Barbara Lawlor

Nederland

When Phil Bosma was in eighth grade, a teacher told him that everything he had done didn't matter, that he should just relax and get through the year.

Phil thought to himself, "If it doesn't matter, why am I here?"

That year, he failed all of his classes except art.

His next choice was homeschooling which was okay, but he decided that he wanted to go back to school and by that time Chinook West, an alternative to traditional education school, had opened, promising to help students who were struggling with high school to find their way to graduation.

"I decided to give it a shot," he said. "And they helped me turn things around."

Phil was speaking to a large group of donors who showed up for the Night in Ned fundraiser dinner for Chinook. The evening began at Salto with exquisite appetizers prepared by Lookout Academy students. The entree was served at the Rocky Mountain Oyster Bar, carrying on the tradition upheld by the former First Street Pub and Grill.

Dessert was catered by New Moon Bakery, with their traditional macaroons spread out enticingly on the back room table.

During Phil's stay at Chinook, he became adept at describing how he felt and what he saw in the world around him, excelling in creative writing. He also explored his love for art and created a couple of murals that are still on display at the school.

"The Chinook teachers treated us like adults," remembers Phil. "We attended the Conference on World Affairs and could pick the topics we wanted to attend."

Phil remembered going on the class trips, to Mission Wolf, to the Grand Canyon, to Yellowstone and Independence Pass. He is proud of the fact that he and the other students raised their own funds to pay for the trip.

"Without the guidance of Chinook, I would never have gone to these places. But most important is that I learned why we were doing these trips. I realized that what we learned wasn't as important as learning how to learn."

Phil graduated from Chinook in 2007. He attended Red Rocks Community College and then went on to the Art Institute in Denver, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in graphic design. He now lives in Texas and draws graphics for a website and designs logos and t-shirts. He attended the Night in Ned and although he was nervous, he was proud to speak out in support of Chinook.

Executive Director Stephen LeFaiver said he was celebrating the seventh annual fundraiser, appealing to local businesses to donate  food and venues to help the school earn money.

TEENS Inc. has widened its ability to help kids find their niche in life with their outreach to Lookout Academy in Golden where they run the school for 145 incarcerated teens

"We bring our TEENS Inc. values into a system that doesn't honor youth the way we do. We believe in them and help them work with their challenges. The appetizers for the Salto part of the evening were made by the Lookout Academy students."

Chinook has 27 students this year and its teachers are proud to say they create an environment which inspires students to want to reach their goals. The school will soon be celebrating its 20th year and LeFaiver says it is not often an alternative school lasts that long. Chinook is a unique model.