Beverly School, Students Featured In MTV Docuseries

BEVERLY, MA — Nine students at at Northshore Recovery High School in Beverly will be the focus of "16 And Recovering," a four-part MTV docuseries that premieres Sept. 1 at 9 p.m.

The series is a revival of MTV's "16 And" series and follows in the footsteps of the hugely successful "16 And Pregnant." The National Bureau of Economic Research credits "16 And Pregnant" with helping reduce teen pregnancy rates to record lows.

"16 And Recovering" is being launched in conjunction with National Recovery Month. The Beverly school was founded by Michelle Lipinski, who is also the school's princiapl. Students at Northshore Recovery High School work to recover from drug addictions while earning their diplomas.

"When I opened Recovery High, my goal was to create a community for students to safely recover from addiction," Lipinski said. "I’m grateful to partner with MTV in order to tell this story of resilience and showcase that recovery is possible with the right community. I hope we can be a model of other schools and communities who are addressing this issue."

MTV has partnered with the National Institute on Drug Abuse to launch a Website in conjunction with the series that will offer resources on treatment options and other information for teens and families fighting drug addiction.

"As this generation comes of age into a society facing an opioid epidemic, we believe the power of storytelling – and collaboration with experts like NIDA and Michelle – will be a wake-up call for audiences, parents and community to break the stigma, foster empathy and expand access to treatment for young people," Chris McCarthy, President of ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group, said in a news release.

Dave Copeland covers Beverly and other North Shore communities for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).