The Orion School -- An ADHD School in Atlanta, Georgia

458 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: 404 551-2574

OUR PEOPLE

	Laura Markson Prior to founding The Orion School, Laura was trained as an early childhood teacher and taught in the 80’s and early 90’s in both New York State and Washington D.C. Laura took brief career detours to fulfill a dream of attending cooking school. For a short time, she worked as a cook at top Washington D.C. restaurants. Laura blended her love of cooking and teaching in a company called Wee Cook. She taught cooking classes to students at various private schools in D.C.; including Georgetown Day School and Burgundy Farm Country Day School. Laura also gave seminars to teacher groups on ways to integrate food experiences into the curriculum. Laura’s first child was born 15 years ago. At that time she decided to devote her energy to being a stay at home mom. She became an attachment parent, PTA mom and community volunteer. During this time she served on the Board of Trustees at Temple Emanu El in Houston and at The Temple in Atlanta. Laura and her husband John founded The Orion School in 2006 when they searched for an alternative school option in Atlanta with a dedicated profile serving students like their then 6 year old son who had a more complex ADHD profile that included socio-emotional behavior struggles. There were none. Since founding The Orion School, Laura has shifted all her volunteering time and charitable resources to ensure that The Orion School remains in Atlanta to nurture and celebrate learners who have ADHD. Laura lives in Morningside with her husband, her teenage daughter, preteen son, and assorted pets. When not working for The Orion School or spending time with her family, Laura enjoys cooking, entertaining friends, reading through her extensive cookbook collection, gardening, or relaxing at the beach.
	Katherine Katherine McGee is an Atlanta native and received a B.S. in psychology from Kennesaw State University in 2003. A love of language being ever present throughout her life, it is only natural that she pursues this avenue in teaching. She completed the Orton Gillingham Training Program at the Schenk School, is an active member of the International Dyslexia Association—Georgia Branch, and attended an intensive speech and language development training at the John Tracy Clinic in Los Angeles, CA in 2005. Katherine's other passion lies in helping our students develop the skills critical for successful social interactions and self-regulation. Because she is aware that ADHD has a significant impact on these areas in the lives of children with the disorder, she operates from a disability perspective, using direct instruction, role play, and hands-on activities to ensure students' interest and success. As a teacher, Katherine uses an educational approach to teach social skills. She has developed literature based social skill lessons using various thinking maps as an organizing tool. Katherine also designs our positive behavior system to help our students experience self control and the self esteem that comes with it. Never missing a learning opportunity, Katherine has represented The Orion School at the 2007 and 2008 CHADD International Conferences, completed The Alert Program training workshop (How Does Your Engine Run?), and will soon be a certified Handwriting Without Tears handwriting specialist. She is also trained in Angel Bear Yoga, YogaKids, and belaying. Throughout the school year, Katherine hosts parent training sessions to share her knowledge about strategies that help our complex children succeed. In addition, Katherine has a 10 year old daughter with ADHD who is also hard of hearing and a student at The Orion School.
	Matthew Matthew is a true Atlanta native who grew up in Lilburn, Georgia and graduated from Parkview High School. Growing up, he played soccer and continued this sport on his college intramural team. Matthew graduated from Georgia State with a major in psychology and a minor in mathematics. The many courses in child education he took started his ultimate path towards teaching. After graduation, Matthew first pursued corporate America, but decided to leave for a more lasting, and most of all rewarding career that makes a positive impact on children’s lives. He is eager to grow as a teacher and learn everything he can about all angles of Education. When not teaching, Matthew is passionate about the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he wants to travel with his wife to all corners of the globe and experience as many cultures (and foods!) as possible.
	Chelsea Chelsea Montgomery is new to Atlanta and brings a wide range of academic skills to our school. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from East Carolina University, is certified to teach K-6 in both NC and MS, and was previously employed as an intervention strategist in Pass Christian, MS. In that position, she evaluated and assessed students to determine their skill sets, then wrote and implemented intervention plans to help the students achieve success. Her strength lies in finding the gaps in student’s learning, and applying researched based teaching and learning strategies. Chelsea lives in Duluth with her older brother, Geoff, and dog, Winston. She has a passion for sports, cooking, drawing, and politics.
	Celeste Celeste recently moved to Atlanta after a year in Guatemala, where she taught English and developed curriculum for children and adults in a Mayan Kakchiquel non-profit private school. In 2008, she graduated from New York University with certification in Elementary and Special Education. For four years, she worked in NYC public schools -- in 2007, she student taught children with Asperger's Syndrome in an innovative classroom setting. She looks forward to becoming a part of the Orion School community and continuing her passion for working with diverse learners using differentiated teaching methods. She aims to work towards social justice by helping students meet their specific needs and develop the skills they need for successful futures. Aside from teaching, Celeste also enjoys traveling, eating new foods (particularly spicy!), getting to know people, and learning about gardening.
