Mission. Bowers Academy focuses on maximizing student potential by providing every learner access to  a non-traditional, comprehensive, and place-based learning experience. We embrace individuality, foster relationships, and ignite passions today and beyond. By integrating school, farm, and community, our program strengthens individual growth, sharpens real world skills, builds core values, and promotes social awareness for all.

After 26 years, Bowers Academy is closing. Located on Bowers School Farm, the Academy is an experiential learning opportunity for students who seek a nontraditional high school. When I served on the Board of Education a few years ago, we were asked to identify the main thing we thought defined Bloomfield Hills Schools in an effort to update the mission statement. For me, it was options — understanding that our students learn best in ways unique to them, and offering choices to best fit their needs makes our district more inclusive. 

I was sad when I heard the Academy was closing. I reached out to friends on the Board of Education and was shocked to learn that the Board had no knowledge of the closing. Neither did parents of the Academy students. I still cannot believe that a beloved Bloomfield Hills Schools high school could close with no board vote, no warning — no consideration for the students who attend. 

I am old enough to have lived through the last two sets of building closures and consolidations. What made the difficult transitions easier was that the community was involved from the start. Through meetings, town halls, websites and emails, the community was informed. During the most recent closures, the district — and the superintendent personally — answered every single question posed by concerned parents and students. We held building closure and new building opening celebrations. We voted on mascots and school colors. 

There is no way this could happen without anyone knowing.

We fought for many years to make transparency a priority in BHS operations. That starts with the Board of Education meetings. The public has the right to know how their schools are led. It's protected in the Open Meetings Act. I lost track of how many meetings were scheduled as "closed" incorrectly. Transparency is essential in building trust. We worked hard to earn the trust of the community, which was at a low point during Covid closures. 

To be clear, the School Board did not vote to close Bowers Academy. At least some of the Board Trustees were not told that it was closing or even that it had been announced to students yesterday. 

Who is making these decisions? Why is the Academy closing? 

Without transparency, skepticism breeds. I was told that this is definitely not an economic decision. Students were told that the reason was "poor academic outcomes." That makes no sense to me. I saw the data. Since the the the first graduating class of three students in 1999, the attendance and graduation rates increased to 84% and 94% respectively. 

Without any explanation, the clandestine closure of an essential part of BHS invites speculation. The anti-DEI crusade has spread faster than most could imagine. The damage is irreparable. Those most vulnerable are at the most risk. I read a list of questions the confused and scared students were in the process of collecting. The predominate concern was for their safety. They wondered if they would be subjected to the nasty comments and a unfriendly environment — the very circumstances that led them to Bowers Academy in the first place. 

Is Bowers Academy the first program to be lost in a sweeping erasure of DEI, and with it, the institutional erosion of empathy and compassion? I worry about our special education students, now under "protection" of a director who is ignorant of the population he serves. But the latest blow hits very close to home. 

Vision. Students who thrive in a small environment that develops character, integrity, compassion for others, and academic skills will find success at Bowers Academy. Founded to address the needs of non-traditional learners, Bowers Academy balances academic challenge with self-reflection, exceptionally small class sizes, and the unique learning environment of Bowers Farm.  Our ultimate goal at Bowers Academy is to graduate competent, empathetic, aware, and empowered individuals.