Learning Support at Lawrence Academy

LS L E A R N I N G

&S U PPO R T

Learning Support atAbby Remis ’23 and Amber Banks ’23 Lawrence Academy

More Than a Decade of Growth and Vision

by Kate Engstrom

Lawrence Academy’s learning support program has grown more than many realize throughout the past decade. Assistant Dean of Students Kimberly Poulin P’18, ’21, Learning Coach Cindy Blood, Director of Learning Support Christine Torigian, and Dean of Academics Peter Hess have all been integral to that progress and continue to be committed to the department. Through their work, they have developed a program that helps carry out the school’s mission.

As a certified special educator with experience in both public and private schools, Kimberly took on the role of director of academic support in the summer of 2009. She was the department’s only paid staff member, and one of her primary responsibilities was to supervise a team of “tutors” contracted by the school. Those sessions, however, were not noted in students’ schedules as part of their academic program, so during her first year, Kimberly worked to develop protocols to ensure that the support students were receiving was in line with the curriculum.

An important part of shaping the tutors’ work was giving them each the title of “learning coach” starting in the 2012-2013 school year. This label took away the connotation that their work was content-specific and more accurately reflected the broader strategies they were using in sessions with students. Kimberly hoped the title change would “create a little more respect and depth to the program as a whole” and recognize their work as valuable across disciplines. The next year, the coaches became part-time LA employees — one more step toward integration into the school community. Kimberly also strived to create a true team within the department. She gave learning coaches opportunities to communicate with each other through regular department meetings and by having them work in common spaces in the Schoolhouse. She also collected data and created documents to support their work. All the while, she was making sure the students were receiving the accommodations they were due in the classroom and on standardized tests.

When Cindy Blood reflects on stepping into an interim leadership role within the department in 2016, then being named director of learning support in 2017, she attributes the department’s strength at that time to Kimberly’s leadership in “defining the program and putting into words our values, practices, and policies.” Cindy sought to carry on that work by further integrating the learning coaches into LA’s various departments and maintaining the professional relationships that Kimberly had worked hard to forge. During Cindy’s first year, the department hired its first full-time employee, Meg Whitworth, who not only served as a learning coach but also helped with administrative tasks and got more involved with the faculty.

Cindy credits Head of School Dan Scheibe for embracing neurodiversity and demonstrating that commitment by hiring three full-time “learning specialists,” who began working at LA in the fall of 2019. It was “an opportunity to integrate the department more into school culture,” as these faculty members were also coaching sports teams, performing weekend duties, and teaching classes. As more learning coaches have become involved with the teaching of classes, the learning support staff’s presence has increased across all departments, opening up conversation and encouraging collaboration.

Kimberly Poulin (sporting attire for ’80s dress-up day)

Cindy Blood and Jackson Avila-Connerney ’20

Christine Torigian came to LA in 2019, after working at the Carroll School for 11 years. In addition to working as a learning coach, she is now both the assistant dean of academics and the director of learning support. Her primary role now is to support students who encounter academic challenges. Thanks to her variety of roles, she understands that LA has “a faculty who is more skilled at recognizing the neurodiversity in each of their students.” She believes one of the greatest strengths of LA’s program is the one-to-one support that students receive in coaching sessions. It is an “opportunity to focus solely on them, their profile, the way they learn, and meet them where they are.” One of the learning support program’s important initiatives moving forward is professional development. Christine is leading this effort, and in workshops, she explains the neuroscience behind learning profiles so that faculty might better understand where learning breaks down for students. Through simulations, those in these sessions review strategies for working with students with specific learning differences. Those approaches are then compiled into a

common list for a variety of purposes — for example, guiding faculty as they work in the classroom or articulating to prospective families what learning support looks like at LA. Using a common language helps to ensure that students are getting what they need. Peter Hess, LA’s dean of academics, is also invested in this Christine Torigian important initiative and brings 29 years of experience in academic support from his tenure at Brewster Academy. He was drawn to LA’s student-centered approach to learning. “LA has formally committed to the work that has always been there under the umbrella of diversity,” he says. As the current director of learning support, Christine is committed to “recognizing, inspiring, supporting, and empowering students” as they take responsibility for who they want to become, and she has a team of invested colleagues who have been and will continue to be devoted to that same goal. As Peter says, LA is lucky to have “ teachers who are willing to go the extra mile and adjust to accommodate students.”

Peter Hess

Support the LA Fund: Support our school – Lawrence Academy!

Greetings, LA Community:

Happy spring! My name is Ben Rogers and I am Lawrence Academy’s director of annual giving. I am also a proud 2002 LA graduate.

Being back on campus for almost a year now has brought back many memories of my time as a student and has made me prouder than ever of my alma mater. Seeing our teachers teach, and coaches coach and just hearing the bells ring every hour, makes me love LA more and more.

Whether you are an alumnus/a, current or former parent, trustee, grandparent, faculty member, staff member, or friend, we are all so lucky to be connected to a school like Lawrence Academy. One of the reasons LA is able to continue doing great things each and every year is the support from you, our community.

If you have not done so already, I hope you will consider a gift to the LA Fund by June 30, which is the end of the fiscal year. Remember, no gift is too small (or too big).

We are all Spartans!

From Powderhouse Road,

Ben Rogers ’02 Director of Annual Giving brogers@lacademy.edu Make your gift to LA today!