Before it was purchased by Bob Jones the Woodland Hills School provided valuable services and education to students with Asperger's Syndrome, a milder form of autism.
Then it's focused was changed to an elite sports academy, sound familiar?
The Kiwi import rugby players were registered at this school for the 2008 season.
Many similarities to the HR program of getting the best football players in the valley and combining them with "elite" import players from other states.
Their efforts to apply this non sustainable philosophy to football, rugby and basketball have crashed and burned. Yes they had a rugby program.
The biggest losers are the youth with Asperger Syndrome and their families.
What is the connection between Bob Jones and Larry Gilwex?
USC sports acadamy and rugby.
USC Sports Acadamy article in the Salt Lake Tribune. Read the comments. Another sad case of the invisible collateral damage from selfish business ventures.
Below are two of the comments from the newspaper article:
"Woodland Hills has changed a lot since I graduated there. It is true Woodland Hills is a school for special needs as well as an alternative school. (When I went there we didn't have sports teams. We'd be lucky enough to have 70 students in the whole school) As opposed to 300+ that were enrolled last year. In my opinion the financial problems began to happen when Mr Bob Jones decided to try and turn this school in to a sports academy. When you pay the football coaches 70,000 a year... there's bound to be money issues. As far as his claims that Woodland Hills was in trouble to begin with. More like they lived within there means. What about all your expensive field trips Mr Jones? Why not mention that out of state football program you had going where you bus the football team around US and Canada"
"Perhaps some of you will remember this school by its more recent incarnation as Utah Southern Community High School - aka the all sports high school. The school that was going to recruit top athletes from all over the world to give them a direct link to college sport scholarships... for a hefty fee. My guess is that the owner and administration (former principal) are responsible for the rapid fall. What the article didn't say is that this WAS Woodland Hills School. It WAS focused on students with Asperger's Disease. Yeah, it was in trouble when Bob bought it, but when they alienated much of the student body by changing the focus to sports it greased the skids. Hate to say it, but I told you it would happen."
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