{"id":9755,"date":"2022-03-11T17:41:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T01:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.breakingcodesilence.org\/?p=9755"},"modified":"2022-03-12T16:09:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-13T00:09:11","slug":"alpine-academy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.breakingcodesilence.org\/alpine-academy\/","title":{"rendered":"Alpine Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alpine Academy<\/b> (2001-present) Erda, UT<\/span><\/h1>\n

Therapeutic Boarding School<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

History and Background Information<\/b><\/h2>\n

Alpine Academy is a behavior-modification program founded in 2001 as a part of <\/span>Utah Youth Village<\/span><\/a>. It is marketed as a therapeutic boarding school for teenagers aged 12-18 with “intense therapeutic needs.” Their <\/span>website<\/span><\/a> states that they enroll teens with a history of: “Depression (including mood disorders and bipolar disorders), Anxiety (including generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive tendencies, eating disordered behavior, and social phobias), Traumas (including post-traumatic stress disorder from early childhood neglect or abuse, physical or sexual abuse, or related to significant grief and loss), Relationship problems with family or peers (including attachment disorders), Attention deficits (including ADD or ADHD), Traits of personality disorders (including borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic), Autism Spectrum Disorder (Level 1) or Spectrum-like traits, Poor self-esteem, Internet\/Gaming\/Technology issues, withdrawal and isolation from family and friends; trouble maintaining friendships; discontinuation of previously enjoyable activities; excessive anger or verbal aggression; defiance toward authority or unwillingness to follow directions; school avoidance or refusal; substance experimentation or abuse; risky sexual activity; self-harm; suicidal ideation or gestures; Internet obsession or addiction; leaving home without permission for significant periods of time; frequent dishonest communication; and declining academic performance.” The typical length of stay is between 10-12 months, but can be much longer if the teenager is deemed resistant.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alpine Academy operates in two separate campuses; one for boys and one for girls. The address associated with the girls program is <\/span>1280 Whispering Horse Drive, Erda, UT 84074<\/span><\/a>, and is referred to as the “Mountain View” campus. The boy’s campus is located only 3 miles south of Mountain View, at <\/span>1492 Meadowbrook Dr. Tooele, UT 84074.<\/span><\/a>, and is referred to as the “Lakeview” campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Founders and Notable Staff<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lila Bjorklund<\/b> was the founder of Alpine Academy. According to <\/span>HEAL<\/span><\/a>, she was never a licensed mental health professional in Utah. She previously founded Utah Girls’ Village in 1969, which was the precursor to <\/span>Utah Youth Village<\/span><\/a>, which also accepted male residents. She was devout member of the <\/span>LDS Church<\/span><\/a> and is affilated with Brigham Young University. She <\/span>died<\/span><\/a> in 2002 at the age of 87 due to complications resulting from surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Janet Mulitalo (Farnsworth)<\/b> worked as the Program Director of Alpine Academy beginning from 2003 until 2006. She previously worked at an unnamed “faith-based” program in Mississippi. She also worked as the Director of <\/span>Utah Youth Village<\/span><\/a>. From 2014 until 2015, she worked as the Vice President of Business Development at <\/span>InnerChange<\/span><\/a>. She then became the Executive Director of the reportedly abusive <\/span>Oakley School<\/span><\/a> from 2015 until 2016. She then worked as the Executive Director of the <\/span>confirmedly abusive<\/b> West Ridge Academy<\/span><\/a> from 2016 until 2021. She now works at a new program called <\/span>Oasis Ascent<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jonathan R. Carver<\/b> worked as a “house parent” at Alpine Academy. In 2009, he admitted to engaging in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student at Alpine Academy. Court documents detailing the original charges (four counts of rape, two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of witness tampering) indicate Carver had sex with the girl at least 20 times between October and December of 2008. Both Carver and his wife were fired when the school was informed of the investigation in mid-March, she said. They had worked there for eight months. He pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to five counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kayla Walker<\/b> worked as the Fitness\/Recreation Coordinator at Alpine Academy. In 2010, she was arrested for sexually abusing one of her athletes when she coached at a Duchesne County High School three decades ago. She was charged in 8th District Court with 10 counts of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony; two counts of object rape, a first-degree felony; and nine counts of forcible sex abuse, a second-degree felony.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facilities<\/b><\/h2>\n

Alpine Academy’s <\/span>Mountain View<\/span><\/a> campus is seperated into a number of houses. The residents are divided between these houses. They include:<\/span><\/p>\n