Harris County Department of Education’s Fortis Academy staff, along with other programs in the Adolescent Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (AROSC), celebrated Houston’s adolescent recovery community at Recovery in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 9.

The annual event allows students from Harris County recovery programs to connect through a day of engaging activities and create social support groups with their peers.

“Many students don’t realize they live close to others who are also going through the recovery process, so Recovery in the Park allows them to meet other students who can support them,” said Sarah Scherzer, executive director of The Turning Point, Inc. and organizer of the event. “It’s also important that our students see us working together and that we’re invested in their success.”

HCDE’s Fortis Academy is the newest member of AROSC, a group of agencies in the Houston Recovery Initiative that provide substance abuse treatment, preventative care, after-care and recovery support for adolescents in the Houston area. The goal of the group is to create a continuum of care for students and ensure there are no gaps at any point in the recovery process.

“I’m honored to be part of the AROSC family and experience the kinship between organizations,” said Fortis Academy Principal Dr. Anthony Moten. “Like these agencies, Fortis Academy will be life-changing and life-sustaining for Harris County students.”

Fortis Academy will be the county’s first public recovery high school and will open during the 2017-2018 school year. The 20,000-square-foot facility will help students who have completed a substance abuse or dependency rehabilitation program continue their high school education in a sober environment.

For more information about Fortis Academy, visit www.hcde-texas.org/recoveryschool.