Private Schools

As a parent of children who have attended this school, I have been disappointed by the decline in leadership within the past few years. It started around the time the new head of school started. There is low morale with staff and students. It is common to witness leadership gossiping about students, families, and even eachother. Because of this, many families who were loyal to Tka have left and the census continues to decline. Real change happens from the top down. It would be wise for the school board to investigate this further and not turn a blind eye. I would also like to add that when negative reviews about Tka are put on Facebook, Tka automatically deletes them. This creates a skewed belief of how some families/students really view Tka if it’s not a positive review. Be fully aware that when you see all of positive Facebook reviews, every negative one was deleted. This is a prime example of not creating an environment of transparency.

I wanted to attend Blue Mountain Academy while in elementary school/middle school. I wanted to attend Blue Mountain Academy while I was there. A part of me wants to attend Blue Mountain Academy now that I have graduated. BMA is a great place to learn, grow and experience all different types of cultures and beliefs. If you go to BMA you will be taught SDA beliefs and expected to be respectful of SDA traditions, religious events, etc., however that should be expected. People who attend catholic high school as expected to do the same. Blue Mountain Academy has a plethora of teachers who truly care about the students and their growth. Lawrence Galera (Head of Music Department), Alex Larracuente (Head of Men's Dormitory), Matthew Anderson (Head of Cafeteria), Ever Perez (Religion Teacher), Doug Stewart (History Teacher), Steven Reese (VP of Finance, Food Store), and John Musselman (Mathematics Teacher) are just a few of the people at Blue Mountain Academy who I believe love their profession and watching students grow and mature. This is not a slight at teachers/staff I may have left out. Eric Engen (IT, La Sonnette), Rosemarie Bechtel (Science, Biology, STEM), and Aaron Weber (Operations, VoEd, Agriculture) are teachers I have had my differences with, and whose teaching styles don't fit MY specific learning style, but they are each good Christ Centered individuals who are knowledgeable, excellent instructors and present students with opportunities to learn. I want to preface this next section by saying that many students have had positive interactions and experiences with this teacher. I have had very negative and unsettling interactions with said teacher and it has left a sour memory of an otherwise outstanding senior year at BMA. Jennifer Cook (English Department) is one of the teachers at BMA that I strongly believe should not work there. One of BMA's main issues is student morale and Jennifer Cook does not help to encourage morale. In actuality she harms it. Constant complaining about other faculty, complaints about policies and equipment etc., are all common place in her classroom. Teachers such as Rosemarie Bechtel, Doug Stewart, Ever Perez, to name a few, have preset, structured course outlines for the entirety of the year. You will find no such thing in Jennifer Cook's classroom even though she has spent decades in her profession. It is surprising how many class periods I spent not learning anything because she was "too sick" (with a common cold) to teach. I have personal strife with Jennifer Cook as she was the sponsor of my senior class and very rarely did anything to benefit the class officers and oftentimes hindered them from their fundraising efforts. Diana Engen/Eric Engen are known as great class sponsors because of their initiative to help and support the officers of their class. I still strongly believe and will continue to believe that BMA would be better off with a different English Teacher. I do not wish to get anyone fired or anything of that sort, however I did want to take a moment to voice my frustration THAT BEING SAID, this does not in any way, shape, or form outweigh the effort and care that is put into the school by many of the other staff members. My time at Blue Mountain Academy was filled with memories that I will cherish and think fondly of for the rest of my life. Any school you attend will have its good qualities and bad qualities, but in my opinion, the good of BMA outweighs the bad. I have big dreams of success and excellence for my life. Dreams I've had for a very long time. That being said, a small part of me wants to return to BMA one day as a faculty to be able to support and help grow the institution that taught me, my mother, and my grandmother. Thank you for 4 wonderful years Blue Mountain Academy.