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Generous Donation Provides Playground for The Forbush School at Hunt Valley

It’s the typical start of another school year for the students of The Forbush School at Hunt Valley, but this year recess will be a little different—and a lot more fun.

Ms. Mildred Kern, a 101 year-old resident of the North Oaks retirement community in Pikesville, decided it was time students at the school have access to a state-of-the-art playground facility. With Ms. Kern’s guidance, and a generous donation, the school’s parent organization, Sheppard Pratt, built an extensive playground system for the school.

“We are so grateful for Ms. Kern’s donation for this incredible playground,” said Paul Livelli, director of autism educational services for Sheppard Pratt. “Our students are so excited to have this and will definitely make good use of it. The playground gives them a chance to get outside and play—which is an important part of their education here.”

The Forbush School at Hunt Valley provides special education and related services for children ages five to 21 with autism, pervasive developmental disorder, developmental delays in one or more areas, severe behavioral problems, multiple learning problems and other related disorders. Forbush at Hunt Valley is one of 12 therapeutic schools operated by Sheppard Pratt throughout the state of Maryland.

 

16th Annual RCM&D Sailing Regatta benefits the Forbush School at Hunt Valley

On Friday, October 2nd, insurance broker Riggs, Counselman, Michaels & Downes, Inc. (RCM&D) held its 16th annual Sailing Regatta at the Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore. The Regatta raised $50,000 in funds through sponsorship and donations from RCM&D and its affiliates to help support local nonprofits whose fundamental purpose is improving the quality of life and expanding opportunities for individuals and families in our communities. Sheppard Pratt is thrilled that RCM&D has selected the Forbush School at Hunt Valley as one of the event’s beneficiaries to receive half of the funds raised.  Dr. Paul Livelli, director of autism educational services for Sheppard Pratt, said the money will be used to support program enrichment and staff training.  The Sheppard Pratt Health System is very grateful for this donation.

 

The Forbush School at Glyndon Receives Verizon Foundation Grant

August 26, 2009- Sheppard Pratt Health System is pleased to announce that The Forbush School at Glyndon has been selected to receive a $20,000 grant from The Verizon Foundation to fund a major teacher training initiative at the school—revamping its K-12 curriculum to help students achieve higher levels of literacy, complex critical thinking and problem solving skills. Forbush at Glyndon serves students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 who have been diagnosed with emotional disabilities.

The Forbush School at Glyndon will use this funding to support two different teacher training programs; Project Read by Language Circle (administered by trainers from Jemicy Outreach) and Problem Based Learning (administered by The Buck Institute for Education), both of which support The Verizon Foundation’s interest in education and literacy.

Project Read equips teachers with the tools to significantly improve students’ abilities to comprehend, conduct research and write papers, and promotes the organizational skills critical to complex problem solving. Once students develop a stronger foundation in written expression and reading comprehension, teachers will employ their training in Problem Based Learning to challenge students’ development of the digital-age skills (teamwork, problem solving, research gathering, time management, information synthesizing and utilization of high tech tools) essential to surviving in today’s world.

All of Glyndon’s teachers and teaching assistants will participate in the cutting-edge training which will be completed by next summer. Theresa Petrungaro, elementary principal at Glyndon, will administer the grant.

The Forbush School at Glyndon is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education as a Type I General and Special Education Nonpublic School to provide educational and therapeutic services to students referred by local school systems. It is one of 12 therapeutic schools operated by Sheppard Pratt Health System throughout Maryland.

  

The New Forbush School at Glyndon Opens

Ribbon-cutting ceremonies for the The Forbush School at Glyndon were held on June 30th.  The Forbush School is a non-public therapeutic day school providing special education services to youngsters, through grade 12, who exhibit a wide range of emotional, behavioral and developmental disorders.  Located for more than 40 years on Sheppard Pratt's campus in Towson, the school is now nestled in a beautiful 44-acre wooded campus in Glyndon, Maryland.  

With the resources to serve more than 160 students, The Forbush School at Glyndon will continue its longstanding tradition of providing educational and therapeutic services to students with complex needs from throughout Central Maryland.  The new facility offers the following amenities:

  • 20 classrooms with no more than 9 children in each room
  • Outdoor recreational area
  • Sensory integration room
  • Computers in all classrooms
  • Programs in building trades, horticulture and food service
  • A licensed, student-operated restaurant
  • Library-media center
  • Auditorium
  • Greenhouse

Future: student gymnasium and summer programs

The largest private provider of special education services in Maryland, Sheppard Pratt Health System operates a total of 12 schools in six counties.