Benton Hall Academy is not a fancy place. There are certainly not many bells and whistles of a huge campus with state of the art anything. It is a very plain school and gives the appearance of old and worn. But when you have a child that has stepped into an abyss and needs to find a way out, Benton Hall Academy is the remedy cure.

Our daughter was at the end of her rope. She felt bad about herself in every way. She was so unhappy with life and we did not know where to turn. Lindy Sayers, who is a friend and at the time a school counselor, told us about Benton Hall Academy and suggested that we take a look. Once inside the school, you begin to notice lots of smiling faces and lots of warmth. The small classes were just what Lizzie needed. It took her a while to feel comfortable with the school and herself, but she began to appear happier and more energetic.

She graduated from Benton Hall Academy four years ago as the Valedictorian and won the Thomas Hart Benton Academy Award as the most outstanding senior. Lizzie has since graduated from Emory & Henry College in Emory, Virginia and plans to attend Loyola College in Chicago this fall. She is getting her masters in Social Work.

Benton Hall Academy gave her a sense of purpose and the strength to overcome obstacles that once upon a time seemed insurmountable. She has grown into a mature and lovely young lady. We owe so much to Benton Hall Academy. There are many young people that will benefit from Benton Hall Academy and as a parent I can honestly say that we will always hold a special place in our hearts for the staff and the school. Benton Hall Academy saved our daughter’s life and taught her compassion for others. To me as a mother, there is no better lesson.

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Benton Hall Academy was our last resort, and our second choice. I first opted for the prettily packaged school a few miles away. It looked like a well-endowed private school should look and it bore the name of a reputable and wealthy supporter. It had all the bells and whistles, including horseback riding lessons, fancy field trips and polished long hallways leading to well-furnished rooms. It smelled of new books and new opportunities. It also cost money we would never have.

Benton Hall Academy, on the other hand, was not a particularly pretty place. Yes, it had been used and re-used. Layers of years showed under thicknesses of paint. Old carpet. Old furniture. Old books. Old bathrooms. But, just like they say of old houses – the school had character. And there was nothing “tired” about the people who filled its hallways and classrooms. The staff and teachers, and of course the students, generated a welcome spirit and youthful enthusiasm that more than made up for what Benton Hall Academy lacked in visual appeal. It didn’t take long before the school began to feel like a lived-in, loved-in home instead of a polished, but impersonal model school. And Zoie, who was about to leave a brand new high school facility at her other school, didn’t seem to mind Benton Hall Academy and all it’s bumps and bruises.

Zoie decided to begin the New Year of 2003 at Benton Hall Academy – despite an insensitive goodbye from a misguided counselor at her old school, “Oh Zoie, you don’t want to go there. You’re too smart. You’re not like those kids.” Sometimes I’m grateful my daughter chooses not to listen well.

Like my daughter, Benton Hall Academy is different. Its true colors, like hers, are revealed from the inside out. No, there’s not a lot of extracurriculars, but Zoie sometimes stays after school just to talk for hours with her favorite teacher.

No, there’s no Homecoming affair, but there is a prom and all high schoolers are invited (or cleverly coerced) to attend – despite the size of their prom dress or the size of their teenage bank account.

And no, there’s no marching band, but there is a rock/jazz band where rebel Zoie has been able to march to the beat of her own drum set.

Zoie is happy at Benton Hall Academy. She feels safe there. Loved there. Accepted there – just as she is. (Not to mention, she’s giddy that there’s rarely homework).

Each year, each teenage passage, we see Zoie moving closer to understanding the responsibility she has to live up to her artistic and intellectual potential and calling. And more and more, with each hard lesson learned, we are seeing that at Benton Hall Academy Zoie has begun to recognize and connect with a world outside of her. Her world is no longer “me” vs. “them.”

Would we have chosen to travel – beside our daughter – on a road so far off the beaten path? With its twists and turns and uphill climbs? No, it wasn’t the path I imagined our daughter would choose to take. The other parent’s grass always looks greener, doesn’t it? But when I think back to where we were and how far we’ve come — I thank God for the journey.

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As my son, Danny, walked up to the podium, my heart was pounding. As he began to clear his throat, over and over, I wondered if he could do it. I wanted to get out of my seat to help him, but I realized he had to do it on his own. I also realized that the staff seated on the stage would not let him down, as they had not done for nine years. They would be there for him if needed.

My tears were flowing as Danny began to speak. The gym was silent as everyone strained to hear his very quiet voice. His voice became stronger as he went on and I was astonished at how great a speaker he was.

