A new Salem high school helps teens stay sober
On a Friday morning at Salem’s newest high school, one girl wanted to share something with her classmates.
While hanging out with friends at the downtown bus plaza the day before, her peers offered her alcohol and marijuana.
She turned them down.
“I’m proud of you for not giving in,” Principal Max Preminger told her.
Morning check-ins are a key part of the routine at Discovery Academy, a high school for teenagers in recovery from drug abuse.
Run by the Willamette Education Service District, the school opened April 15 in Salem and had seven students. It’s currently offering a summer school program.
Students or parents can fill out an interest form to learn more about the school or begin the process of enrolling. Preminger expects Discovery Academy to have space for 15 to 20 students in the fall.
Each morning, teens find comfortable spots on chairs and couches, joined by two teachers, a recovery mentor and Preminger. They listen to relaxing music, take deep breaths and share about their day so far.
Some students talked about conversations with parents or school work. Several related dreams that had them feeling on edge.
The adults spoke too. One teacher got stuck behind a tractor in traffic on the way to school and was “still kind of realigning my brain.”
After checking in, every student and educator shared something they were grateful for, and set an intention for the day.
It’s a ritual that helps students connect with each other and stay focused on school and their recovery.
Recovery high schools are relatively new to Oregon. The intent is to help students stay sober by giving them supportive adults and keeping them away from the peer pressure a traditional high school can offer.
Lawmakers in 2023 set aside money to set up initial recovery schools in Oregon. Two in the Portland area were already operating when Discovery Academy opened its doors a few months ago at 3710 Portland Rd. N.E.
Preminger came to the school from Woodburn, where he coordinated services for students on the autism spectrum. But the school’s mission resonated with him.
He’s been in recovery for years and is active in the community. That’s after an initial attempt at sobriety in high school.
“I didn’t have the community support, I didn’t have the resources,” he said of his time as a student.
At Discovery Academy, students have a recovery mentor on staff to help them. They attend class in longer blocks, with two class periods during the day. Some are ahead in their classes, while others need to make up credits.
There are also daily sessions focused on recovery.
For Jessica Abbott, who teaches the school’s language arts and social studies classes, it was a chance to join a program focused on empowering students. She previously taught in an alternative education program in Newberg.
“It’s giving them an opportunity to reassociate school with success in a way they never have before,” she said of Discovery Academy.
One day per week, students don’t take academic classes and focus their school day on recovery.
They often travel off campus for electives, like physical education at the nearby Kroc Center or trips to the Salem Public Library.
The main room of the school holds shelves with books and handouts about recovery. The school offers both 12-step programs and other models for students who haven’t found those programs helpful or want an approach that isn’t faith-based.
The school hopes to enroll 22 students in the fall and eventually plans to have up to 40.
Discovery Academy is open to teens from anywhere in Oregon, but students must provide their own transportation. Those now enrolled live in Marion and Polk counties, with most coming from Salem.
Students have to choose to attend Discovery Academy and be committed to recovery.
When they enroll, students make a recovery plan with staff. Regular urine tests for drugs are part of the school, but there are second chances for students who relapse.
“As long as they’re honest and they let me know, ‘I slipped up but I still want to be here,’ they get to be here,” Preminger said.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
