charity "Koins for Kids".  We were asked to send some youth to help wrap and organize presents for local children.  The girls did such a great job.  The directors of the charity and the local volunteer center we very impressed with all of our students.

We are so proud of these young ladies!!

our mission statement is to mobilize people and resources for creating solutions to community needs.  we accomplish this with a whole bunch of super-great youth volunteers like those at Diamond Ranch Academy!!

-linda sappington, washington county volunteer center 

christmas movie

we gathered in a classroom, blankets and treats in hand to watch a christmas favorite, ELF!

"hi, buddy the elf speaking, what's your favorite color?"
-buddy the elf

thanks, santa!

check out our new stuff!

the girls said, "tayleigh, take a picture of us throwing the balls into the air!" i obliged, then a few of them forgot that what goes up must come down. here's what happened:

it was hilarious! they crack me up!

the girls showing off the latest in DRA fashion: long sleeve shirts. very nice!

it's been a great christmas, i love spending the holidays with the girls.

santa at DRA!!

HeRe CoMeS sAnTa!

DRA style...

drew was a little anxious to see santa!

he makes his first appearance to the homeless girls, everyone was all smiles!

you're never too old to take your picture with santa!

season of giving

some of our students sponsored our homeless students so they can participate in Christmas. some of the girls made a sacrifice by donating all their ledger money. it was really impressive to see them getting into the holiday spirit! all of the whisper creek students staying for the holidays donated over three-hundred ledger dollars!

Christmas at DRA

Merry Christmas to All!!

We wanted to take the time to present to you a short video clip from Ricky Dias as he presents the activities that will be taking place at Diamond Ranch Academy over the next couple of days.  We know, that as parents, you want to make sure this day is special.  We share that desire.  The students have been participating in several different events to not only get them in the Holiday Spirit, but to also give them the opportunity to share their time and talents and help those less fortunate during this time.  We thank you for your trust and support during this holiday.  We are happy and grateful for the opportunity to share the joy and blessings this season has to offer with your students!

tuesdays with tayleigh: christmas edition

we finally finished both the garbage cans, the girls were proud to show them off!

during dinner, we had an impromptu "milk mustache" contest. here are some of our winners:

after dinner, tayleigh shared the story, "the gift of the magi" with the girls. they got into the christmas spirit and thought about things they could give of themselves that would echo the sentiment of the story. the girls also shared what they were most grateful this year, most said they were grateful for the relationships they have with their families and the opportunity to start again.

hot chocolate, snickerdoodles and "the santa clause" were also on the agenda tuesday night. after the movie the girls went caroling to the other students in the dorms!

Pancakes

Pancake Palooza

In Mr. Force's science class we made pancakes.  Mr. Force, wearing his cooking visor, led the cooking crusade. Mr. Force ground the wheat into a fine powder that resembles the pancake mix you would buy in a box. In a blender, he blended apples, honey, salt, basking soda, and some other ingredients. Mixed together, it looked like mush. He then poured the batter on a hot griddle. The sizzle of the pancakes made my mouth water. The smell of apples and cinnamon quickly filled the room. When they were done, Mr. Force handed us each a thick, fluffy, whole wheat pancake. He taught us that Pectin, an ingredient found in apples makes the pancakes fluffy. These pancakes were amazing; nothing compares!

After our cooking lesson, we were rewarded with the treat of Force’s Cooking Corner. Mr. Force told us the story of how he got his pancake recipe. He made it so that his kids would eat healthy, but also enjoy. As kids, we usually avoid good food because we don’t think it will taste good. This is symbolic in my life as an addict, because I avoided doing good things because I believed that life wouldn’t be as fun. As I learned from Mr. Force, I was completely wrong. If you simply spice up the recipe a little bit, I have found that doing good things can be just as satisfying and even more fun.

-posted by Melanie Fox

Scrapbooking

ScRaPbOoK MaNia!!

"It WaS FuN To bE AbLe To uSe OuR CrEaTiVe SiDe"

ERIN, WC

Another fun Saturday of arts and crafts at DRA. It was a chance for us to show our creativity, not to mention make chic Christmas gifts for family members. A fun activity and a bonding experience for the girls; everyone made a picture scrapbook paper with individual themes. This was definitely one of the most fun activities yet!

Samantha, Whisper Creek

-posted by Melanie Fox

basketball!!

