Our Academic Team

In addition to having the same skills and training as our residential instructors, our academic team brings an added level of experience and qualifications. Our classroom teachers are experienced working with special needs populations and understand the tools needed to facilitate a successful classroom experience for our students’ unique needs.

Our teachers utilize multi-sensory approaches in small classes (8 students to 1 teacher + 1 residential instructor in each class), providing an individualized balance of challenge and accommodation to reach each student most successfully. All core classes (math, English, social studies, and science) are guided by the Common Core, with a focus on building organizational skills, project execution, study/writing skills and self-advocacy.

Dave Rollins, Academic Director

MA in Teaching, Western Oregon University; Special Education, Concordia University; BS in Environmental Science, The Ohio State University

Dave has dedicated his professional life to working with children who learn differently. As a special education teacher he is well versed in helping children learn skills to meet their fullest academic and personal potential. His work experience is rich and diverse as he has worked at traditional summer camps, public schools, therapeutic boarding school and residential treatment centers. Much of this experience included working with students dealing with emotional and behavioral issues. Further, Dave served as the academic director at Santiam Crossing therapeutic boarding school. Dave thrives working directly with students in a classroom setting, yet his unique skill set of curriculum and program development serve him well as academic director. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, canoeing, listening to music and spending time with his wife and two daughters.