Former Academy at Ivy Ridge students rally for justice

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. (WWTI) — From horrors to hope.

“I’m one of us and I’m accepted and I’m loved. I’ve never been in that category.”

These were sentiments expressed by Steve Caccamo, a former Academy at Ivy Ridge student. Caccamo reunited with dozens of former students in Ogdensburg during the last weekend of April.

“The whole experience was healing,” Caccamo noted. “We went on a boat and he took us right over the line, right through like where the seagulls were right on the St. Lawrence River. And we were technically in Canada and we used to look at those windows wondering if we could make that swim.”

Caccamo entered the program when he was 16 years old, where he remained for 21 months.

The Academy at Ivy Ridge was marketed as a behavior modification program for troubled teens.

However, Ivy Ridge was featured in the true crime documentary series “The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping.” The show alleged that students were physically, emotionally and sexually abused while the school operated from 2001 to 2009.

The group of former Ivy Ridge students visited the North Country to rally in the City of Ogdensburg. The group held a peaceful protest where they demanded action.

Rob Pedersen was enrolled at Ivy Ridge from 2002 to 2004. He said that since the documentary aired, students have finally felt heard after decades of being silenced.

“The past few months of the understanding alone has been very helpful,” Pederson expressed. “And, you know, people actually seeing what we went through and and stuff like that and that we aren’t lying or exaggerating or anything like that, it’s been empowering.”

A formal investigation into Ivy Ridge was initiated shortly after “The Program” debuted on Netflix in March 2024.

Ivy Ridge was one of many programs across the globe associated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, or “WWASP.”

Former students have feared that programs under this network still exist, so they’ve said they will continue to fight for those who are silenced.

“We came up there because that’s where it all started for us,” Pedersen explained. “This is a country-wide, worldwide $5 billion industry. This isn’t just in Ogdensburg. An investigation on a much larger scale needs to happen. And, you know, we’re all staying patient and making as much noise as possible until that happens.”

Read previous reports on the Academy at Ivy Ridge here .

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