2017 PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS GUIDE A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT www.TheDailyRecord.com 2 THEDAILYRECORD.COM Primary & Secondary Schools Guide 2017 September 2017 Teaching students Athletic trainers Fine arts coming with special needs mend minds, health back to education 3 4 5 Listing of Primary and Secondary Schools, Page 6 ABOUT OUR SCHOOLS GUIDE 200 St. Paul Place, Suite 2480 Baltimore, MD 21202 Main Number: 443-524-8100 The following pages list independent primary and secondary schools in the state of Maryland, including both secular and religious schools Main Fax: 410-752-7789 that are not part of the state’s public school systems. The list is based on information provided by the website of the Maryland State Department of Education and by the schools themselves. In many cases, we talked to school representatives; in some cases, we relied on school websites. Suzanne E. Fischer-Huettner Publisher Our list does not include independent schools that offer only nursery Thomas Baden Jr. Editor school or kindergarten classes. However, those schools are listed by Maria Kelly Comptroller county on the MSDE’s website, www.marylandpublicschools.org; phone 410-767-0100. Tracy Bumba Audience Development Director Tuition figures are the latest available. Haley Poling Account Manager Jason Whong Digital Editor Schools often charge fees that are not considered part of tuition. We recommend that readers contact schools directly to check on Jessica Lewis Digital Content Producer tuition and to ask about additional fees, enrollment policies and waiting lists. Sean Wallace Assistant Editor Maximilian Franz Senior Photographer Readers also should be aware that just because the state licenses a school to teach certain grades, that does not mean all of those grades Michael Duntz Graphic Designer are offered. It is important to us (and to our readers) to keep the information in this semi-annual guide as accurate as possible. To order additional copies of this publication, Please bring any discrepancies to our attention by emailing Editor please call 443-524-8100 or email Thomas Baden Jr. at [email protected]. 2 [email protected]. September 2017 Primary & Secondary Schools Guide 2017 THEDAILYRECORD.COM 3 ‘Reading the code’ to reach special students Private schools offer unique programs for those with learning disabilities BY CHRISTINE HANSEN ‘NO TWO STUDENTS ARE ALIKE’ Special to The Daily Record According to the Maryland State De- partment of Education, specific learning Maryland has seen a proliferation of disability, or SLD, is the largest disability independent schools focusing on learn- category, representing nearly 30 percent ing disabilities and other special needs. of students with disabilities in Maryland. With smaller class sizes and individual- Baltimore is the headquarters for the ized attention, private schools can pro- International Dyslexia Association, so vide a more nurturing learning environ- it’s no surprise that the state has a num- ment for these students, educators say. ber of schools, in addition to Jemicy, Ben Shifrin, head of the Jemicy that cater to students with these specific School, an Owings Mills-based private learning disabilities or differences. school that focuses on the education of The Odyssey School in Stevenson has students with dyslexia or other related a 3-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio and a language-based learning differences, team of eight speech pathologists that believes it is not about “special educa- works closely with the students. The tion,” it’s about “good education.” school also provides robust profession- At Jemicy, which has a 4-to-1 stu- al development for their faculty so stu- dent-teacher ratio, students learn skills dents receive the specialized instruction they can apply in the class and in life, that meets their needs. he said. “Our students think differently and Shifrin grew up with dyslexia so he learn differently. No two students are knows firsthand the struggles his stu- alike. We help students learn their dif- dents face. When he was a child, he ferences and help them become their was told he would never learn to read. own advocates. They ultimately learn to It wasn’t until a tutor told him that he understand how they learn best – and had dyslexia that things changed for the educate their future teachers,” Marty better. He learned new techniques and Sweeney, head of the school, said. strategies to learn. She said private schools can provide “Our brains are wired to learn lan- the specialized training and education a guage and speak, but we failed to realize traditional school setting may make dif- that reading is something we created. ficult for a student to thrive in. We figured because our brain natural- “We really celebrate our students. We ly learns language, that reading would want them to know they are perfect just also be a natural phenomenon for the the way they are,” she said. brain,” Shifrin said. “But, for about 10 Even private schools that