Local Recovery Walk shines a light on substance abuse treatment and the Recovery High School

The Recovery High School
334 Franklin St., Springfield, MA 

The Mason Square Health Task Force and the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction and Recovery will recognize September as National Alcohol and Substance Abuse Recovery Month with a Recovery Walk on Sept. 24, kicking off at 11 a.m. from the steps of City Hall to Recovery High School at 334 Franklin St. A ceremony at the school will be held from noon to 3 p.m. A bus is available for individuals unable to walk.

The MSHTF team and Board of Directors ask that each of you show your support by taking this walk with us. Many people are unaware that Springfield has a high school whose mission is to educate and to reduce the high rates of relapse associated with teens in recovery by providing a safe, sober and supportive school environment where students and their recovery efforts are understood, valued and fostered.

Recovery High School Administrator Michael Ellis said they are devoted to helping young people by providing them with a high quality education experience in a safe, therapeutically supportive school setting. Studies indicate that without intense support, an extremely high percentage of teens in recovery relapse. 


"We offer a lot of compassion, integrity and respect to help them become acceptable, responsible adults who are an asset to society," Ellis said. "We're smaller and we focus on the kids and their needs. We're proactive in our efforts."

Substance abuse counseling
helps teens achieve success

I consider the city's Recovery High School to be one of our best kept secrets. The school is within the alternative school structure in Springfield, collectively known as Springfield Academy for Excellence (SAFE). SAFE currently includes seven programs located at six different campuses in Springfield and one at Holyoke Community College. Springfield's Recovery School, launched five years ago, is a small highly structured program for 30 to 50 students in recovery from alcohol or other drug abuse dependence.

In an attempt to shine a light on National Alcohol and Substance Abuse Recovery Month activities, our Recovery Walk will conclude with a ceremony at the school. A parent of a teen who is attending Recovery High School will share her story; Springfield Director of Health and Human Services Helen Caulton-Harris will read her powerful poem "Everybody is Recovering from Something," Ellis will talk about the work of the school and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno will issue a proclamation recognizing September as Recovery Month in the city.

For more information on the Massachusetts Organization for Addiction and Recovery visit their website here. 

For more information on National Substance Abuse and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month activities visit www.recoverymonth.org.

We hope that you will come see that recovery is possible, that Springfield offers options for our teens and that we can collectively make a difference to improve the lives of all people no matter the circumstance.