Wheeler Academic Support Department Honored with Miller Fellowships

March 12, 2020

 

A Group of students around a table working together
Students from Upper School assist Lower School students in Joyce Ball’s Lower School Academic Support classroom.

 

It is with great pride that the Wheeler School awards the third annual Miller Fellowships to the Academic Support Department.

Established in 2017, the fellowships recognize the dedication to education and leadership, vision, and the impact of former Wheeler Head of School Dan and Joanna Miller on the entire Wheeler community. The Miller Fellowships were created by a generous group of donors who fund The Dan and Joanna Miller Endowment for Leadership in Education. 

Wheeler’s Academic Support Department is comprised of David Ahlborn, Joyce Ball, Jennifer Block, Dorthy Garfield, Liz Hallock, Pam Levanos, and Annie White. 

Led by Department Head Joyce Ball, the Academic Support Department collaborates across every division of the School to assist students with documented learning differences, as well as general academic help for any student. The Academic Support Department at Wheeler works collaboratively with faculty and academic divisions to arrange any necessary accommodations to assist students with their specific learning needs. 

The goal of Academic Support at Wheeler is to help students become independent learners and self-advocates. General academic assistance for students is available by referral from teachers, advisors, parents, or self-referral. Students schedule an appointment to discuss their concerns, which can range from learning more effective study strategies to the need for a more extensive educational evaluation. Study skills assistance is provided in the areas of time management, organization, note-taking, reading comprehension, test preparation, and test-taking.

“Our “motto” is Building Bridges. We build bridges between the curriculum and students, we build bridges between current research and the faculty and we help and encourage our students to learn their powers,” says Joyce Ball, Academic Support Department Head

The annual Fellowship selection provides funding to those areas of the school which support interdisciplinary planning and ongoing innovation. Past recipients include the Math Department and the Prescott Library Department.  As the endowment grows, Wheeler expects to be able to fund — and celebrate — additional exciting leadership projects and initiatives across all divisions, departments, and offices of the school that support the educational and strategic visions that we share. 

 

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