Diamond Ranch Academy | Stone Ridge Campus for 12-16 Year Old Boys

Charlie Brown Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 09:49:19 PST

This year for Christmas Eve we had the boys involved in a little competition. We wanted them to decorate the dorm with Christmas decorations but only using the items they are given on a daily basis. This was to help them remember that Christmas is about giving not just recieving. The boys did amazing and here is some of their handy work!

Not a bad sign to be greeted with in a dorm?

I particularly like the fireplace!

This is truly a made from scratch Christmas tree!

Charlie Brown's tree has got nothing on this one!!

Who doesn't need a Christmas Frog!

These guys were all about the signs not the tree!

Who needs interior decorators when you got these guys!!!

The youth had an amazing time with this even though it was a joke in a way it gave the students a little more Christmas spirit and they showed ti throughout the following day on Christmas. They were all so thankful for the small gifts they recieved. They got the true meaning of Christmas "giving and not just recieving", as well as gifts of service and gifts from the heart are worth more than any toy or electronic!!

Pumkins and Donuts

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 08:04:53 PST

Who doesn't love a good glazed donut? Yes there was a bit of a twist on it. It was hanging and you couldn't use your hands!!!

Some of these guys took awhile to eat the whole donut.

Some just kicked back and relaxed in the shade while playing the game.

Big bites like this seem to work the best.

No hands fellas! Yes that is fake blood on the staff :)

Then top it all off with some eyeballs for a snack!

Mega Slide

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:16:37 PST

The MEGA SLIDE was pretty fun. They was a few rug burns from it but that didn't stop the boys!

Geronimo!

Face first is way more fun!

You go! No you go!

Where the heck am I?

The Gauntlet!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:05:28 PST

The students loved this event they spent a lot of time at this one. You might think it would be a good time to take out aggression on someone but, for the most part it was just clean fun that became a riot to watch.

Timber!!

The stand off!

One foot style!

Hasn't felt the pain yet!

The wind up!

Please tell him to not break my 2 foot boundary! :)

Staff can have fun too!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 10:51:21 PST

During the Halloween Party some of our staff decided to get into the halloween spirit! Here are just a few of the costumes that showed up! See if you can find out who they are!

Is that Micheal Jackson??

"Shall I excuse myself I feel overly dressed for the event?"

This one might be a little harder to find out but just think," who else is going to ride a horse"??

HAlloWeEn Day!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:38:12 PDT

Halloween Day started around 11:30am and this is the scene they walked down to from their big building. It was like Christmas for them!!

As the boys were walking down and saw this they started to get really excited and some even screamed like little children.

Then they were gentlemen that let the Ladies eat first as they watched with great anticipation.......

Then it was time for lunch! It was a ton of food and it was Delicious!

Here is one happy kid after getting his plate..

Connor couldn't wait to eat his food not even for a photo!

Mike and Ryan got a kick out of Nathan's costume!

We had a bunch of staff dress up and they are on the next blog!

Newest Advancements!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:40:39 PDT

Here are our newest Supervisors and Manager.

Way to go man!

He finally took charge of his program!

He couldn't stop smiling!

Upper Level status here I come!

From Chips to Nachos!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:33:05 PDT

Tonight we had an upper level meeting and discussed being committed to the program and the process. We watched the movie Avatar and related to the boys and their programs. We also gave the boys plain tortilla chips and discussed how these are good but not great, we related the chips to them when they first get here and were in O&A. Then we had warm Nacho Cheese Sauce and gave them more chips and this time they got the Nacho Cheese on top of the chips and we related it to them now.And how they are getting better as a person and a Family...

The guys said it reminded them of the swimming pool in the summer and getting them at the snack shop.

This was taken late at night and they all still smiled for the camera! They really did have a great time.

DRA's Got Talent

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 08:30:01 PDT

We had DRA's Got Talent yesterday and there was some really good acts. We also were able to see the Drama Club perform some of the scenes they will be doing this weekend at the Festival. Here are just a few of the boys that played guitars and sang. Unfortunately there were no entries this time from the Stone Ridge Boys. It was a country theme this time and the boys didn't feel confident with their ability to "go country"...

He could play really well, he played a Jack Johnson song.

Here are the SR boys watching but not performing.

These 2 boys made an original piece that sounded really good.

Tough game for the D-Back Football team

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:49:30 PDT

Football had a tough game against Duchene. The team started off in really good spirits. As you can see from the photo on one of the kickoffs where the guys on the sideline are chanting and yelling with their helmets raised. Here are a couple pictures from the game for you to see if you were unable to watch the live stream..

sgfsadg

Defense was tough with all the different looks that Duchene gave us with each play.

There were some pretty hard hits during the game like this one. Too bad there isn't sound on this!

The night ended pretty dark and gloomy but the D Backs will bounce back.

Putting the level work to the test!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:18:37 PDT

Tonight we had a meeting with some of the boys and discussed how they can use their level work in their lives when they get back home. We even gave them a little test?? We watched the movie Hitch and then had the boys descibe and say what personalities the 5 main characters were. This is what the majority said:

Hitch: Blue/Yellow

Sarah M: Red/Blue

Albert B: White/Yellow

Allegra C: Blue/White

Casey Sarah's Friend: Blue/Yellow

Let us know what you think by emailing your campus director or by sending an email to your son. Did they pick right or wrong?????

