1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Kristen Hayes, Corporate Communications Director
CRC Health Group / Aspen Education Group
khayes@crchealth.com
(949) 589-1765
Copper Canyon Academy Announces Opening of Middle School
Rimrock, AZ – July 28, 2011 – Copper Canyon Academy, a private therapeutic boarding school for girls,
today announced that it will open a new middle school on its campus beginning August 1st
. The new
school will serve grades seven and eight and complement Copper Canyon Academy’s existing accredited
high school for grades 9-12.
“We are very excited to open the new middle school and provide another option for families to help
their daughters who may be struggling with self-esteem, behavioral, social or emotional issues,” said
Paul Taylor, Executive Director of Copper Canyon Academy (CCA). “By intervening at an earlier age, we
can help stave off some of the issues and problems that many girls experience as they go through
adolescence.”
The middle school will be based on the “Stages of Change” model with emphases on skill-building,
mentorship, and group process. Students will focus on coping skills, problem-solving, social
competence, personal responsibility, and family relationships. In the program’s nurturing, family-like
setting, students will receive highly individualized classroom instruction and learning support with a
focus on becoming lifelong learners.
While the middle school students will be separated from the older high school girls to allow for
specialized attention, they will still have the unique opportunity to obtain a head-start on earning high
school credits in disciplines such as mathematics and foreign language through Copper Canyon’s fully
accredited high school curriculum.
Students also will have access to a team of specialized clinicians, consulting psychiatrist, nutrition
specialist and learning specialist, as well as advanced Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association
(EAGALA) therapy, riding lessons, a wellness program, visual and performing arts, and recreational
athletics.
Specialized family workshops that focus on the reintegration with the family also will be offered. Length
of stay is variable and individualized with a projected average of 12-14 months.
Maryanne McKowen, M.A., will be the Primary Therapist for the middle school girls, having been the
“go-to” specialist for Copper Canyon high school’s youngest students. Maryanne is a licensed Marriage
and Family Child Therapist. Barb Lasinski, M.A., will be the Resource Specialist providing educational
guidance for the girls. Barb has taught all grade levels, from first to twelfth, with an emphasis on

2. individualized instruction, and received training on the Montessori method’s “hands-on” approach to
learning.
The school is actively accepting applications. For more information, contact Paul Ravenscraft,
pravenscraft@coppercanyonacademy.com, 877-617-1222 (ext. 108). Or visit
www.coppercanyonacademy.com.
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