Chelsea School is located on a 4.87 acre campus in downtown Silver Spring, MD, just over the Washington, DC border. The campus is on the site of the former site of the Academy of the Holy Names.

Our Students

Chelsea School serves students in grades 5-12. Currently, over 95% of our students receive full public funding from their jurisdictions in Maryland and Washington, DC.

Student Profile – George (Class of 2009)

George, like many of our students, grew up in a socio-economically challenged neighborhood of Washington, DC. At the age of nine he was shot in the stomach twice by a 45-caliber handgun during random crossfire outside his home. As he was recuperating from surgery to repair a hole in his intestines, he experienced the deaths of two of his young cousins. George has struggled with the effects of this trauma ever since.

George came to the Chelsea School in the summer of his seventh grade year. Held back several times in public schools, he had grown used to being the oldest kid in his class. Despite his mother’s request for an evaluation in kindergarten, George repeated second and third grades and struggled through elementary school without achieving the basic reading skills of a first-grader. Unable to articulate his frustration, George would come to the verge of tears trying to understand why he couldn’t read. Intellectually, George was at an appropriate level for his grade; he simply couldn’t read.

Since coming to Chelsea School, George has accumulated the skills necessary for functional literacy. George has shown strong affinities in the areas of math and science and has developed interests in architecture, engineering, and law. 

An example of a young man overcoming adversity, George is also a favorite of his teachers and a natural leader. He has a heart of gold and a genuine sense of compassion for other children. He works hard and understands the importance of the intensive literacy intervention that he receives every day. He’s still not sure what he wants to do for a career, but he often says that he wants desperately to help kids just like himself.

 

Student Profile – Jackie (Class of 2007)

Next year if you gaze up at the rafters in our gymnasium, you’ll see the retired jersey and number of Jackie, a 2007 graduate of the Chelsea School. Jackie has been an integral part of our basketball program ever since she came to the school as a shy 5th grader. She is now the first Chelsea School athlete to have her number retired. Her leadership and dedication to her teammates set her apart as a unique player on the court.

In the classroom, Jackie made tremendous progress while here at Chelsea School. A frequent honor roll student, she took part in Chelsea School’s career pathway program in media production. She excelled in this program and took on a number of video production projects for her class. Jackie spearheaded several school media projects and was instrumental in producing videos that highlighted Chelsea School’s unique technology programs. As a result, Jackie began to think seriously about a career in film. After being accepted to several universities, Jackie decided on Hofstra in New York, where she’ll be studying film this fall. Echoing her retired jersey, one day you may gaze up and see her name in the credits of a major motion picture.

 

Student Profile – Thomas (Class of 2013)

Thomas joined the Chelsea School at the beginning of 6th grade.  At that time, his reading skills were at a 3rd grade level.  Although Thomas had specific language skills in the superior range of functioning; his reading weaknesses were negatively affecting his ability to gain information from printed material.  Additionally, at Thomas’s prior school, his mother noted that he was not engaging with peers, and his teachers reported frequent absences.  Thomas did not like school. 

Upon entering Chelsea School, Thomas was placed in small classes, given a reading tutorial and reading/study skills class in addition to his core classes, and explored the option of using various methods of assistive technology for use in classroom activities and assignments.  Thomas was challenged to access and present information that reflected his high intelligence despite his learning weaknesses.  He was able to do this due to the multitudes of support he was given: teacher support, scaffolded curriculum, direct daily instruction in reading and spelling, assistive technology, and peer support.

By the end of the school year, Thomas’ overall reading score had improved to the 4.5 grade level, and his reading comprehension had improved six grade levels to nearly the 9th grade level!  Even more remarkable was Thomas’ new-found enjoyment of school.  Thomas collaborated with teachers and peers to generate new after-school clubs.  According to his mother’s report, Thomas was more actively engaging with peers and no longer tried to avoid school. 