Game Night

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:58:27 PDT

Lately I have been asked by students "What can I do when I get home to stay away from the bad influences?" And my response was, "What did you do for fun?". Surprisingly there were a lot of different answers. Here were some;

1. I would hang with my friends.

2. I would make things like oragami.

3. Watch movies.

4. Go to the mall.

So a couple fo the staff and I got together and decided to teach the boys some of the games and things we do for fun that are clean and sober activities. We taught them different card games and got some really cheap treats and had a blast!!! The boys said they forgot how much fun they could have doing these types of things. We then encouraged all of them to use the games on their visits and home visits. So parents please ask your students (if they are in the pictures) to teach you some of the games they learned next visit...

Can't go wrong with some refreshing SPRITE!

Some cheap snacks and a few decks of cards and we are ready to go!

These guys were playing NERTZ and FARKLE.

These guys played Pirates Dice. Arrgh matey!

Jeremy headed up an intense game of NINES.

This was the second table of NERTZ, the guys thought it was confusing at first but got into it later on. So enjoy guys and thanks for having a blast with us!!

DRA Football Team Beats Agassi !!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:44:28 PDT

We had the opportunity to showcase our skills against Agassi Prep on Friday. It was an amazing game! We were down in the first quarter by 2 then we came out and never let them score again!! It was so awesome to see the boys come together and get a victory!

Special teams preparing for the kickoff!

Final score Agassi 8---DRA 26!! Go D-Backs

Art Therapy

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:22:09 PDT

During group therapy today one of our therapist Nathan, did an awesome group where the students made 2 sided masks!! One side was what they thought they looked like and the other one was what they thought everyone else thought they looked like. Here are a few pics of what they came up with..

Here is Alec working hard on his.

It was really cool to see everyone working together on them and giving each other "tips" on what to draw.

This was a really happy looking face..

Is this meaning he is blushing all the time?? This one turned out very nice.

Eric was doing an amazing job on his masks.

This was one of the masks that the students thought other people thought of him. It is supposed to be a "shady character".

This is Nathan finishing up the group. The boys really liked the group and had some really good insight as well.

Golf Course work project

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:01:44 PDT

We had a service project at Kokapelli golf course today. It was really fun we were able to see the entire golf course and the amazing views!! It was hard work and in the blazing heat!! Most of the boys have a really good work ethic and attitude about helping others...Here are a few pics of the service project...

This was after the service project right by the club house!

Here is a picture of one of the students working hard....This is a effect on the camera but thought it looked cool..

Here is a couple of students walking across the course after raking a sand pit. This picture shows how hot is was there!

These 2 guys were just finishing up the sand trap and taking a bit of a break..

Here we are all lined in our golf carts.. The boys enjoyed this part the most....

It looked like were in some sort of parade!! But it was really fun..

Pickleball is Back!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:52:43 PDT

So last Thursday for the upper level meeting we went down to Hurricane and the local Pickleball courts... We had an Tremendous time!! Here are a few pictures of the games!!

Ryan and Walker were actually undefeated!!

Joe and Zack had good teamwork!!

Rhett and Jake making it happen!

Scott and Cameron on a big serve I believe this was game point!

Brandon was giving Jon a tutorial on how to play the game!

The boys loved it and want to go again.. So if you are looking for something to do on your upcoming visit this is a really fun time and is close... Enjoy!

Black and White Scrimmage

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:36:39 PDT

White team trying to look tough.

Black at their best.

Do the chickens have sharp tallons? It was a game about who could catch the chicken the fastest.

Taking care of business. The champion.

Don't try this at home. Fitting as many marshmallows in your mouth as they can and saying chubby bunny afterwards.

Chubby bunny!

Team Diamondbacks. Preparing to get ready for the road to take state!

Bring the "big hair bands" back. Nick was the true headbaning champion.( he had a pedometer tied to his head and had to get as many counts on it as he could by moving his head)

Teach me how to dougie!! Ryan showing people how to dance.

Its harder then you think. Catching oreos in your mouth from your fourhead.

Team white trying to prepare for some true competition.

Team black preping for the battle!!

The students had a blast at the pep rally and the football team did amazing. it looks like it will be a good year for DRA. Good luck to all the guys that are playing.... See you at STATE!!

Artists!! at DRA

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:32:07 PDT

The students have recently started to display some of their art work they have done. The art teacher Rod has done some really amazing work with the youth in teaching them the skills they need to do gorgeous art work. Here are a few of the pieces on display right now in the boys big building.

Come see the real thing on your next visit!!