	Elizabeth Elizabeth is an Atlanta native who lives in Decatur with her husband and two children. Her life path includes working at the Walden Early Childhood Program and The Emory Autism Resource Center Family Support Program. She has broad experience working with parents and family members on specialized teaching strategies as well as behavior management at home and school. She has cared for a younger sibling with special needs and understands the rewards and challenges each family at The Orion School faces. Elizabeth loves working with children and is eager to share her multiple passions and skills in the classroom; including gardening, nature, crafts, art, and an endless patience.
	Emily Emily is an Atlanta native who grew up in Norcross, Georgia. In 2008, she received a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education degree from Georgia State University and became certified to teach Special Education, K-12. Emily will finish graduate school this fall with a Master’s degree in Special Education. Her graduate program emphasized teaching students with learning disabilities and teaching students with emotional behavioral disorders. Emily looks forward to becoming part of the Orion School community and equipping students with the skills each needs for social and academic success. Her previous teaching positions have given her a strong background in behavior management, data collection, differentiating instruction, assessment, and teaching social skills. Emily has a passion for traveling and experiencing other cultures. Her travels have taken her to Europe, Africa (five times J) and South America. She enjoys sharing what she has experienced around the world with her students. Emily lives with her husband in Decatur and enjoys art, reading, spending time outdoors, trying new food, and learning to cook and garden.
	Sarah Sarah Stine is new to the Atlanta area. She grew up in Ohio and was involved in swimming and gymnastics for most of her life. She went on to swim for the University of Findlay where she finished her degree in pre law. The year after finishing her degree she realized that law was not her thing while coaching gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio. She then went back to school, finished her teaching certificate as well as a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. In those two years she enjoyed substitute teaching and coaching swimming. She then went on to surround herself with many different kinds of experiences. Some include a facilitator position for a young girl with autism and also being a part of a gymnastics autism achievement program which incorporates many kinds of therapies based on each individual child’s need. Sarah is thrilled to be a part of the Orion team. In her free time, Sarah loves to take her dog to the park, travel and eat new kinds of food.
	Chuck Since 1992, Chuck's passion has been bringing people together in the shared joy of West African drumming. He has led performing community and professional groups as well as drum circles, helped organize and performed with the 100-member drum tribe in the Opening Ceremonies of the Atlanta Olympic Games, made CD, commercial and soundtrack recordings, developed a training program featuring group rhythm for conference and corporate groups, and hosts and organizes the annual Blue Ridge Mountains African Drum & Dance Camp which gathers 12 instructors and 130 participants. Chuck is a graduate of the Barbara Brennan School of Healing, and uses his training to deepen the healing work he has been doing with his hands through the drum for many years. In addition to a private healing practice, he leads drum circles with cancer recovering families at Northside Hospital's Wellness Community, and connects in rhythm music with the students at The Orion School in Atlanta. Chuck's longing is to co-create communities for transformation, using expressive elements of drumming, music, voice and movement. Chuck can be reached at www.kumandi.com or email chuck@kumandi.com.
	Chris Before co-founding Learning on the Log in the fall of 2000 Chris has been involved in early intervention programs for children with autism and related disabilities since 1992. He served as a classroom coordinator and case manager of the Pre-K classroom at Emory University's Walden Early Childhood Programs. He also served as resource assistant at the Emory Autism Resource Center conducting research, supervising and training support teachers, evaluating children and working on developing language/interaction and increasing social skills. He has worked as a home school instructor and therapist and as an aquatic swimming instructor for children with special needs. He has served as the program coordinator for a therapeutic preschool and summer camp in a private practice setting. Chris is a member of the Editorial Board for Kids Enabled magazine; A Publication for Parents of Children with Learning Differences. Chris lives in Decatur along with his two daughters and his wife.
	Courtney Courtney Griffin will be teaching dance/creative movement to the students at Orion School. She is a Georgia native and a proud graduate of the University of Georgia. She has 22 years dance experience and has trained in numerous styles including ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, African and even some belly dance. While under her direction at UGA, the Pamoja Dance Company became a premier performance company for non-trained dancers. For the past 8 years she has worked with inexperienced dancers of all ages, sharing her love and passion for dance. At a very early age, Courtney learned to channel her energy and expression through movement. On a weekly basis she plans to give the students of the Orion School and After School Enrichment Program a chance to experience different music and a myriad ways to express themselves with movement.
	John John will be teaching karate to the students at The Orion School. He began his Karate training at the age of 9, and was teaching by age 16. His teaching experience ranges from tournament level competition, to general class instruction, to non competitive private lessons with children with cerebral palsy, autism, and a range of learning differences. He holds two black belts in both American and Professional Karate. John graduated from Emory University with a BA in Theater Studies and also holds teaching positions at Emory, The Little Gym of Smyrna, and the Spruill Arts Center for Theater.