This was my “little” boy, the one they said would never talk or read. Here he was dazzling the audience with his words and his delivery. When he finished, I was astonished to see that there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. And he was given a standing ovation.

Benton Hall Academy did this for us. If we had listened to the naysayers or had put him in public school where he likely would have been put into resource classes, we would never have seen this. Danny is now attending classes at Columbia State Community College. The transition has been rough, but because of coping skills he learned at Benton Hall Academy, Danny will make it.

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I have to admit that I was on guard waiting for something to happen because of what has happened in the past. We will have a great start and then I would hear things like ” You should send him somewhere else”, “We can’t help him” or “We don’t have time to work with him”- my heart would sink and I would feel so alone and helpless because I truly felt that I was doing everything I could to help him. I knew how wonderful he was but no one else wanted to take the time to find out.

Now, I think I can relax. I see a difference in Akile’. He smiles and he wants to go to school. He seems more at ease and able to be himself. Even this weekend, he had three friends from Benton Hall at his birthday party and that has never happened. Every parent that I have met and talked to from Benton Hall have all been lovely. It feels odd and wonderful to have people who know and understand our situation.

I love Benton Hall because my son loves Benton Hall. Thank you all for being there, for doing what you do, and for giving me some peace.

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Visionary $2,000 contributed to the success of more than 2,000 students
Nashville, TN – October 13, 2010 – With a $2,000 investment, a dream to create a unique educational environment and a passion for others, in 1977, visionary John McLaughlin successfully launched Benton Hall Academy.

Thursday, Oct. 28 at 5:30p, Benton Hall celebrates the man behind the school’s vision. McLaughlin’s dream has now become a reality having successfully educated over 2,000 students in the past 34 years.

“As we mark our second annual Founder’s Day, it is a pleasure to honor Dr. John McLaughlin, a man committed to social change, giving back to society and a true visionary,” said Rob McFadden, Headmaster of Benton Hall Academy. “McLaughlin created a legacy by initiating a unique learning environment that changes lives by educating well-deserving students who may not have fared well in traditional settings.”

Dr. McLaughlin’s vision has offered others the gift of a lifetime through education, leadership and commitment to community. Although his career accomplishments are numerous, McLaughlin says Benton Hall is his greatest professional achievement.

“To know your small gift has contributed to the success of future generations is awe-inspiring and life changing,” said McLaughlin. “Benton Hall and its continued mission to educate students who might not fare well in other schools is by far my most significant professional success.”
BHA was born out of McLaughlin’s own frustration of traditional learning institutions. Some of his high school years seemed academically irrelevant, socially isolating and inappropriate for his learning needs. McLaughlin decided he could make a difference in education. As a product of the ‘60s, he was committed to doing something socially relevant to positively impact future generations.

Reflecting on late 1970s, McLaughlin says his full wiry red beard, no necktie and the fact that he looked younger than his then 24 years were perhaps off-putting making people not take him seriously. However, he did not let perception of his outward appearance taint his inner vision.
McLaughlin now notes of the time, “I was simply lucky to have the opportunity and to be innocent enough not to realize how huge of an undertaking I had made.”

In 1977, McLaughlin borrowed $2,000 from Commerce Union Bank, put an ad in the Tennessean seeking students and subsequently opened a school. With two teachers, one student and himself, Benton Hall Academy was launched. By the end of the first year the number of registered students had grown to 11; today, eighty students are enrolled for the 2010/2011 calendar year in classes ranging from 3rd to 12th grade.

Today, McLaughlin continues his commitment to education. In his quest to improve how students are taught, he has worked tirelessly toward reforming education. After a decade at Benton Hall Academy, McLaughlin became a professor at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. In 1992, he founded the Education Industry Group and began to publish The Education Industry Report®, a monthly tracking of investments in education business, which he later sold and formed the John McLaughlin Company.

McLaughlin was engaged to initiate The National Council of Education Providers, a professional trade association, uniting the federal and state policy efforts of the nation’s sixth largest charter school companies. Since 1999, he has worked with the Nashville-based Educational Services of America, which operates over 140 schools for at-risk and special needs students in 18 states. He has also served on the boards of The Catholic Digest in St. Paul, Minn., and National Heritage Academies, the nation’s largest charter school company based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

About Benton Hall Academy:
Based in Franklin, Tenn., Benton Hall Academy is a learning institution that provides individualized education by addressing students’ unique learning styles, cultivating independent thought, and promoting the building of character to enable students to contribute to their communities in meaningful, positive ways.

Written by Susan Sizemore

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