The Discovery School of Virginia for Girls

The Discovery School of Virginia for Girls is located on a 150-acre campus west of Dillwyn, VA. There is the capacity for four campsites with eight to twelve girls in each campsite. Two group leaders and a supervisor are available to the girls twenty-four hours a day.  Multiple layers of therapeutic and mentoring staff with high levels of experience work with the groups and individual students throughout the day.

Life at the School centers on the campsite group, as the girls learn to live, play, and work cooperatively with each other to create a positive campsite experience.  Each student is working on personal goals as well.  Evaluated daily, these goals are selected to help students grow personally, academically, and as members of their families and broader communities.

A typical day begins with making beds, cleaning up the campsite, and preparing for breakfast. On most days, students and staff members share family-style meals together in the Lodge. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, meals are prepared at the campsites.  The group determines their menu the prior week and prepares a grocery list.  Students take turns in the tasks of table setting, meal preparation, and clean up following the meal.

Daily group meetings include topics such as emotional regulation strategies, relational problem solving, body image, substance abuse, diet and nutrition, and pregnancy prevention.  Weekdays include participation in classes at our accredited on-campus school, group projects constructing and maintaining campsite, and a weekly recreational night out.   Weekends may include on campus recreation, area church participation, campsite building projects, and off campus community service activities within the Central Virginia area.