Elevate Academy

Elevate Academy carries on the Heritage legacy today for students with mood & anxiety struggles and attachment challenges. See our new Executive Director Blake, school principal Joni, and beloved teacher Kristen share their passion for the students we serve.

Elevate Academy in The Heritage Community Elevate Academy helps adolescents with attachment traumas, mood and anxiety disorders, and adverse childhood experiences. Our relationship based model based ...

The Alta home is open with a brand new identity - that of a girls home! In recent months we mixed up the girls in our milieu to better serve the social needs of the current students. Rather than try to merge the identities of already-established home cultures, the girls had the bright idea to move into a vacant home on campus and establish a new cultural identity all together. 🏡

Once upon a time Alta was affectionately called “the little boy’s home,” and now it feels warm and welcoming to again be filled with students in the process of growing to heal & thrive. 🌟

“When you ask our kids what they want to do, who they want to BE, they light up. That is life-changing for a teenager, to have someone be leaving you and be excited about your future,” says Kristen Utley of the Elevate Academy.

Here’s a little sneak peek of Kristen working her magic with students, deep diving into the Transition Planning part of their Individualized Education Plan. She wants every student to thoroughly understand their plan and how it can help them move toward a future they are excited about.

Are you a pickleball fan? The sport is all the rage in Utah - courts are going into parks all over the valley where Heritage sits - but we are lucky to have our own court in our very own gym. Just one more way we keep students active in the name of mental & physical health!
..aaaaand, stay tuned because in a few months we will also have some brand-new *outdoor* pickleball courts, thanks to a generous donation from a former parent. :)

Hoku is back! And oh, how we’ve missed her!

You might ask “Who is Hoku?” and the answer is that Hoku spent many years at Heritage as a dedicated residential caregiver, leading girls homes with warmth and often tough love. She is firm and solid in what she expects and in creating the sort of environment that promotes healing. The energy of every home she leads reflects that 💗.

A few years back Hoku “retired” to raise her own family of four young children, and now that they are in school, she is back to add her talents to the Elevate Academy on the Sundance home. The girls have warmed to her immediately and it’s fair to say that *everyone* is delighted to have her back.

Relationships and the amazing people we work with are what makes Heritage great!

Elevate Academy Alumni! Will you take a moment to share your updates with us? Anonymously if you choose :)

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Heritage, we would love to hear what you're up to as we honor our history of changing lives. Will you take a moment to share with us? Please fill out any of the questions below that are of interest to you; please note very few are "required" so answer whatever you have time for! We look forward to hearing from you and wish you well on your continued path!

Many of our students experience the wonder of Utah’s majestic scenery for the first time while residing with us. The most common backdrop is the snow-capped mountains🏔️where Heritage is located, but the second most common sight are the red rocks of Southern Utah for camping or home retreats. 🏜️

It’s that time again! Elevate students are gearing up for the annual summer camping trips! Do you have any camping stories to share?

Elevate’s outdoor adventure program is focused on helping students try new things & embrace the outdoors! The famous Sundance resort is very close - 15 minutes from campus - and Heritage holds annual corporate passes for the use of our staff & students. This means fabulous winter and summer activities are available year round for the adventuring of our students.

Elevate Academy offers all students the chance to ski or snowboard weekly during ski season. They attend with their home peers on a Monday or Wednesday each week.

If a student has never skied or snowboarded before, no worries! Students will choose what they want to learn and our staff teach each of them. Many students start on the bunny hill and before we know it are cruising around the rest of the mountain.

Chromebooks are a regular sight in classrooms - we think it’s important for students to have a healthy relationship with technology and be prepared for life after treatment. 💻