When students walk through the doors of Independence Academy, they'll be asked to commit to several things immediately: non-violence, open communication and social responsibility, among them.
They'll also be asked to "cultivate their emotional intelligence," said Joanne Haley Sullivan, executive director of North River Collaborative, which is overseeing Brockton's new recovery high school.
Drug and alcohol abuse stunts a teenager's ability to manage his emotions and identify how he feels, Sullivan said. Focusing on improving that part of a recovering drug addict's sense of self is one of the defining characteristics of the state's fourth high school for students recovering from drug addiction. It is set to open its doors Monday on Belmont Street.
Sullivan helped lead a task force that began about two years ago a campaign to open a recovery high school in Brockton.
"It's not a laissez-faire environment," she said. "But discipline procedures are designed to help students learn to take social responsibility, rather than to be punitive. Our real goal is to help students learn."
Independence Academy will have three teachers, two counselors and an in-take coordinator to start, all led by principal Richard Melillo. As of last week, officials were still handling a handful of referrals, and Sullivan said the school may open Monday with just one or two students.
The facility at 460 Belmont St. is adjacent to the Brockton Fairgrounds. It has the capacity for 50 students. Staff started moving in last week, Sullivan said. She said drawing students to a new school was difficult when there wasn't a finished facility to show them.
With final touches - including a cafeteria which is scheduled to be finished shortly, the school is a realization of a need long unmet in southeastern Massachusetts, Sullivan said.
"People are taking a leap of faith to go to a brand new school," Sullivan said.
The Northshore Recovery High School in Beverly, for example, opened with about a dozen students five years ago, said Director Michelle D. Lipinski. It now boasts more than 50.
Melillo, the new school's principal, said the goal is to have 20 students in Brockton by the end of this school year. Referrals have come from all over, including Brockton, Quincy, Mansfield and Weymouth.
"As we build our track record, I think it will come," Sullivan said.
Other characteristics unique to the school also include challenge meetings, where a class or the entire school will gather to discuss problems when a particular situation or problem arises, Sullivan said.
Yoga and meditation classes will also be part of the curriculum, in addition to physical education courses.
"Embedded into the curriculum is a sense of the wellness piece," Melillo said. "I think that makes us a little more unique than the other schools."
