Monmouth County 'Recovery High School' Helps Teens Get Sober

LINCROFT, NJ — Many people may not be aware there is a recovery high school located in the Lincroft section of Middletown.

What is a "recovery high school?" This is a high school specifically for teenagers who want to end their addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, e-cigarettes and vaping, prescription pills and drugs such as marijuana and even heroin.

The 9-12th grade high school is called K.E.Y.S. (Knowledge Empowers Youth and Sobriety) Academy Recovery High School and it technically is part of the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District.

It is located on the serene, leafy Brookdale community college campus.

Teenagers do not just have to live in Matawan-Aberdeen or even Monmouth County to attend: K.E.Y.S. Academy pulls students from as far south as Bayville and South Brunswick in Middlesex.

The high school opened its doors in 2017 and was the brainchild of Jennise Nieves, vice principal at K.E.Y.S., and Nelyda Perez, assistant superintendent at Matawan-Aberdeen Regional.

The idea originated when the two women were working in the Long Branch public school system, Nieves as a student counselor and Perez as a principal.

"In our 10 years together in that district, we saw several students overdose, with some of them being fatal overdoses," shared Nieves. "It is a very, very difficult thing to witness this as a teacher, and see the pain the family carries on."

Nieves said she and Perez talked about what they were witnessing and saw a need for a special high school just for teenagers who want to end substance abuse problems:

"We have students who come to us who are already addicted to alcohol by the ninth grade. And they very easily have access to prescription pills such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax," she said. "And I know marijuana is very accepted today, but it can be very harmful for teens."

"Marijuana today is much stronger than it used to be. We are seeing a lot of teenagers coming to us who are dependent on it and it really causes a lot of problems for them," she continued. "Sadly, yes, we are even seeing teens use heroin, too."

According to the Department of Human Services’ 2020 Substance Abuse Overview, Essex County had the highest number of residents admitted to drug addiction treatment centers, with more than 7,000 admissions, followed by Camden, Ocean and Atlantic, all with more than 6,000 residents in treatment, and then Monmouth County, with 5,768 residents in drug-treatment programs.

Alcohol, heroin, marijuana and opiates were the primary drugs abused by Monmouth County residents.

Teen suicide is also an epidemic: Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people age 15 to 24 in the U.S and nearly 20 percent of high school students said they have seriously contemplated suicide.

Teens chose to attend K.E.Y.S. Recovery High School: The teenagers must make an active choice that they want to end their substance-abuse addiction. In addition to all the classes a regular high school provides, the students have daily sessions with a mental health counselor and they do special courses such as yoga and wellness classes throughout the week.

K.E.Y.S. requires that all students are drug tested weekly. If their test comes back positive, they are not kicked out, but instead given the choice to talk with a counselor about how a relapse occurred.

"We want to work with teenagers who want to end their addiction," said Nieves. "The fact that they have to make that first choice: 'Yes, I want to stop using drugs and alcohol,' is a huge first step in the process. Nobody is forced to go to K.E.Y.S Recovery High School; it is not a punishment or a reform school."

The high school is still very small, with under 20 students total enrolled. Nieves said if the school is given more funding, they can expand enrollment and let more students.

Monmouth County Democrats, Republicans alike support the recovery high school

Helping American teenagers live a healthy life free from drugs and alcohol is an issue that knows no political boundaries.

In the 2022-23 state budget just signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last week, Monmouth County lawmakers earmarked $500,000 in funding for the school.

It was a bipartisan group of lawmakers who helped secure the $500,000, including Democratic state Sen. Vin Gopal, and Republican assemblywomen Kim Eulner and Marilyn Piperno, all of whom represents southern Monmouth County.

“KEYS Academy is a beacon of hope for teens struggling with substance abuse,” said Eulner.

“Addressing substance abuse early connects students to community resources, higher education and employment opportunities and sets them up to be full productive members of society,” agreed Piperno.

"And locating the K.E.Y.S Academy at Brookdale demonstrates to the students that higher education is attainable," added Gopal, who chairs the Senate Education Committee.

In total, the budget includes $1.5 million for the three recovery high schools currently open in New Jersey; the two others are Raymond J. Lesniak Recovery High School in Roselle and Coastal Preparatory High School in Cape May.

All three follow the curriculum of the Recovery High School Access Project, and the ultimate goal is to increase enrollment at all three schools.

If you are interested in having your son or daughter go to K.E.Y.S., talk to the guidance counselor or principal at your local middle school or high school. Or email principal Nieves directly at jnieves@marsd.org or call (732) 224-2645.

Not all educators are aware such a high school exists, but Nieves said she hopes this article will help the word get out.

Student: "I am alive today because of KEYS"

Here are parts of two speeches written by K.E.Y.S students who graduated from the high school two weeks ago and gave the commencement speeches:

From an 18-year-old Woodbridge girl:

"It is a great privilege for me to be standing here giving the commencement speech for our ceremony. Over the last several years, I never thought I would be graduating high school. I was not attending school regularly; I was in and out of programs and struggling with mental health issues. I felt alone and discouraged.

From the beginning, attending Keys was an adventure. My journey at KEYS began in August 2021 when I met Mrs. Nieves. After my initial intake, my dad’s car did not start. But Mrs. Nieves performed her magic and five minute later, after one phone call, we had jumper cables.

I began attending Keys in September 2021 and immediately I felt loved, supported and part of a family. I finally started to believe in myself again. I remembered my love of numbers and started to enjoy math again. I love reading and enjoy all of our short stories and novels. I especially loved the character of Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird!"

This school year, I was in three different programs but KEYS was my home and my safe place. It was such a difficult journey, but I could always count on KEYS to pull me through even in my most challenging times.

Mrs. Nieves, our principal at KEYS, gave me something that I did not have for a very long time which is hope. She believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. I no longer felt alone in my journey of recovery. She taught me to learn to appreciate others and that we are all stronger as a team ... I will always be grateful for KEYS and I will never forget this experience. I am alive today because of KEYS (period)!!"

And from a Keyport teen boy who is not graduated yet, but will graduate from K.E.Y.S. next year:

"Good morning ... My experience with Keys so far has been more helpful for me than any other school. The specific kind of attention we need as a class is here and the environment we need is here too.

Next year will be new obstacles but even more improvement. Next year will be better because there will be no need to catch up because I will be already caught up. In fact, I would like to enroll in a college course to advance my studies. Next year I am looking forward to activities such as boxing, yoga and cooking. These activities are crucial because sometimes everyone needs some time to do something they love and enjoy. In Keys your hard work pays off and helps you realize that putting the work in is worth it.

My message to our graduates is to work towards your goals and don’t lose sight of them no matter how stressful and unfair life can get. Sometimes it can be easy to do what is wrong and hard to do what is right, but what matters is that you push through, learn and better yourself. You can get what you always wanted if you play it right."