"i couldn't be happier with the team. there's so many girls from all over the place that are in and out of here, it's so amazing that some of them who have never touched a basketball can come together as a team and compete on the same level as others who have been playing together for years"
-betsy, assistant athletics director

"there's not one person who dominates; not just one all-star. it's everyone giving it their all for the team. i love coaching them!"

-betsy

"the game on the 12th was AMAZING! the girls were down by about 15 points and came back to win by five! it was so fun, but we told the girls not to do that again because betsy and i can't take that kind of stress!"

-tayleigh

our girls have a 5-2 record so far!
gReat jOb, ladies!!

BiRtHdaY bEneFiT!

"Even though we are away from our friends, family, and home, Diamond Ranch Academy made an incredible effort to make us feel special on our birthday"

 On December 7, a van full of girls from the birthday months of November and December got to go off-ranch to enjoy themselves and be pampered. It was kept a secret till the day of the festivities. It rained as we drove away from the ranch, turning the vermillion rocks around us a murky dark red. The van full of birthday girls drove to St. George to make their first stop at Evan’s Hair College.

Twelve girls were matched up with twelve cosmetology students. Six of us went to the classroom in the back of the building to get honey facials, the other six went to get manicures. I went to get a facial first, and thought I was going to fall asleep countless times. After that relaxing treat, the groups switched. After I got my nails painted metallic gold, I went to see other girls’ nails. Glitter nail polish was most popular among all the girls, although the neon colors were almost as equally liked.

We left Evan’s and headed down to our second, and last, stop Golden Corral Buffet. One of the most discussed topics on ranch among the students is food; the birthday girls were standing in front of an all-you-can-eat buffet. Everyone ate a lot of food, and one could usually find at least one student at the dessert counter at all times.

GrAdUaTiOn!

we had another graduation this morning!! the theme was
 FREE AGENCY

she was so excited, she snatched the certificate right out of tayleigh's hands before it was presented!

"christian told me that her certificate means so much more to her than just a piece of paper"
-tayleigh, girls campus director

our graduate tried to hold back her tears as she gave her final farewell to the Ranch

"keep your heads up, i'll miss you all!"
-christian

operation: trash can

in the beginning... there was seaweed and dirt.

with a little work and a lot of paint, the young artist inside each girl began to blossom...

so proud of our fish

almost done! another tuesday with tayleigh went great! the girls finished one trash can and are almost done with the next one. we hope they'll let us paint the rest of the trash cans.

TUESDAY UPDATE: the girls painted fish. after dinner we shared christmas memories (a lot had to do with kittens and chickens for some reason) and watched "the muppets christmas carol."

"tis the season to be jolly and joyous. fa la la."

-tiny tim (as played by robin, the small frog)

tuesdays with tayleigh!

every tuesday night, the upper levels hang out with their campus director, tayleigh

the typical tuesday with tayleigh includes:
- main activity (sports, painting, decorating, games)
- dinner
- group discussion
- movie

"my favorite part is the group discussion!"
-mckenna

"we're one big team; we work together"
-alessia

 

"tuesdays with tayleigh helps me relate to the other girls"

-sam

"i love tuesdays with tayleigh, they're a lot of fun!"
-ana


this week, the girls were sure to take pictures in the snow, then they continued decorating the big building for christmas. after dinner and the discussion on "flying it well when things go wrong" they watched Matilda, chosen by our graduate, alessia.

halloween things

the girls were really inventive with halloween this year; they used things around the ranch to make their costumes!

"the girls amaze me with their never-ending creativity and resourceful thinking! i love these costumes!"
-tayleigh, girls' campus director

 we had super-heroes, cheetas, puppies, kittens, things and more things!

what's halloween without a good old fashion joust and rock climbing?

thanks for making it fun, ladies!

Diamond Ranch Academy's Clinical Department takes the plunge

We stumbled upon some great photos that were "lost" (were they really, or did the clinical team try to make sure no one would find them?  Hmm...)  We won't go into the who, what, and how.  Nor will we reveal the name or names of the person or people who got hold of these photos.  Just be sure to tell your therapist you saw them!!  Ha!  Ha!! Ha!!

Who's Brave Enough??

Going...going...

Splash!!!

                                        

He's definitely going down...

Told ya!!    

 

                               

This can't be fair...Is the tank even deep enough?

Apparently so.