Excel Academy Englewood students inspired by women’s empowerment brunch: ‘The sky is the limit’

When the young women at Excel Academy Englewood encounter challenges in the future following their passion, they're going to remember the women's empowerment brunch at their school. "I learned that the sky is the limit and you can do anything," junior Melody Terry said. "It was good hearing from somebody who started from the bottom and work their way up top and hearing them saying keep going," senior Traviyunna Williams said. In honor of Women's History Month, female students heard from women who have had their share of setbacks, but still accomplished their career goals. "You should always put yourself [...]

Excel Academy Englewood students inspired by women’s empowerment brunch: ‘The sky is the limit’2022-03-28T13:10:05-04:00

4 Essential Components of Behavior Support in the Classroom

Diane Myers, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Special Education - Behavior, March 22, 2022 -- Expectations that are clearly established, and reinforced regularly will contribute to a consistent, positive experience for students. The 2021-2022 school year began full of promise. Students, families, and educators were ready to get back to pre-pandemic learning routines. Almost no one was prepared for how the landscape had changed – many educators had left the profession, staffing needs were at an all-time high, and students were engaging in more frequent and more severe challenging behaviors. The disruption wreaked by Covid dramatically impacted our students, especially those who were [...]

4 Essential Components of Behavior Support in the Classroom2022-03-28T11:59:21-04:00

Excel Middle Years Academy Helps Students get into High School of Their Dreams

Excel Middle Years Academy is an accelerated school of choice for middle school students who find themselves in need of a smaller school setting. Located at 4300 Westminster Avenue, Excel’s mission is to create a safe environment for students to succeed inside and outside the classroom by fostering positive relationships within the school setting while learning to be responsible and accountable. “As soon as we do orientation with a student and a family member, the first thing we ask them is, what high school do you wish to attend? What is the high school of your dreams?,” said executive director [...]

Excel Middle Years Academy Helps Students get into High School of Their Dreams2022-01-28T15:55:56-05:00

SESI Behavior Expert Featured in K-12 Dive; Discusses Bringing Joy to the Classroom

K-12 Dive, a publication that gives insight into impactful news and trends shaping K-12 education, featured SESI's Diane Myers, SVP of Behavior in an article highlighting the importance of infusing joy into learning, especially with all the unique challenges students and teachers are facing during the pandemic. Educators are also reminding themselves of why they entered the teaching profession and why they want to stay committed to this work, even when it's difficult, said Diane Myers, senior vice president of special education-behavior at Specialized Education Services, Inc., a company that partners with school systems across the country to provide expanded academic, social [...]

SESI Behavior Expert Featured in K-12 Dive; Discusses Bringing Joy to the Classroom2021-12-29T10:19:10-05:00

SESI Alumnus and Student Mentor Discusses Personal Journey in Chalkbeat Essay

Raynard Gillespie, an alumnus and program mentor at Excel Academy of Englewood in Chicago, wrote a personal essay featured in Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization reporting on education across America. Raynard shares his journey of dropping out of school in ninth grade and then returning to high school at age 19 and graduating from Excel Academy. "At this new school, the teachers and staff didn’t give up on me and always pushed me to improve. If my classmates or I got a C, they helped us work toward a B, and then toward an A. Having someone in my corner [...]

SESI Alumnus and Student Mentor Discusses Personal Journey in Chalkbeat Essay2022-01-28T16:15:44-05:00

SESI Behavior Expert Featured in K-12 Dive; Discusses Remote Learning

A major shift in learning occurred in 2020, when educators had to rethink the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with special needs. K-12 Dive, a publication that gives insight into impactful news and trends shaping K-12 education, featured SESI's Diane Myers, SVP of Behavior in an article highlighting the struggles - and silver linings - of digital special education. "Early in the pandemic, many schools tried to move what they were doing in-person to a remote format and had this been just a short-term solution, it would have worked," said Myers. She added, "the pandemic dragged on and educators [...]

SESI Behavior Expert Featured in K-12 Dive; Discusses Remote Learning2021-06-30T09:57:59-04:00

Rolling Out the Red Carpet at Sierra Academy of Scottsdale

FOX 10's Arizona Morning show and NBC's 12 News covered a spectacular prom held at Sierra Academy of Scottsdale last week. Lenora King, the school's program director, said "We're in the midst of a pandemic, and we wanted to make sure our kids still have that prom experience. She added, "It gives us joy to do it every year, and to have the girls and the boys dress up and have that experience that they typically wouldn't get at a private day school." Complete with a red carpet, balloon arch, full banquet and plenty of dancing, more than 25 students went [...]

Rolling Out the Red Carpet at Sierra Academy of Scottsdale2021-06-30T09:57:56-04:00

High Road Schools Featured on Better Connecticut

Better Connecticut, a program on WFSB Channel 3, interviewed Gary Hunt, SESI’s Regional Vice President, New England about High Road Schools of Connecticut in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.  Specialized Education Services, Inc. (SESI) operates 10 programs throughout Connecticut. Hunt says that High Road Schools, in helping students to thrive, “it’s about looking individually at every kid…our teachers have done such an amazing job of doing that.” He noted that High Road Schools have a maximum of 10 students per classroom – and oftentimes the student-to-teacher ratio is 1:5, with a teacher and a paraprofessional in each classroom. “Our schools are [...]

High Road Schools Featured on Better Connecticut2021-06-30T09:57:56-04:00

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Honors Graham Academy Students for World Autism Month

Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown and his staff were enthusiastic about increasing public awareness of people with autism - and providing students at The Graham Academy with a special day to remember. Two students were named honorary firefighters Friday, April 23, as part of Autism Awareness Day in the city. Another student, remained at City Hall where he was honorary mayor. The mayor presented the students with proclamations and sashes imprinted with their job titles for the day. The City of Wilkes-Barre partnered with The Graham Academy, King’s College and Wilkes University for its inaugural Light It Up Blue campaign. City [...]

Wilkes-Barre Mayor Honors Graham Academy Students for World Autism Month2021-04-27T13:45:38-04:00

Special Education Teachers at Graham Academy Featured, Share Pandemic Experiences

Two special education teachers at Graham Academy were featured on FOX 56 WOLF. Both Olivia Caraballo and Amanda Beck graduated from Wilkes University last spring. Not only did they walk into a new classroom and profession, but they found themselves in an entirely new world when coronavirus hit. The Graham Academy is a special education school that focuses on elementary students with autism and behavioral challenges. "Special Ed is already so different than what you would do in a normal classroom, so it's really adapting to what they need and also keeping them safe," Caraballo said. "It is difficult with this [...]

Special Education Teachers at Graham Academy Featured, Share Pandemic Experiences2021-03-09T20:16:47-05:00