Although many students are unfamiliar with the hilly terrain of Chestnut Hill, about 30 students regularly attend Brookline High School there at its separate campus, Winthrop House.

Located in the Baldwin School, the Winthrop House offers individualized support in a special education alternative program for students who have difficulty balancing school with external conflicts.

“Winthrop House is a therapeutic school program and we have a lot of counseling resources with access throughout the day to social workers,” Winthrop House Chair Owen Minott said. “We use the term ‘safe haven.’ ”

Students are referred to the Winthrop House typically due to continued academic and emotional difficulty on the main campus and after several discussions with the parents, guidance counselor and teachers.

“If a student isn’t doing well at the main campus for various reasons, at some point there might be recognition that the student has a disability and will be evaluated through psychological and educational testing,” Minott said. “We don’t like the term disability, but it’s embedded in the process.”

Its alternative education system sets Winthrop House apart from other individualized student programs, such as Opportunity for Change and Steps to Success. The program emphasizes individualized support for students, according to Winthrop House English teacher Amy Sawyer.

Students have the opportunity to meet with social workers regularly.

“At the main campus, you’re part of a huge school, and it’s rather isolating, whereas here, you have support,” said Sawyer.

The majority of the material taught in class at Winthrop House is equivalent to the material taught at the main campus, according to Sawyer. Teachers, however, are flexible because students may miss amounts of school due to personal concerns. As a result, teachers often work closely with individuals in their classes of four to eight students.

According to dance teacher Christien Polos, who also teaches at Winthrop House, sometimes students will leave class if they want to speak with a social worker, and this kind of flexibility is crucial to help students get back on track.

“The separate setting away from the campus creates a smaller, calmer environment with small classes with a lot of support built in,” said Minott. “There are teachers who are incredibly good at what they do academically but also very knowledgeable about the issues that might get in the way for the kids.”

According to Minott and Sawyer, the goal of the Winthrop House is to help students be successful and productive learners who are well prepared for their transition back to the main campus or to a less restrictive setting. For seniors, the goal might be to prepare them for college or the next step in life.

“Students here are very strong academically, but sometimes they can’t [demonstrate it] because some of the emotional stuff gets in the way,” said Sawyer. “Once they get the emotional stuff in place, they’re going to be very successful with what they do.”

Polos said that some students at Winthrop House produce art to supplement class work, such as creating a 3-D helix diagram, or to portray their emotions via clay, paint, music or dance.

“I give them opportunities to help them express themselves,” Polos said.

The Winthrop House offers English, math, science, social studies, Spanish and art classes throughout the day and then are taught at a standard or honors level.

Students can also choose to take additional classes not offered in the program, such as select art classes or even advanced classes, according to Minott. Although sometimes difficult to coordinate, Minott said that students, for example, have taken art classes in the morning blocks at the main campus and returned to the Winthrop House for the rest of the day.

While academic opportunities are readily available, it is not always as easy for students to build relationships with others, according to Sawyer. Not only do many students have personal concerns, but it may be difficult for students to find similarities between themselves due to the small size of the program.

“Sometimes we take the first part of class to talk about what they’re going to do over the weekend or what they’re going to do over vacation as a way to bond as a group,” Sawyer said. “We work very hard to find activities to bring the students together.”

Teaching does not always come easily at Winthrop House, according to Sawyer.

“You never know how a certain kid is going to act, and you don’t know what’s happened to them before they’ve come to school, and you don’t know the struggle they’ve had walking into the school building,” Sawyer said. “It can be challenging.”

Nevertheless, both Minott and Sawyer said that the majority of students at Winthrop House leave with potential for further success.

“There are so many amazing transformations that take place here. It’s very rewarding to watch kids grow and evolve and develop, to see them go from point A to point B,” said Sawyer. “It’s an amazing journey because there are a lot of ups and downs, and sometimes I think to myself, ‘Are they ready for the next step?’ When it gets to the point that they are, it’s amazing to see how much they can really accomplish.”

“They are much more relaxed, happy and ready to go on to a college that they’re perfectly excited about,” said Minott in regards to seniors who graduate from Winthrop House.

Winthrop House is just one of many programs offered at the school to provide students with an alternative method to create positive change.

“I see the kids as individuals,” said Minott. “I like the idea that the Winthrop House is often a very tolerable opportunity for change.”

Sabina Lee and Jackie Merrill can be contacted at [email protected].