 

 

OUR FACULTY

Chelsea School teachers are certified by the Maryland State Department of Education. Our teachers bring their wealth of experience, creativity, and unique talents to the classroom. Teachers use multi-sensory approaches and proven methodologies to create positive and challenging learning environments for their students.

Chelsea School is approved and accredited by the State of Maryland as a non-public day school for students with specific learning disabilities.

Faculty Profile – Dr. James Conklin (Mathematics)

Upon completing his Doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Jim Conklin began his professional career by teaching physics courses at the graduate and undergraduate level, and a few specialized math courses, at the University of Florida, where he also did computational research on the energy-band structure of semiconductors and its relationship to their physical and electrical properties. 

Because of his interest in the use of computers for instruction and research, Dr. Conklin was eventually appointed Director of the Center for Instructional and Research Computing Activities at the University of Florida; he was responsible for developing and supporting academic computing facilities and activities throughout the UF campus.  He subsequently held positions as the Director of the Computational Facility at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Director of the BITNET Information Center, and Acting Director of Information Technology at the Smithsonian Institution.  Despite his professional responsibilities for computer and networking support, Dr. Conklin maintained his love of teaching, which he continued to do whenever he had an opportunity.

Upon leaving the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Conklin decided that it was time to return to teaching, and he was eager to try his hand at helping adolescents.  He secured a position as a long-term substitute in math at Chelsea School, which he discovered seemed a perfect match for his personality and interests in helping children with learning disabilities. In the fall of 2001, Chelsea School offered him a permanent position teaching math and physics. 

“I teach because I enjoy being with children,” said Dr. Conklin. “I teach at Chelsea School because I find the small-group setting, with the individualized attention I am able to give to each child, very rewarding.  I am thrilled each time a student who enters my class with little or no self confidence in their ability to learn mathematics or physics develops the ability to do well and even enjoy the subject.  I’m thrilled when students develop a real liking for intellectual challenge, take pride in doing their best, and consistently turn in work of which they can be proud.  Those ‘I can do it!’ discoveries by my students are my reason for teaching, my reward for all the lessons planned, papers graded, and paperwork completed.”

 

Jim is very interested in using computer technology to facilitate his students’ learning.  Last year he introduced a computer-based textbook for his Physics students to give them the benefit of its interactive examples, simulations, and oral reading of many descriptions.  He has also begun to use simulations from the University of Colorado as part of his instruction in Physics.  Jim is currently taking a course in using The Geometer’s Sketchpad software as a learning tool to facilitate discovery in Geometry and Algebra.

 

Faculty Profile – Frank Mills (English)

When Frank Mills came to the Chelsea School in 2005 he was making a radical career change. Although he had a bachelor’s degree in English from Providence College, Frank had spent most of his professional time in the corporate world. After several years working in publishing and marketing he found himself in Maryland looking for his first teaching job.

“I’d be in board meetings or at conferences, and I was constantly thinking about teaching,” said Frank. “I would go home at the end of the day and work on lesson plans, read education journals, and think of how I could make the jump to teaching. It was an obsession for me – I knew it was a true calling. I knew that I wanted to teach learning disabled kids because I remembered all of the struggles that my sister went through as an LD kid. I remembered her feelings of isolation and inferiority when she was pulled out of regular classes and put in resource rooms. I wanted to work in a school where I’d get a chance to help those kids.”

When Frank finally got his classroom he knew that it was a perfect fit. “I knew that I’d be good at teaching the material, but I had no idea how strongly I would feel for these kids. I feel like I’ve become a vital part of their lives.”

Frank has been working to improve as a teacher of learning disabled students. He has been creating innovative classroom exercises that combine assistive technology with intensive skill remediation. “I was amazed to see how new technologies and advances in software could directly impact my students in the classroom. In many ways it levels the playing field for them.”

In only his second year as a teacher, Frank presented his paper on using assistive technology to teach advanced literature at the 2007 Maryland Branch of the International Dyslexia Association conference in Baltimore. Frank is currently enrolled in the nationally recognized Trinity College Special Education Master’s degree program.