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.