have not to 15 percent of the human population, been set up specifically for special needs their brains have a hard time reading students often can offer programs that the code. It has nothing to do with intel- ligence, it’s all about the code.” provide help. While Maryvale Pre- paratory School, for instance, is not Despite being told he’d never be able to Christine Davis, a teacher at the Jemicy School’s lower/middle school, works with a student on his read, with the help of his tutor, he went designated as a specialized school for language and verbal skills. Above, Jemicy students gather and sit on the floor of their classroom to on to graduate summa cum laude from students with specific learning disabil- read a book together. Photo courtesy of The Jemicy School ities, the all-female college preparatory Temple University with a bachelor’s de- receiving academic scholarships,” said disability, the symptoms can make gree in elementary education and he school does offer a program for students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Jennifer Nicholas, academic dean for learning more difficult. eventually received his Master of Educa- Maryvale and former head of the St. Ju- The Glenwood Academy in Mount tion, also summa cum laude, in special The St. Julie Billiart program there was created six years ago with the intention lie Billiart program. Airy also serves students who are di- education and administration. Shifrin Like Jemicy and the Odyssey school, agnosed with ADHD. Head of School has made it his lifelong goal to ensure of serving “bright, college-bound stu- Maryvale’s goal is to teach students to Cheryl Stradling has made the empow- that no child ever felt the way he did. He dents with a diagnosed language-based advocate for themselves and to teach erment of students with ADHD her was recruited by Jemicy 15 years ago. learning difference.” The students re- them strategies to help them learn inde- school’s mission. Also with small class “We serve kids with high comprehen- ceive 2-to-1 instruction with an experi- sizes, the students get an individualized sion skills. They may see the world dif- enced learning specialist who supports pendently. approach to learning, based on their ferently – but the ability to master the the students through Maryvale’s rigorous language is difficult for them. There are college preparatory program. The pro- FOCUSING ON ADHD needs. The wooded and secluded cam- kids that can read and write but struggle gram is intended to give their students While there a number of private pus was specifically chosen for students with mathematics. These are the kids we the tools needed to achieve their greatest schools are dedicated to educating stu- with ADHD who need to get outside serve – we don’t just teach them to read level of success at Maryvale and beyond. dents with dyslexia, some schools, such regularly throughout the day. and write – we teach them the skills to “All of our graduating seniors en- as The Highland School in Bel Air, have “It is not the child that needs to change, learn,” Shifrin said. rolled in the St. Julie Billiart program developed programs to help students but rather the approach,” Stradling wrote have been accepted to and are attending diagnosed with ADHD as well. While in her welcome to families on the school’s their top-choice schools. Many are also ADHD is not considered a learning website. JEMICY SCHOOL DISCOVER • CREATE • THRIVE • SUCCEED INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED LEADER IN EDUCATING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA OR OTHER RELATED LANGUAGE-BASED LEARNING DIFFERENCES Right school, Brian Kagen with his sons, right reasons. Brandon ‘18 and Justin ‘21. OPEN HOUSE 410-377-5192, ext.1137 or GRADES 1 - 12 AND UPPER SCHOOL PREP For Parents of Students K-12 WWW.JEMICYSCHOOL.ORG • 410.653.2700 • OWINGS MILLS, MD [email protected] ACCREDITED BY Sunday, October 22, 11:00 a.m. INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATING 45 YEARS DYSLEXIA EMPOWERING BRIGHT STUDENTS WHO LEARN DIFFERENTLY ASSOCIATION 822 West Lake Avenue | Baltimore, MD 21210 | BOYSLATINMD.COM 3 4 THEDAILYRECORD.COM Primary & Secondary Schools Guide 2017 September 2017 Athletic trainers play a critical part of schools’ team From treating concussions to preparing athletes, they’re on the frontlines BY CHRISTINE HANSEN Special to The Daily Record Spurred by an increased awareness of the danger of concussions and other sports injuries, private schools across Maryland increasingly are working with athletic trainers to prepare and protect their student athletes. A 2011 state law required the Mary- land Department of Education to devel- op policies for how public schools should handle sports-related concussions. But private and independent schools are in the forefront of those who use athletic trainers to work with students on and off the field. “What is certain is that where there is contact in sport, or even life for that matter, there will be concussion,” said Megan Callahan, athletic director for St.