Summit Achievement is pleased to announce the hire of its new English Teacher, Edy Kizaki. Edy (short for Edythe) has completed her Summit orientation and is enjoying her new role. 

Edy comes to the position with a long history in education. After receiving her undergraduate degree in creative writing, she traveled with a friend to Japan to teach English. Planning to be there for a only one or two years, life took a turn and she married and lived there for 12 years, taught English in University and to all levels, owned her own children’s English school, traveled to China and Korea, and started a family before returning to the States. While receiving her Master’s of Arts in Monterey Bay, California, she taught first and second year Japanese in the University, the local community college, and for grades 1-8 in a local Waldorf school. Edy has continued teaching for many years, including stints abroad in Canada and Uruguay. 

Edy joins the rest of the Summit faculty in the academic department, which is overseen by Academic Director Doug Dobkowski. Summit Achievement is unique among other adolescent wilderness therapy programs or residential treatment centers because it is accredited as a school. Students at Summit are able to earn full and/or partial credits  that are transferable to any school they attend upon leaving. Classes are held three days a week (five days a week for those who have transitioned to Traverse, a short-term therapeutic boarding school) in the academic building, under the supervision of faculty. The academic component allows students to practice and transfer therapeutic skills from wilderness expeditions and clinical work directly into the classroom. It also allows students to stay relatively on track in their academic trajectory. 

It is the presence of educators like Edy that make the Summit experience different from many other treatment options. Therefore, the Summit community is thrilled to welcome her on board as an educator.

About Summit Achievement

Summit Achievement is, and always has been, guided by positive reinforcement and the power of choice. Our outcome-focused program is both a licensed Residential Treatment Center and an accredited boarding school. Our hybrid model allows students to experience the therapeutic benefits of outdoor adventure-based activities while also learning to manage the demands of a more traditional academic environment. An intentionally small, owner-operated, all gender program, we work with students ages 13-20, from around the world. We are located in Stow, Maine.