High Road School of Cecil County
The High Road School of Cecil County is a non-public facility that services Cecil County Public Schools. Our school is a Type I full day and partial day Special Education and related services program for students with Autism, Emotional Disability, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments in an Elementary School (Grades 1 through 8) and a Secondary School (Grades 9 through 12). The goal of our program is to return students to their home-school when possible. Otherwise, we work with students to achieve graduation through our school with a diploma from their local high school.
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- (P) 410.398.6900
- (F) 410.398.7322
- 3035 Singerly Road
Elkton, MD 21921
Meet The Team
Lou Guertin – Executive Director
Lou Guertin began his career as a teacher in Wilmington, Delaware in 2004. Once the original school in Cecil was built, he taught here for three years. During that time, the school grew from 30 students to 67 students, and there was a need to split the schools to accommodate space. From there, Lou went to build out our new site in Perryville, MD in 2007. After becoming the head teacher from 2007 – 2010 at Perryville, Lou was promoted to take on the Associate Director position in Baltimore City. While in Baltimore, he helped oversee all three floors of New Hope Academy which housed 225 students at that time.
After a year in Baltimore, he started the Cecil Alternative Program (CAP) at the Providence School in 2011. During his 6-year journey at CAP, Lou learned that Cecil County is diverse county, and finds itself surrounded by the pressures of modernizing its area, while maintaining its culture and historic landmark base. In 2017, Lou was asked to take on a larger role in Delaware, and decided to return to the school where he originally taught. From 2017-2020, he oversaw our Elsmere location in Wilmington, DE and delved into the realm of In District Programming with the Brandywine School District. This partnership with our public schools created an opportunity for our teachers to teach in two separate public schools (Brandywine High School and P.S. DuPont Middle School) and offered services to inner city youth who struggled with navigating new school’s outside of their inner-city limits.
Marc DiPasquale – Senior Director
Marc DiPasquale, Jr. is a certified administrator who holds his master’s in the art of teaching from Goucher College. He holds a certification in special education and received his BA in Economics from the St. Mary’s College. Marc joined the High Road team in 2015 as a classroom teacher before becoming an Associate Director at the same location in 2019. The 2020-2021 school year marks the first year as the Cecil Alternative Program administrator for Marc. He seeks to personally get to know each student he has the opportunity to work with and pair social emotional learning with appropriate academic interventions in a highly structured setting. Marc enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons, playing music, and wood working in his spare time.
Laura Feininger – Associate Director of IDCs
Laura Feininger began with the High Road School of Cecil County in 2017. Prior to joining the High Road team, Laura served as the Program Manager for The Barn at Spring Brook Farm, in West Chester, PA. Laura earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in educational leadership at Wilmington University. Laura’s focus is to ensure all students have access to a fun, engaging and safe learning environment, regardless of their previous educational experiences. Laura works to meet students on their level, while challenging them to reach and see their fullest potential. Laura works to improve students’ self-esteem and recognize their self-worth and valuable role in the community. Outside the classroom, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and 2 dogs. She also enjoys singing, musical theater and playing piano.
Jennifer Thomas – Associate Director
Ms. Jen has been with High Road Schools since the Fall of 2019 where she started as a teaching assistant in the Cecil Alternative Program and later become the teacher in the BEST Model. In January 2022, Ms. Jen took on the role as associate director for the High Road School of Cecil County. Ms. Jen earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science, as well as her Master of Arts in Special Education with a specialization in Applied Behavior Analysis from Arizona State University with the intention of sitting for National Certification as a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst). Ms. Jen loves teaching life skills classes and strives to make her students feel supported and prepared for independence. In her free time, Jen enjoys coaching youth soccer.
