A testamonial

I've been meaning to share this for a while. It's amazing.

To Sego Lily School

A note from A Dad.

My daughter H. graduated from Sego Lily in December. What a long amazing
trip it's been.

When H. came to me early last fall and said she was ready to move on,
that she had gotten what she needed from high school and was ready to join
the world of adults, I was brought to tears. For you see, H. was at one
time, a disabled child. She was diagnosed with both Absences Epilepsy and
Autism. Until a few years ago the idea that she would be ready for the world
let alone taking care of herself or having a job was inconceivable. Her
disability made it so that she could not learn. From an early age we used
tutors, therapists, full-time aides in the classroom, private and public
school, and all of the special Ed that the public schools provide.

Until about 5th grade H. was a very happy, tough kid, with a spark and
gleam in her eyes. Unfortunately she still could not read, spell, write, or
do any math. She could not tell time nor understand what a certain time
meant, although she was able to speak and understand, and had language
skills above grade level. On first meeting H., she appeared normal. One
would only notice that she seemed a little different, but she still had
great trouble learning.

After a very traumatic 7th grade in public school, with all of the
associated teasing, bullying, and hopelessness that comes with a disability,
she was done. She was depressed, angry, temperamental, and hopeless. I could
go on and on. She hadn't smiled in a year. She told us that she was not
going to go to school anymore. Seriously, running away or worse were her
options if we did not believe her. We had looked at all school options in
Utah and even were looking at moving out of state to find her a place to go.
Home schooling seemed like the only option. An article in the Salt Lake
Tribune mentioned that a new school with a different philosophy was starting
in Salt Lake. I was on the phone with Jen that day. After speaking with her
I was very impressed. Her vision, expertise, and love of kids and their
learning swayed me. We took H. to see Sego Lily as we had done with many
other schools. She would not even get out of the car. After hearing about
the school and philosophy and meeting Jen she agreed to try it for 8th
grade. The first few weeks were hard. She spent most of her time curled up
on the couch, but she went to school every day. Within a few months, she had
gotten into the swing of things. She started talking about her day at
school. H. didn't come home in tears every day and actually looked
forward to school some mornings. She started to smile!!! The old wonderful
H. was starting to reappear.

Over the next few years H. started to really assert herself. She was
gaining self-confidence, joking and kidding with kids and staff. She was
happy, healthy, and was starting to learn. I was now going into parent mode.
Was this the right school for her? No classes? No curriculum? How will this
be for her as she gets older? I started flipping out. Was this just teenage
daycare? H. seemed to spend all day watching TV. I had many meetings with
the staff and they told me to have faith. H. was making much more
progress then I thought. I almost pulled her out many times. This was so
foreign. Thank goodness I didn't.

This is the important part. H. came home one day and started to talk
about ancient Egypt. She had seen a DVD on Egypt and was exited. I asked her
if she wanted me to get some more DVDs and she lit up. I started buying her
videos on many subjects and she ate them up. H. had found a way to learn.
Textbooks and lectures did not work for her but visual audio and hands on
did. Wow. H.'s learning exploded. She now started using the computer.
Every day and most nights were spent looking for info on her Mac book or
watching TV. The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and National Geographic
were her new best friends.

Sego Lily allowed H. to figure out for herself how to learn. She took it
and ran. Sego Lily gave her the tools that will serve her well for a
lifetime. She no longer considers herself to be disabled. She has discovered
her ability to adapt and adjust to outside influences. SHE HAS LEARNED TO
READ. I don't know how. She did not spend her days in English class. H.
can handle basic math, balance her checkbook, tell time, and keep schedules.
If there is something she wants to know she can go out and find it on her
own. I sometimes call her Google Girl. Her ability to research is amazing.
There is no way she would have progressed to this level of independence and
maturity at a regular school. I am not sure she would even have survived.
Sego Lily gave her the tools for life and maybe even saved it. During her
first year at Sego Lily Her Mom and I used to say, "Well, she won't be a
rocket scientist but at least she will survive". We were only right about
the rocket part. Today you will find H. working in the Paleontology Lab
at the Natural History Museum at the University of Utah. After finishing her
training she is now a full-fledged member of the team. She is living her
passion and is looking at going on and getting a degree in Paleontology. I
am more proud of her then anything else in my life. For H. to have made
it this far took tenacity and her unique outlook on life. But most of all,
it took Jen, Kyle, Craig, Tara, Katee, Hollie, and all the other staff,
parents, and kids at Sego Lily. The school and family that is Sego Lily gave
her the gift of success and for that I will be forever deeply grateful.