BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Bowers Academy in Bloomfield Hills, the district’s alternative educational program, will look different next year.

The district decided to move the academy from Bowers School Farm to the Model Building, on the Bloomfield Hills High School campus.

Bowers Academy originally opened at Bowers School Farm in 1998. The program averages 25-30 students annually..

Next school year, the academy will move to the new location and will be open to 10th-12th graders. The academy was previously only open to 11th and 12th graders.

A representative from the district broke the news to Bowers Academy students during the school day. This delivery of the news came hours before parents were emailed about this transition, according to Bowers Academy parent Michelle Gilbert.

“It was truly devastating,” Gabby Gilbert, a junior at Bowers Academy, said.

According to Michelle Gilbert, Gabby Gilbert’s mother, it was later revealed that the delay in communications with the parents was a glitch and that the intention was for an email to go out as the students were told the news.

“I wish they would have engaged us from the beginning, and I hope that they have learned from this experience and that, going forward, for future families, they will get back to the transparency and engagement that this district has been so good at in the past,” Michelle Gilbert said.

“Bloomfield Hills Schools is committed to clear, timely and supportive communication. We recognize that at the outset of this transition, our communication to students and families did not fully meet that standard. We’ve taken that feedback seriously and are using it as a learning opportunity to strengthen how we engage with our school community moving forward,” Karen Huyghe Bloomfield Hills Schools director of communications, said in an email. “Since that time, we’ve prioritized consistent outreach and support for students, families, and staff. This has included one-on-one conversations, transition planning meetings, and academic counseling to ensure a thoughtful and student-centered move. As the transition continues, we remain focused on supporting everyone.”

Michelle Gilbert said she recently met with the superintendent. “We had what I would consider to be a very compassionate conversation.”

Huyghe said that as part of the alternative education transition, they designed flexible scheduling to allow alternative education students to continue engaging with the farm.

“It’s important to note that access to the farm is not ending — students across the district will continue to benefit from this unique resource. We are committed to preserving this experience as a vital part of our educational ecosystem,” Huyghe said in an email.

The Bowers Academy experience

Gabby Gilbert began attending Bowers Academy in January.

“I’d say one of the biggest reasons I moved is probably for my mental health,” she said.

Michelle Gilbert said that, “even though it appeared she was thriving grade-wise, inside, she was really struggling, and she wanted a smaller environment. She felt like she wanted to be a part of a community, and she didn’t feel she was getting that at the larger high school.”

Michelle Gilbert said that when her daughter first approached her and her husband about going to Bowers Academy, they did not have a full understanding of the impact that the farm could make on their daughter’s education and well-being. Since their daughter has been at Bowers Academy, Michelle Gilbert said, they have witnessed growth that they did not see at the main high school.

“I enjoy working with animals, but I truly didn’t know how much I would love it on the farm. It’s a place where you don’t even have to interact with the animals, but being able to sit in the classroom and look out and see this beautiful 90-acre farm, mid-class on a sunny day, is the most reviving and refreshing thing to see,” Gabby Gilbert said.

After finding out the news about the move from the farm, Gabby Gilbert and her peers gathered 1,000 signatures in a week on a petition titled “Let Students Stay At Bowers Farm For Our Senior Year.”

The decision

On the decision-making process, Michelle Gilbert said, “We were really disappointed that they made all these decisions behind closed doors without engaging the people who it directly impacted.”

When asked about the process that led to the decision to move Bowers Academy, Huyghe said in an email that it was part of a continuous evaluation process.

“The decision to transition our alternative education program to the Model Building, located on the Bloomfield Hills High School campus, was the result of a thoughtful and student-centered planning process.”

According to the emailed statement from Huyghe “a leadership transition within the Bowers Academy program presented a natural opportunity for the district to take a deeper look at how we serve students who thrive in an alternative education setting. Over the course of several months, collaborative discussions were centered on how the District could best support student success, enhance access to resources, and sustain the program for the future.”

Huyghe added, “Ultimately, relocating the alternative education program allowed the District to provide students with broader academic and extracurricular opportunities, increased support services, and continued personalized instruction — all while remaining true to the values of alternative education.”

When asked about how this decision would change the school’s finances, Huyghe responded in an email statement: “While the move may offer some operational efficiencies, such as shared support services, this decision was not driven by finances. It was based on what is best for students. Our priority is enhancing educational opportunities and support systems while maintaining the core values of the alternative education program with the goal of increasing student access to resources and improving student outcomes.”