Tiffany Showells – Social Worker
Tiffany Showells has been an employee with the High Road School since 2001. Prior to High Road School, Tiffany was a Student Enrichment Specialist at the Salvation Army CROSSROADS PROGRAM in Wilmington, Delaware serving students a myriad of services which focused on educational achievement. Tiffany earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Welfare from the University of Delaware. Tiffany also earned her Master of Social Work degree in Direct Service from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Morgan Davis – Transition Coordinator
Morgan Davis has been with the High Road School since the fall of 2019. Before joining the High Road School of Cecil County team, Morgan was a Special Education Instructional Assistant at a public elementary school. Morgan also worked alongside young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder at a private company, in a one-on-one setting implementing both social skills and transitional job skills. Morgan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Spanish at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a master’s degree in special education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Currently, Morgan is pursuing her certification in Special Education: K-12 Teachers of Students with Disabilities at Wilmington University. Morgan believes that building rapport and respect with students, developing thinking skills, and creating a positive learning environment are important to learning. Morgan can be found baking her family recipes most weekends or enjoying being outside with her dog!
Michael Cunha – Teacher
Michael Cunha has been a teacher at the High Road School of Cecil County since 2015. Prior to joining the High Road team, Mr. Mike worked in banking, as well as in the restaurant industry. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hofstra University, and has since completed graduate work in special education at Wilmington University while earning a Maryland teaching certificate. Mr. Mike prioritizes the individual growth of each student, working with families to bring about meaningful growth with a constant eye toward improvement. He is a firm believer that a positive attitude and willingness to work hard are the keys to success in school and beyond. Mr. Mike makes these values a focus of his classroom culture, encouraging each student to have high expectations of his or her own behavior while building a strong character and self-image. Outside of school, Mr. Mike loves spending time with his family, watching and playing sports, listening to music, and playing guitar.
Malorie has been with the High Road School of Cecil County since the Spring of 2017, where she started as a 1:1 aide in the BEST Classroom. In addition to this role, Malorie has spent time working in the BEST classroom and in the middle school classroom as a teaching assistant. Recently, Malorie has started a new journey with High Road as the new high school classroom teacher. In addition to working at the High Road School of Cecil County, Malorie is an in-home instructor for Trellis, which is a company that specializes in Autism support. Malorie assists students with after-school activities, daily living skills, teaching life skills, etc. Malorie graduated with her bachelor’s in elementary education studies from Wilmington University. Malorie enjoys working with students and giving them the daily support they need. In her free time, she enjoys painting, crafting, playing her Nintendo switch, and hanging with her dog, Annie, and her cat, Puddy.
Cody Hughes – IDC Site Supervisor
Cody Hughes joined The High Road School in the Winter of 2015. Over the years, he has grown into various teaching positions such as a paraprofessional, assistant teacher, teacher, head teacher, and now site supervisor. Cody has worked closely not only with The High Road School but the Cecil Alternative Program as well. He will be finishing his certification and Master of Education after Fall 2020. Cody has a passion for being in the classroom, sharing his enthusiasm, keeping students engaged all the while helping to develop relationships with parents and the community. He believes that every student has the ability to be successful using strong academic and behavioral supports to build confidence and competence.
Lisa Stephenson – Teacher
Mrs. Lisa Stephenson has been a High Road team member for three school years. Mrs. Lisa teaches social studies to 6-12th grades for the Cecil Alternative Program. Mrs. Lisa attended Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina and now is at Wilmington University in Delaware. On weekends her family loves to play board games, disc golf and go zip lining! She also loves to hang out at home with our dog Rambo, her cat Superman, her two snakes Poseidon and Nagini and on the weekends she takes Scales the leopard gecko home!
Alicia Carter – Social Worker
Ms. Alicia has been a part of the High Road team since 2021. Ms. Alicia graduated from Delaware State University and has her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Masters Degree in Social Work. Ms. Alicia is a Licensed Master Social Worker for the state of Maryland. Fun Fact about Ms. Alicia, she was born on Christmas Day!
Brittany Dotson – Administrative Assistant
Brittany Dotson started her journey at High Road in 2016. Brittany started off as a Teacher Assistant in Harford County and is now am Administrative Assistant in Cecil County. Throughout her career at High Road, Brittany has inspired students to be the best that they can be by helping them achieve their academic /behavior goals and teaching them everyday life skills. Before joining the team at High Roads, Brittany directed her own unit at the Boys & Girls Club of Cecil County for over 5 years. At the Boys & Girls Club, Brittany was in charge of providing a safe and fun environment for students to learn and grow. With Brittany’s experience in implementing programs and activities, Brittany can engage with students to help them be the best they can be. Brittany’s goal every school year is to continue to hold students accountable but most of all change lives. Brittany loves crafting with her daughter, volunteering as Team Mom on my son’s football/basketball teams, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her bearded dragon, Cecil.
