Bridges of Hope Partners with Turning Point Academy
For some students, getting back on track takes more than a fresh start. It takes a safe place to regroup, trusted adults who believe in them, and access to the right support at the right time.
That is the heart behind Turning Point Academy (TPA) and a new partnership with Bridges of Hope.
Turning Point Academy is a second-chance program for students who, following a placement from their constituent school board or an IEP team, are given an opportunity to step away from the traditional school environment and focus on what they need to move forward. Students remain enrolled in their home schools while working with highly qualified teachers to improve their grades, practice coping skills, develop organizational strategies, and learn more about themselves.
At the end of their time at TPA, students complete a self-reflection project and present it to their team during a restoration meeting with their home school—a meaningful opportunity to reflect on their growth and identify the steps they are ready to take next.
Meeting Students Where They Are
Recently, Bridges of Hope’s Program Director Lauren Clarke and School Services Coordinator Miracle Mozzee sat down with TPA Principal Michael DeJong to learn more about the school’s model, goals, and the students they serve.
What they heard was inspiring.
Principal DeJong spoke enthusiastically about TPA and, especially, about watching students grow and improve during their time in the program. He shared how much he loves the school and the opportunity to see students make progress.
That conversation sparked an important question for Bridges of Hope:
What if grief support could be part of that second chance?
We know that grief can affect a young person’s emotional well-being, relationships, concentration, behavior, and ability to engage successfully in school. When a student is carrying the weight of a death or other significant loss, it can be difficult to focus on academics or feel connected to the people and routines around them.
So rather than asking students to come find us, we are bringing grief support to them.
Putting Support Where Students Are
This year, Bridges of Hope is piloting a program at Turning Point Academy that will provide grief support to nearly 50 students each week through small-group experiences.
Miracle and master’s-level counseling intern Alisha recently asked a group of students a simple question: Who in this room has experienced a death that has affected you?
Every student raised their hand.
That moment reinforced why this partnership matters.
These are young people who are already navigating academic challenges, changes in their school environment, and the process of figuring out who they are and where they want to go next. Many are also carrying grief that may not always be visible to the adults around them.
They deserve access to their community’s resources, right where they are.
Choice Is Part of the Support
At Bridges of Hope, we believe that grief support should never be something forced on a young person.
Our approach is trauma-informed. That means building trust, creating safety, offering choices, and allowing young people to have a voice in how they receive support.
Sometimes a student may choose not to participate.
And that’s okay.
Our goal isn’t to make every student engage in the same way. Our goal is to create an environment where they know support is available, where they aren’t judged, and where they can make choices about what feels right for them.
For some students, that may mean actively participating in a grief group. For another, it may mean listening quietly. For another, it may take time before they are ready to engage.
We can meet them where they are.
A Need We Couldn’t Ignore
For Miracle, this partnership is especially meaningful.
Last year, she facilitated a Sand Dollar Club at Burke High School. Some of the students she worked with were later transferred to Turning Point Academy and were no longer able to continue participating in the grief support group.
She noticed the gap.
These students had already begun building relationships and accessing support, and now there was an opportunity to bring that support with them.
That experience helped inspire the question: What could it look like if Bridges of Hope came alongside students at Turning Point Academy?
Now, we’re finding out.
Learning Alongside the Students
This is a pilot, and Bridges of Hope is learning through the process, too.
We know that grief doesn’t happen in isolation. It can show up in the classroom, in relationships, in behavior, in motivation, and in the way young people see themselves and their future.
By partnering directly with schools like Turning Point Academy, we have an opportunity to better understand what students need and how grief support can become part of a larger network of care.
We are excited to listen, learn, adjust, and grow alongside the students and educators who make this work possible.
Most importantly, we want students to know one thing:
You don’t have to navigate loss alone.
Sometimes a second chance means getting another opportunity to improve your grades or learn new coping skills. Sometimes it means having someone finally ask what you’ve been carrying.
And sometimes, healing is part of finding your way back.
Bridges of Hope is honored to be alongside Turning Point Academy as we work to ensure that students have access to the support, resources, and relationships they need to keep moving forward.
