Profiles & Celebrations

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Email: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – Speed sprinting, hurdling hurdles, coaching, and training are the characteristics that define Trevaia Williams-Davis. Now, she’s sharing her shining experiences with students enrolled at the Autism Academy, a school for children with autism. Initially, the goal is to help students with coordination, balance, strength, and locomotor…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Email: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – Hiring positive teachers and showing them appreciation is what defines the culture of most schools. Jenny Sevier has been the academic middle school teacher at the Autism Academy in Tempe for three years. “I piloted the program,” she said. She helped rollout classroom rotations, small group…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Email: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – Teachers and principals seldom get the accolades and appreciation most agree they deserve, but at the Autism Academy, a school for children with autism, employees sing to a different tune. This school for autism has a trademark of high morale that transfers from administrators to teachers…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Email: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – At the Autism Academy, we pride ourselves on celebrating holidays such as Cinco de Mayo. By celebrating Cinco de Mayo, our students with autism can have a better overall education on cultures that may differ from their own. This year Principal Shawn Davis reminisced about difficult…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen Email: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – Kneeling in the bedroom, pounding her fist on the floor, crying aloud, and repeatedly echoing, “I want my son back.” Consoled by her husband, John and Kimberly Baltzley heard similar diagnoses on the autism spectrum one-by-one for three different children. An indescribable puzzlement penetrates many parents…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen E-mail: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – The Autism Academy in Tempe recently welcomed a new principal that comes highly recommended with referrals, education, national experience, and countless news headlines. Dr. Robert Rossi comes with more than high hopes, dreams, and ambitions, he has over four decades of leadership in education. His passion…

By Anthony KaDarrell Thigpen & Jakob (Jake) Gronseth E-mail: Anthony_Thigpen@aol.com AUTISM ACADEMY – At the Autism Academy, a school for children with autism, we encourage our students to go after their passions. This is why this article is so unique to many of our other blog posts. We feature a special writer today from our…