Our Students
The High Road School of Cecil County is a non-public facility that services Cecil County Public Schools. Our school is a Type I full day and partial day Special Education and related services program for students with Autism, Emotional Disability, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments in an Elementary School (Grades 1 through 8) and a Secondary School (Grades 9 through 12)
Our Staff
We are proud to employ certified special education teachers, staff trained in crisis intervention, school social workers, speech language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and a transition coordinator.
The High Road School of Cecil County is a non-public facility that services Cecil County Public Schools. Our school is a Type I full day and partial day Special Education and related services program for students with Autism, Emotional Disability, Intellectual Disability, Multiple Disabilities, and Other Health Impairments in an Elementary School (Grades 1 through 8) and a Secondary School (Grades 9 through 12). Students may be eligible for the program regardless of their current living situation (e.g., parents’ home, foster care, or Alternative Living Unit).
By focusing on key areas — academics, behavior modifications, support services, and transition / life planning services — we are able to meet the individual needs of all students through these varied approaches to instruction. Through collaboration with a student’s IEP team, we are able to choose the most appropriate learning model based on a given student’s present levels of performance, social capabilities, motor coordination, and ability to learn in a group setting.
Utilizing four specific instructional rotations, students are assessed academically, gain self-regulation skills, learn with district-aligned academic curriculums, and utilize integrated technology.
All of the programming that is designed to transition the student from school to work emphasizes preparation for productive employment after graduation. To make this employment as successful and fulfilling as possible, we help the student explore his or her interests and then build upon natural talents in choosing possible career paths. As students mature, we encourage them to gradually become more self-reliant. Our Transition Services staff aids in this process by giving the students just the right amount of independence and interaction with the wider community, while still providing the supports necessary for the students to feel secure and confident.
School-to-Work Program
Our School-to-Work Program offers students the opportunity to participate in true-to-life jobs within the school setting. The end goal of the program is to develop the students’ employment skills and social skills in order to maximize their potential for success in the real world. As such, students seek to obtain jobs by first filling out an application and interviewing for the position they are interested in, as they would in real life. Once the student obtains a suitable position at school, they are held accountable for their attendance and performance, so we work with them on such aspects of employment as punctuality, responsibility, and working independently. Many of the jobs the students procure involve our student-run, on-the-premises retail business. Students participating in the School-to-Work Program are trained to operate many of the state-of the-art machines that make customized products for sale through this retail business.
Community Work
The High Road Academy of Cecil County affords students the opportunity to take their learning outside of the classroom and transfer it into the community. We work with our students to practice the proficiencies they have mastered in the School-to-Work Program, and then, when a student is ready, a job coach accompanies them to volunteer or paid job sites out in the community. We partner with a wide array of local-area businesses (including restaurants, hospitals, preschools, and retail shops) to expose the students to real-life work experience and social interactions. In this way, students can explore numerous career avenues and gain valuable work experience to list on their résumés.
Throughout the school year, we compete in three sports: (1) flag football in the fall; (2) basketball in winter; and (3) volleyball in spring. Each sport has its own play-off and crown champions for the season. In flag football, the play-offs are conducted in bowl format, similar to the NCAA. Naturally, we have our own form of March Madness to crown our basketball champions.
Participation on these sports teams allows our students not only to cultivate athletic skills, but also to gather experience and learn critical lessons in such areas as teamwork, collaboration, and good sportsmanship. Playing sports in our league is a highly sought after activity on campus, so only green-level and blue-level students who have demonstrated sound judgment and good decision-making skills in school can participate in practices and games.
Each year, all the schools get together for a Sports Banquet at which the students are celebrated for their athletic performance and sportsmanship. All participating students receive a participation award at the banquet.
Student Spotlight
Resources
2022-2023 Calendar
Morgan Davis
High Road School at Cecil County
2022-2023 Divisional Winner