New School Opening in Baltimore to Serve Students with Social and Communication Challenges

Marjorie Hoffman, M.Ed., Appointed Founding Head of School

Highlights

- School:  National model private school serving students with social and communication challenges in grades K-8.  Baltimore campus planned for Sept. 2011.

- Head: Marjorie Hoffman, M.Ed. (Johns Hopkins University); 40+ years experience as an education leader; former Head or senior administrator at Valley Academy, The Shoshana A. Cardin School, Garrison Forest School, Krieger Schechter Day School.

- Admissions: Now enrolling for Fall 2011, [email protected]

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Jan. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Auburn School (Auburn) announced today the appointment of Marjorie Hoffman as the founding Head of School for its Baltimore Campus, scheduled to open in September 2011. Ms. Hoffman has 40 years of experience as an educational professional, serving diverse schools in a variety of capacities. Auburn's mission is to grow the social and academic potential of bright students with challenges in the areas of communication, social skills, pragmatic language and organization, such as Asperger's syndrome, ASD, PDD-NOS, NVLD or ADHD.

"I am enthusiastic about the possibilities that will exist for students with social and communication challenges now that The Auburn School is a part of the network of outstanding educational institutions in Baltimore," said Ms. Hoffman. "My experience with starting a new school energizes me and give me confidence that this unique school will meet with great success. I look forward to speaking with interested families in the coming weeks."

Ms. Hoffman joins an experienced senior leadership team at The Auburn School that includes Auburn's founder and CEO, Erik Heyer, Auburn's EVP, Marina Major, and the Heads of Auburn's Herndon, VA and Silver Spring, MD campuses, Linnea Nelson and Dr. Sandra Kleinman. Collectively, these education leaders have nearly 100 years of experience designing, leading and managing high quality programs and services for students with a wide range of learning needs.

"We are delighted to have Marjorie join our team of outstanding education leaders," said Mr. Heyer. "Her experience in the Baltimore education world will be extremely valuable as we work towards our opening in September."

Ms. Hoffman was a founding teacher of The Krieger Schechter Day School and then served as the first head of its middle school. Ms. Hoffman served as head of school at Valley Academy, a middle and upper school for students with language based learning differences in Baltimore, and middle school head at Garrison Forest School. She has been actively involved with the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, working on professional development offerings, the AIMS annual conference and most recently as facilitator for a series of teacher training workshops. She received her B.S. in early childhood education from the University of Maryland, an M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University, and a certificate of administration and supervision from Towson University.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to bring The Auburn School to students in Baltimore," said Marina Major, Auburn's Executive Vice President. "We are working hard to build a successful model program that provides students with high quality academics, while simultaneously supporting their need in the areas of communication, socialization, pragmatic language, and organization. With Marjorie's experience leading schools, our Baltimore campus will allow us to serve students in the Baltimore County area with these unique learning needs."

Ms. Hoffman will be working with the Auburn leadership team in the coming months as a location for the Baltimore campus is finalized, staff is recruited and students enrolled.

About The Auburn School

The Auburn School's mission is to grow the social and academic potential of bright students with challenges in the areas of social skills, communication, language and organization, such as Asperger's syndrome/ASD, PDD-NOS, NVLD or ADHD. The Auburn School is committed to the highest standards of program excellence and seeks to create national model programs. Auburn's founding team includes experienced and award-winning national leaders in education, social entrepreneurship and business. The Auburn School delivers a unique and individualized educational program featuring small class sizes, research-based instructional strategies, a well-trained faculty and an educational environment uniquely designed to meet the needs of our students. The first Auburn school opened in Herndon, VA in 2009 and a second campus opened in Silver Spring, MD in 2010. Auburn currently serves students in grades K – 8, with plans to grow to serve grades PK-12. For further information, please call (202) 390-0120, or visit the website at www.theauburnschool.org.

CONTACT: Marina Major, +1-202-390-0120, [email protected]

SOURCE The Auburn School