CAREERS | Blog | Search

Mel’s Progress at the High Road School of Hartford

After two and a half years at the High Road School of Hartford, 14-year-old Mel is preparing to transition to a district-run high school. It’s a milestone that reflects how far she’s come and one her family and school team are proud to celebrate. Mel enrolled at High Road after facing behavioral challenges in her previous school, including classroom elopement and physical aggression. At first, the change was difficult. But over time, she began building trusting relationships with staff, accessing support services, and developing coping skills that helped her manage frustration and stay engaged in class. [...]

Mel’s Progress at the High Road School of Hartford2025-06-03T17:06:28-04:00

Meet Nikalas Campanello, M.A., BCBA, LBA

When Nikalas Campanello joined the High Road Schools of Hartford in 2024, he brought with him more than just training as a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) – he brought a deep, personal drive to help students overcome challenges and realize their potential. “I had stuff going on when I was growing up,” Campanello said. “I knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know how. Once I discovered the world of behavior analysis, I realized I could support students in becoming more independent and successful in their everyday lives.” Named a 2025 Regional Staff of the Year winner [...]

Meet Nikalas Campanello, M.A., BCBA, LBA2025-05-15T23:43:07-04:00

Read Across America Week at BEST Academy

In the beginning of March, BEST Academy celebrated Read Across America Week, a nationally recognized celebration of reading and storytelling. Throughout the week, students explored beloved children's books such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Where the Wild Things Are, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and The Giving Tree. Each day was filled with themed spirit days and activities that brought these stories to life, creating an engaging and immersive experience for students. Read Across America Week is intended to bring schools and [...]

Read Across America Week at BEST Academy2025-03-20T14:43:45-04:00

Celebrating a Decade of Impact

This fall marks Jennifer Johnson’s 10-year anniversary with High Road Schools of Connecticut and B.E.S.T. Academy. Johnson knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. Inspired by the educators in her life–especially her sixth-grade homeroom and science teacher –who helped solidify Johnson’s decision to pursue a career in education. That passion led her to a career in special education, where she has dedicated herself to helping students overcome challenges and achieve success. Today as regional director, Johnson helps lead multiple schools, shaping the lives of both students and educators. We sat down with her to reflect on [...]

Celebrating a Decade of Impact2025-03-13T16:21:12-04:00

B.E.S.T. Academy Fall Festival

BEST Academy staff and students participated in our Fall Festival this October. Ms. Dirzius and Ms. Williams greeted everyone as Mario and Luigi. Students picked pumpkins from our patch and were able to decorate pumpkins. Classrooms did fall themed read aloud and did some crafting that allowing students an opportunity to work on social skills within the classroom. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS!

B.E.S.T. Academy Fall Festival2024-12-05T17:14:31-05:00

Fall Fun with Speech and Occupational Therapy

This fall in Speech and Occupational Therapy, we embraced all things fall with festive, hands-on activities! Students participated in edible crafts, games, reading comprehension exercises, multi-step direction tasks, and engaging fine and visual motor activities. One of the highlights was creating Pumpkin Patch Pudding Cups in small groups. Small group activities encourage social interaction and peer engagement while reinforcing both speech-language and occupational therapy goals. For this fun project, students used Oreos, candy corn, sprinkles, and pudding cups to build their pumpkin patches. They followed a visual recipe that guided them step-by-step through the process. [...]

Fall Fun with Speech and Occupational Therapy2024-12-05T18:06:16-05:00

Mary DiCarlo: How Our Family Navigates Life With A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Families with children on the Autism Spectrum face unique challenges and experiences. Each family’s journey is different, filled with both struggles and triumphs. We want to share their stories, insights, and advice to help and inspire other families going through similar experiences. As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Mary DiCarlo. Mary DiCarlo is a mom of two daughters, Sabrina, 27, a special education teacher, and Summer, 19. She has devoted to her life to being a stay-at-home mother to care for Summer who has autism and other medical issues. Mary lives in East Haven, [...]

Mary DiCarlo: How Our Family Navigates Life With A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder2024-10-09T19:23:19-04:00

Summer’s Success at BEST Academy

Table of Contents Finding the Right Fit Unwavering Support and Preparation for the Future When Mary enrolled her daughter, Summer, at BEST Academy in 2017, she hoped for a supportive environment where Summer could thrive. Today, nearly seven years later, Mary reflects on how BEST Academy has exceeded her expectations, providing her daughter with the tools to grow academically and socially. From her very first visit to the school, Mary said she recognized BEST Academy was the right choice. "Immediately I could tell it was the school for us,” she [...]

Summer’s Success at BEST Academy2024-06-13T15:03:29-04:00

Ms. Dirzius’s Support During This Unsteady Time

Ms. Dirzius has been a constant emotional and educational support over the past month to both staff and students. She entered the remote learning environment with energy, enthusiasm and an immediate focus on problem solving. She has actively been involved in all levels of this new educational process: gathering materials, participating in synchronous learning events, assisting with technology issues, creating new documentation systems and mailing asynchronous packets. Our whole team has benefited from her expertise and support. She responds to their needs and questions without hesitation and never has a limit on her ideas and solutions. She tackles any [...]

Ms. Dirzius’s Support During This Unsteady Time2022-01-18T00:27:45-05:00

Mr. Landry’s Positive Attitude

Kyle joined us in the Fall of this year, entering the Special Education field for the first time since completing his BA in Psychology. He has a strong commitment to youth with special needs, having been involved in adaptive karate locally. He quickly has become an integral part of the BEST Academy community. He is willing to work with any student, building strong connections with even the most complex students. He is eager to learn and constantly active and involved. Kyle’s coworkers have recognized his willingness to learn and support in any situation. He responds quickly to any area of [...]

Mr. Landry’s Positive Attitude2022-01-18T00:34:15-05:00

SPECIALIZED EDUCATION SERVICES, INC.

  • 150 Rouse Blvd., Suite 210 Philadelphia, PA 19112
  • 1.800.841.8730

Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI), a division of FullBloom, is a premier provider of special education and alternative education services for K-12 students. SESI partners with 600+ districts across the country to meet the needs of 7,000+ students with learning disabilities and behavioral challenges through day schools and in-district classrooms. 

PROGRAMS

Special Education

Alternative Education

PARTNER WITH US

ABOUT US

CAREERS

LOCATIONS

 

 

© 2025 Specialized Education Services, Inc. | Terms of Service & Privacy Policy | Web Development by Scream Media