Aiming to open on Feb. 19, the school eventually will serve up to 250 students, ages 14 through 18, in a year-round setting intended to give students a strong moral and academic background.

“We’re really excited, this is really great,” said program director Brian Lemons. “This is a wonderful campus and Cañon City is a very nice place to be.”

Although Royal Peak is opening as a boarding school at 615 Pike Ave., Lemons said the parent company, Octwell LLC of Utah, already is looking at future plans to add a day school.

“There has been such a huge demand for a day program,” Lemons said. “It’s something we have not done before, but we do plan to open a day program.” He said the target date for day students in addition to boarders is about a year from now.

The academy will work mainly with students who have struggled in a public school setting for many different reasons, Lemons said.

“The way we have it set up, our target population will be here between nine months to a year,” Lemons said. “We set study habits and behavioral habits with them. Once they are able to stick with these habits, they will be able to return home.” He said students will stay at the school for the entire period, studying and participating in various activities. No formal Christmas, spring or summer breaks are planned.

“We will have some students who will return to stay,” Lemons said. “But they will be the exception. There are a lot of kids who need additional attention in the classroom, so we will set strong study habits for them.”

Lemons said that unlike St. Scholastica, the Royal Peak Academy is not affiliated with a religious pro-gram.

“But we do have a very strong moral program we teach,” Lemons said. “Our positive peer culture will form strong morals and teach how to care about yourself and others. We’re going to have kids from all different backgrounds.”

The Royal Peak campus will be coed but boys and girls will be separated during class, physical education and dining times. However, there will be designated times and events that will allow healthy socializing, according to the school’s catalog.

The school will offer a full course curriculum that adheres to Colorado Educational Standards. Elective courses include advance placement classes, allowing students to acquire college credit while obtaining their high school diplomas.

At capacity, the school will employ 100 staff members.

“We have a very small staff to start out with and will add our staff as needed,” Lemons said. “We have been very fortunate to find Bob and Margene Martin to help us out.” He said Margene is the school principal and has a long history in the education field. She is currently an educational consultant for the State of Colorado.

Her husband, Bob, served as a school district superintendent in Nebraska for 12 years and will begin as a teacher at the school.

“They absolutely know what they are doing academically,” Lemons said.

Lemons has six years of experience in residential treatment centers in St. George, Utah, but will focus on the academic program at Royal Peak.

“This is going to be the first one I’ve dealt with that is a specialty school. The academic program will be the biggest focus,” he said. “It’s a very strong program.”

Debbie Bell may be e-mailed at dbell@ccdailyrecord.com.