Needham, MA – JRI, an organization that operates specialized schools and provides trauma-informed care to children and families in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, today announced that its Southeast Alternative School, with campuses located in Middleboro and Sandwich, is being renamed Anchor Academy.    

Anchor Academy serves students across Southeastern Massachusetts who are challenged by social, emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities and whose educational needs cannot be met by their local school district.  The school provides its students with challenging academics in a safe, supportive, therapeutic-rich environment, helping them navigate their way to individualized success.

“We believe our new name better reflects our mission, which is to anchor our students by providing the supports they require to successfully achieve their academic, social and emotional goals,” said Lindsay Savageau, M.Ed., JRI’s Southeast Educational Programming Division Director.  “We believe that there are multiple paths to educational success and that all students have the capacity to become lifelong learners.”

All nine JRI schools, including Anchor Academy, were recently declared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to be in full compliance with its requirements.  The schools use a strength-based approach that enhances resiliency by promoting positive relationships, self-regulation and competency.