	Emilie Emilie initially volunteered at the Orion School to share photography with the students. She now loves the challenge of creating a photography curriculum to inspire an ongoing love and knowledge about photography. Her personal passion for photography started eight years ago during her first trip abroad to Italy. She was inspired by the beauty and wanted to capture everything on film. She realized quickly that she not only had a knack for photography but had also developed a love for it. Once she graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, she worked with different publications both as a freelance writer and photographer. Her degree in English Communications has helped in both her freelance and teaching endeavors. Having both a 10 year career at Starbucks along with projects on the side, Emilie definitely stays busy. However, in her free time she loves spending time with her boyfriend Will and their two dogs, Van and Roscoe.
	Crystal Crystal Downs, MA, CCC-SLP has served children with learning and communication challenges at The Orion School since 2008. She received her Master’s Degree in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2001 and holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association as well as a Georgia Speech-Language Pathology license. Crystal has been privileged to assist children with various speech, language, and feeding needs and has worked within natural environments, school systems, hospitals and clinical setting. She is passionate about working with all members of the child’s support team (parents, caregivers, siblings, teachers, etc.) to effectively strengthen a child’s communication and social skills. Crystal enjoys traveling with her husband and two sons, photography, cooking, college basketball (Go Tar Heels!), and volunteering in the Children’s Ministry at her church.
	Emory
	Shahnoor Shahnoor S. Dharamsi MS, OTR/L is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she is responsible for evaluating, planning andexecuting treatment sessions and supervising graduate and undergraduate Occupational therapy students. Additionally, she organizes and manages the Fun and Fitness Summer Camp, and works with Clay White to provide children with sensory activities to enhance daily-living skills. Shahnoor brings over 5 years of experience working with children ranging from birth to 18 with a variety of diagnoses. She holds BS and MS degrees in Occupational Therapy from Brenau University, is a member of the Editorial Board for Kids Enabled magazine, A Publication for Parents of Children with Learning Differences. She is also a member of the Georgia Occupational therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Shahnoor will be teaching and training handwriting programs, providing techniques to increase sensory processing in the classroom, and initiating innovative ways to increase social interaction skills for the children.
	Natalie As the first After School Director Natalie is dedicated to building the best After School program in Atlanta for children who have ADHD. She also enjoys sharing her love of art with the students during art appreciation classes at the Orion School. Natalie is a native of Atlanta and lives in Druid Hills with her family and three dogs. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Art Education at Georgia State University. Natalie believes that seeing your work positively affect the life of a child is the greatest high you can imagine; and she is a full-blown addict.
	Irene Iréné Celcer, MA, LCSW, is originally from Argentina. She holds graduate degrees in psychology from Universidad de Belgrano, Argentina, holistic psychology from Antioch University, San Francisco, and social work from Yeshiva University, NYC. She specializes in parenting, including infertility, adoption and third party reproductive assistance, helping families with different challenges from disclosure of special beginnings to issues such as eating disorders and, of course, ADD/ADHD. Ms.Celcer developed a support program for the Orion School for parents and teachers to meet monthly to discuss issues related to living with and educating students with ADD/ADHD. The goal is for families to feel productive while enjoying living together, as a family. Ms. Celcer has developed two eating disorder courses for yourceus on www.yourceus.com. She is the author of two books on eating disorders: La Tirania de Las Dietas (The Tyranny of Diets, 1994) ISBN 789507424977. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Planeta and Mujer Cuerpo ¿Dieta? La Voz de la Obsesión (Women, Their Bodies & Dieting: The Voice of an Obsession, 1996). ISBN 9508431814. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Vinciguerra. Graphite Press released a series of her children’s books Hope and Will Have a Baby on the different ways that children come into the world thanks to third party reproductive assistance (December 2007). By Fall 2009 two more books will be added to the series: one in adoption and one in regular conception. For one of the books in her collection Irene has been recently mentioned on the New York Times (July 11, 2009). As a speaker, Ms. Celcer teaches seminars and workshops in the USA and overseas and has ongoing appearances on many TV and radio shows. Ms. Celcer is currently working on a children’s book on the topic of weightism, teasing and bullying (Graphite Press). Ms. Celcer has an office in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA. More information can be found at www.icelcer.com.
	Cristina Cristina is excited to be our first School Administrator. She is a Georgia native who grew up in Dekalb County. Cristina has been working in office management for six years and is bringing those skills to help us with the complicated task of operating a growing school. Cristina is married (to Mr. Matt!) and lives in Woodstock. She loves to bake and share her delicious creations with our teachers and students! She also enjoys reading and traveling.