Trident Academy

Headmaster	Joe Ferber
School type	Private, Learning Disabilities
Grades	K-12
Founded	1972
Location	Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Enrollment	100
Faculty	38
Student Teacher Ratio	4:1
Campus surroundings	Urban
Campus size	4 acres
Athletic Facility	Myron Harrington Gymnasium
Sports teams	Seahawks

History

Trident Academy is a school for children with diagnosed learning disabilities in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Founded in 1972, Trident Academy was known as the reading clinic where a handful of parents whose children had trouble with reading, took the [http://edtech.wku.edu/~psych/department_history/profiles/Shedd.htm SHEDD] training program and learned to teach reading in order to tutor each others children on Saturday mornings. Each parent volunteered to teach someone else’s child in exchange for their child being taught. Instruction took place in a church in Mt. Pleasant.

Interest in the program grew within the community and soon participants were concerned that the students needed more than just Saturday tutorials to be successful in school. The parents received permission from the church to expand their Saturday classes into a school. The goal was to bring their children up to grade level in reading, spelling and math.

In 1973, land for the school’s current location was donated by Bill Detyens. The original group of parents, which included local physicians and businessmen, founded Trident Ungraded Academy for their dyslexic children who were not being served by the public and private schools in the Charleston area. Pat Kelly was the first director. Marta Boggs was the Lower School Director and Gail Jeter was the Upper School Director. The K – 2 grades used a Montessori program. Weezie Fallon Bissell taught “hands-on" science, Ed Parker taught English in the High School and Col. Kimbrell was the Board of Trustee Chair.

SHEDD, the initial reading program, proved ineffective for the children’s needs. As a result four of the founding parents, Drs. Margie and Dan Mengedohts and Drs. Aline and Tom Mahan enlisted the help of Dr. Lucia Karnes, a psychologist from Bowman Gray School of Medicine, to join their efforts. Dr. Karnes studied directly under June Orton and her husband Dr. Samuel T. Orton, who is credited with being the “father of dyslexia”.

Pat Kelly left as Director and Col. Kimbrell, assumed the interim Directorship. He became the permanent Head of School. Dr. Karnes trained teachers in the Orton approach and came every year periodically to test students and help teachers. The school was involved in the beginning stages of forming the Orton Society which developed into the [http://www.interdys.org/ International Dyslexic Association (IDA). ] Extensive teacher training and professional development was implemented for continuing education took. Dr. Tom Mahan encouraged teachers to attend graduate school and a consortium between the College of Charleston and the Citadel which resulted in the development of a Masters in Special Education with an emphasis on Learning Disabilities. Many of the teachers at Trident were in that first groundbreaking class.

The Orton method of teaching was used at the school to teach students with dyslexia. This Orton method, subsequently known as Orton-Gillingham, was extremely successful and the school took flight. The original building included the current office, gymnasium and lower and middle school classrooms. In the early 80’s, with the addition of the library and LEAD Wing, the school’s enrollment soared. In 2002, the Science and Technology wing was opened creating an expanded campus. The courtyard that is located between the two campus buildings is a source of great pride for both the students and faculty. Today, Trident Academy is one of only ten schools in the United States that is accredited by the [http://www.ortonacademy.org/ Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators] and one of the few learning disabilities schools on the southeast coast. The school has three Orton-Gillingham Fellows on the faculty and the Director of LEAD, Sheila Costello, sits on the Board of Directors of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham. Students come from all over the world to attend Trident Academy. Trident has educated students from England, Germany, India, the Bahamas, Australia, Morocco, Brazil, and Canada as well from all areas of the United States. The school is a beacon of hope for the greater Charleston area and has a sterling national reputation for educating students who struggle in traditional educational environments.

Orton-Gillingham Method of Instruction

Trident Academy received Orton-Gillingham (OG) accreditation in 2006. According to [http://www.ortonacademy.org/ The Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators] . "the Academy accredits programs that expressly offer Orton-Gillingham training. Programs so accredited are judged to provide appropriate preparation for persons who seek meaningful levels of competency with the Orton-Gillingham approach. Academy criteria for accreditation emphasize the adequacy of curricula used by a program and the preparation and experience of the staff providing the training. Evidence of general support available to a program is also considered. Final accreditation also requires that the instructional leadership of the program be vested in a staff member who has the status of a Fellow in the Academy." Trident Academy has three Fellows on the faculty. Of its members, only Fellows of the Academy have achieved the levels of education, training, and experience deemed necessary to independently train others in the Orton-Gillingham Approach. Summer OG training programs are offered at Trident Academy.

tudents

The student body population is approximately 90 students. This number includes students from K-5 kindergarten to seniors in high school. Students are selected based on application, diagnostic testing, academic references and a school visit. The school accepts students with average to above average intelligence whose learning disabilities include ADHD, ADD, Dyslexia, central auditory processing disorder, Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia.

Accreditation

Trident Academy is one of ten schools in the United States that is accredited by the [http://www.ortonacademy.org/ Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practioners and Educators] . Trident Academy is also accredited by the [http://www.scisa.org/ South Carolina Independent Schools Association] (SCISA), [http://www.sacs.org/ Southern Association of Colleges and Schools] (SACS), and [http://www.sais.org/ Southern Association of Independent Schools] (SAIS).

ports

*Golf
*Tennis
*Basketball
*Track
*Soccer
*Cheerleading

Traditions

*Thanksgiving Play and Feast
*Thanksgiving Food Drive
*Christmas Commandos
*Holiday Assembly
*Annual MDA Campaign
*Mardi Gras Parade
*Carolina - Clemson Extravaganza
*Shakespeare Day Celebration
*Poetry Fair
*Biography Hall of Fame
*Red Ribbon Week
*Prom Promise
*Senior Auction
*Oyster Roast
*Annual TAG Auction
*Annual Golf Tournament
*Homecoming Queen and Court
*Field Day
*Pennies for Patients

Notable alumnae

*Wallace Scarborough (South Carolina House of Representatives)

References

* [http://www.ldresources.org/?p=1345 LD Resources]
* [http://www.ldonline.org/article/6026?theme=print LD Online]
* [http://www.scisa.org/member.asp?type=member SCISA]

External links

* [http://www.tridentacademy.com/ Trident Academy website]
* [http://www.ortonacademy.org/ Orton-Gillingham website]