DRA Football Camp!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:28:19 PDT

The Football Team was lucky enough to be able to go to this beautiful Oasis in the desert hills on Friday!! The not so good news for them is that they had to travel by foot to get there! At first the struggle was not that bad until the legs start to burn and you still cannot see the finish line (kinda like a marathon). Then the teamwork comes into play and the "natural leaders" come out and start to motivate and push the other players to do their absolute best!! It is an awesome spectacle to witness!! Then the players see this waterfall in the distance and realize why the coaches have brought them here and the tears start to flow freely and the chants and screams of joy can be heard for miles and everyone picks up speed and in that moment the players go from a "selfish one man show" to a TEAM that will never be broken!

Here they are eating a "simple" lunch before the Luau that was planned for dinner! (they didn't know that either).

Here is a few boys packing their lunches to get the "good" seats.

Your 2011 DRA football team!! Let's take state fellas!!

Pie eating contest!! Summer Bash

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:28:46 PDT

At the end of the summer fun day the guys were able to participate in a pie eating contest!! The students were really excited for this event and all started bragging how many pies they could eat. Every year they say 5 or 6 whole pies but due to the limited amount of sweets in their diet at the ranch they usually have a hard time putting away more than one slice. It is still really fun!

On your mark...... get set.......... GO!!!

Faces of a job well done!!

Some tried to save a bit for a snack later on!

Nick can really get into a slice of pie!

Chayton just really wanted a gotee!

Nick was ahead at this point!!

Ryan was scoping out the competition.....

Jake had to take a break to catch his breath!!!

Scott said he was just really happy to get some pie!

Anthony tried to keep it off his face but then couldn't resist!

Iain was going for the "clown" look he said..

The boys had a blast at all the different events and are really excited for the next big thing!! They all slept amazing that night even thought they had more sugar than normal!!

Swimming in the Pond!! Summer Bash

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:23:49 PDT

After the Human Battleships the students were able to go to the lower pond and go swimming. We provided canoes and life vests and life gaurds to make sure everyone was safe.

There was another person taking this picture and I just happened to get them this way!

It was funny to see the students getting impatient and then tipping the canoes and when they would "jump ship".!!

These guys definitely had safety on their minds, way to go guys!!

A few of the boys tried to get rid of their summer "farmer tans" by taking off their shirts and it made it easier to swim as well.

Soren taking a leisurely swim.

A lot of the boys had some pretty good tricks! Here is a pair of backflips!!

These guys could not manage to keep their canoe on top of the water!! Man over board!!

It was a really fun day and the boys were totally beat after swimming and so we did............coming soon!

Human Battle Ships Summer Bash

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:24:26 PDT

After the BBQ we went to "Human Battleship" with Water Balloons!! This was a really fun event the boys were on the volleyball court and there was a tarp over the net so they could not see the other side. Then they lined up in a "ship" and could not move. Then the other team would launch water balloons over the tarp trying to hit and knockout one of the players. If the player was tagged with a water balloon then he sat out.

Here are a few pics from the event.

Getting lined up in battle formations!

Guys were trying to not look up for the water balloons that were coming so they wouldn't be tempted to move.

This team watched with great anticipation! The other team had an orchestrated attack right at this ship!

This team survived quite a few attacks and then...........

Notice the red balloon that is headed straight for the last man on the ship!!

This one barely missed his head and he stayed in the game to "fight another day"!!

It was really cool to see the boys coming together to play this game and have a blast doing it!

BBQ for Summer Bash

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:20:40 PDT

We had our Summer Bash on the 6th of July this year and it was a blast!! We started off with a Movie at the theatres(sorry I didn't have my camera to take pictures at the theatre) and the boys were really well behaved and enjoyed it thoroughly! Then we came back to the Ranch and and had an amazing BBQ with Hamburgers and Hotdogs and got to watch a bunch of students and staff get dunked in the dunk tank!!

Growing boys can really put away the food!!

I believe everyone is laughing because one of the staff just got dunked in the tank!

The dunk tank was pretty distracting but really fun to watch.

Couple of guys enjoying their meal!

Too busy eating to smile for this one!

There will be other blogs coming soon with the rest of the activities we did on the Summer Bash!

Dorm 7 Popsicle Stand

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 08:03:56 PDT

The students in dorm 7 decided to have a popsicle stand for the other students at recreation the other day. It was a blast and the guys loved it!!

Stone Ridge came through first.

This picture caught one of the students off guard and it was hilarious to see the differnce between these two.

After the popsicle stand we had a B-Ball tournament!! Here are a few pictures of the tournament!

The guys loved the tournament and were dead tired afterwards. It was really fun to watch as well!!

Dom and Trevor's Graduations!!

noreply@blogger.com (www.diamondranchacademy.com) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:26:04 PDT

On Friday we had some really awesome graduations!! The boys were really emotional and had some really awesome advice for the student body. Here are some pics of the students and the people involved that helped them through their journey!

Kade and Trevor What a pair of Blues!!

Stuart and Dom Crazy yellows!

Getting the paperwork to make it FINAL!

Dom and his Dad

Trevor and his Mom, it is so nice to see these young men able to show affection for their parents in front of all of their peers like this!

Trevor and his Dad

One final step of making his mark!

Dom leaving his legacy!!

These boys turned to men and will always have a home away from home and will be missed dearly. Good job and good luck fellas!!