Rob Moody ’89, President and Executive Director of Good Will-Hinckley, strives to make sure every student gets ‘a fresh start and a chance to heal.’
By Marc Glass
At first glance, Good Will-Hinckley looks like a quintessential New England college, replete with a clock-tower administration building, chapel, museum, wood-frame cottages, and even a Carnegie Library. The Colonial Revival and Queen Anne architecture of the late-19th and early-20th century sits handsomely atop gently rolling, well-manicured grounds.
To put the campus in some perspective, Good Will-Hinckley President and Executive Director Rob Moody ’89 notes that at 1,000 acres, GWH is bigger than Colby College in Waterville, not 10 miles away.
“But I’m working with one one-hundredth of their budget,” he quips.
Rob Moody ’89, President and Executive Director of Good Will-Hinckley, stands before the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences, the state’s first public charter high school and one of three educational programs on GWH’s 1,000-acre campus in Hinckley. (Photo by Marc Glass.)
Moody — who rose through the ranks at GWH as a math teacher, assistant principal, and principal of the program’s bygone Averill High School before serving as director of education, director of operations, and vice president — takes pride in the appearance and upkeep of the campus that has been a school and home for disadvantaged youth as well as a traditional college preparatory academy in its 129-year history.
A highlight of his tour is the former Moody School (no relation) that recently received $7 million in renovations and now houses the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences (MeANS). The state’s first charter public high school, MeANS offers day and residential students from Maine a curriculum grounded in farming, forestry, sustainability, alternative energy, and related fields.
The buildings, nearly all of which appear on the National Registry of Historic Places, are indeed impressive. But it’s the 300 students who learn and, in some cases, live within them that have Moody’s undivided attention.
Whether they’re enrolled in MeANS or GWH’s three other educational programs — the Glenn Stratton Learning Center, a day treatment service for K–12 students with significant social, emotional, and behavioral problems; Roundel Residential, a therapeutic residential treatment program serving youths ages 12–21; or College Step-Up, which provides young adults who have a high school diploma or GED with an opportunity to earn a degree or certification at nearby Kennebec Valley Community College — Moody has a guiding vision for their intellectual and social development.
“We provide students a place to get back on their feet and give them the skills necessary to get back into the community and doing what they want to do,” he says. “We’re always going to be here, and we’re always going to help them out, no matter what.”
In this installment of the Q&A series “Ask Me Another,” Moody explains the depth of GWH’s educational programs and services, his goals for the school’s next chapter, and why he strives to make sure “every student feels part of a family.”
Good Will-Hinckley has evolved over the years, from being a residential school for disadvantaged youth to a prep school and now home to the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences and programs for children with profound social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Given the changes over time, what’s one of the misconceptions about GWH that you frequently encounter and hope to dispel?
“People often think, isn’t Hinckley the place where only troubled kids go? Isn’t Hinckley the place troubled kids go as an alternative to jail? That’s not the case. We do have kids that have not been given a very fair shot at life. What I hope people come to understand is that kids come here to get a fresh start, to learn, and to heal. They need a judgement-free zone — to acquire the skills they need to go back into the world and accomplish what they want to achieve. Good Will-Hinckley is more than what it used to be. We offer a lot to so many kids and their families as well.”
Let’s talk about the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences. How would you describe the students enrolled in that program? What do they come here seeking?
“They want a more hands-on approach to learning in a smaller, more supportive environment. Traditional public school may not be working for them. When they come here, lo and behold, they’re happy, and they feel like they belong. And it seems to work for everybody.”
How would you describe the learning opportunities at MeANS?
“Because it’s a small school, students receive a lot of individual attention and the opportunity to do hands-on projects. They’re out and about, in the greenhouses, fields, and woods. Students can basically say, ‘This is what I want to do,’ to focus on and achieve certain standards. They could be, for example, in a certified logging program, blacksmithing, or something related to growing a one-acre garden at their house. It’s wide open.”
How are the learning basics that a student might focus on in a traditional classroom setting made part of a program like blacksmithing?
“All students are still writing, doing math problems and science research, and studying history. But they’re doing all of that in the context of larger skill activities they choose, like sustainable farming. When the learning is deeply integrated, and not treated as separate subjects, it’s great to see how much more excited they can be about learning. Sometimes they’re doing algebra without even realizing it.”
How does having Kennebec Valley Community College adjacent to campus provide MeANS students with additional learning opportunities?
“They can take a lot of what KVCC offers. Right now, we have students taking courses in agriculture, welding, and timber-framing construction. A lot of our juniors and seniors, and sometimes sophomores, take advantage of it. It’s really exciting for them to be able to have that option.”
Let’s turn to the Glenn Stratton Learning Center and Roundel Residential program. How would you describe the students these facets of GWH serve?
“We have 24 students in Roundel and 32 in Glenn Stratton, our day treatment program. We’ll probably successfully transition 8 to 10 kids back into their public schools this year. Some of the children are learning disabled and emotionally disturbed. Some have autism. Most of them have multiple issues. What’s exciting is that the teachers and the therapists work with the families as well as the children. Some of our Roundel Residential students have come from Long Creek Youth Development Center. Some of our students have come back from Arkansas, Alabama, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York because previously there were no other programs of this kind available to help them here in Maine. Working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services, it made sense for us to start Roundel Residential, because we have the expertise to be able to work with and serve these kids and their families. We’re pretty excited to get these students back in Maine, and to be able to work with their families to get them back home if that’s where they want or need to be. That is the goal. Every kid deserves a family. That’s our motto. It’s pretty rewarding when they get to that point.”
In some cases, though, there isn’t a family or a functioning family structure to come home to. What are the dynamics you see behind that reality?
“One of the contributing factors is the opioid problem and where that’s left kids. A lot of the kids that we have here, they’re not going back to a biological mum and dad — they’re going back to grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, or cousins because mum or dad just haven’t been able to parent. Some of these kids have been dealt a pretty bad hand, and they haven’t been able to play it very well. They’ve needed a lot of help along the way to get them back on their feet. And that’s what we pride ourselves on here.”
You’re a career educator, but when you talk about students at GWH, you reveal a sense of responsibility for their well-being that extends far beyond their intellectual development. What’s the source of this commitment?
“I was surrounded by that commitment all through my childhood and growing up. My father was principal at Monmouth Academy and my mother worked there as well. We always had kids at our house, kids who needed help, and we always took them in to live with us. I called them brothers and sisters. They weren’t blood relatives, but they would come in and be a part of our family. Always. We have several cottages on campus that are either empty or need to be renovated. These buildings need kids in them. So I’m working hard on that — to be able to offer a home and helping hand to kids who need it.”