Our Mission and Values
From the days our doors opened in 2008, we have cultivated a learning environment that encourages, uplifts, educates, and fosters independence for students who face learning and social/emotional challenges. Traditional classrooms are often rigid and frustrating for these children (and their caregivers), as they aren’t designed for individual learning needs.
Not at Alexsander Academy. Here, we get to know our students' academic, social and emotional needs while focusing on building their independence skills. Our small environment allows us to help them be successful in a classroom environment, gain self-confidence, and build true and lasting friendships.
As a school, our focus is independent, academic success as well as social, emotional and independence skills. Our goal for ALL students is to get them to a place where they do not need this small supportive environment and can move on to larger, more traditional settings ― be that another private or public school, vocational program or real choice in living situation and work as an adult.
In order to personalize the day-to-day for our students, we do not formally use any particular programs such as Orton-Gillingham, Wilson, Linda Mood Bell or others. While our teachers may have knowledge and experience with these programs, they are not the foundations for learning at Alexsander Academy - those come from the relationships between student and teacher, informing the best-fitting strategies and approach.
Our values are at the core of who we are and what we do. Alexsander Academy is a place of hope, relationship, academic success, and independence. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your student achieve both educational and personal success, please contact us.
The Legacy of Alexsander Academy
As a mother, Executive Director Stefanie Smith often felt that her children were missing out on something in their traditional school settings. Her son, Ben, spent many years working privately with with educator Maya Mehanna (who later became Co-Founder and the first Education Director), and Stefanie and Maya connected over a shared frustration with the lack of flexibility teachers often have when striving to meet each student where they were academically, socially, and emotionally.
In 2008, they established Alexsander Academy with the vision that all of the students who would walk in their doors would leave with a sense of success, independence, and the opportunity to thrive wherever life leads them.
Their commitment to these students was (and is) so strong that even the school’s name is a reflection of their hearts and mission. Alexsander Academy is named in honor of Stefanie’s nephew Alexsander - a young man with ADHD who passed away at 23 years old around Christmas time in 2003. Alex attended special education classes growing up, and had a very special connection with Stefanie’s son. Alex’s special affinity for other children with needs like his continues to be a major part of the heart and soul of Alexsander Academy.
Staff and Board of Directors
Stefanie Smith
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Board President/Treasurer
Samantha Smith
Secretary
Teaching Staff for the 2023-24 school year
Stefanie Smith
Stefanie has a Masters in Special Education from Walden University. As the Founder and Executive Director of the school, she has been in classrooms as support staff and as a main teacher when needed for 15 years. In addition to Stefanie's classroom experience, she also has extensive training and background in incidental teaching, ABA and floortime for children on the autism spectrum.
Stefanie has been married to her husband, David, for 32 years, has two children and an elderly mixed mutt, Snaggletooth. Her son, Ben who is on the autism spectrum and attended Alexsander Academy from 6th grade until he graduated from high school. Stefanie enjoys playing games, taking walks, spending time with her family and being with all of her kids in and out of school!
Allison Boyd - Teacher
Allison has a B.S. in Early and Elementary Education from University of Alabama at
Montgomery. She taught 5th grade at a parochial school in Alabama for 9 years. Since moving to Georgia, she has worked with upper elementary grade levels in hybrid homeschool, public school, and private school. This is her 4th year with
Alexsander Academy.
Allison has two children, her son, Harrison, and her daughter, McKinley. She moved to Georgia 5 years ago to
the Woodstock area. She enjoys working in her garden and listening to music.
Jennifer Zimmerman - Teacher
Jennifer has a Bachelors in Elementary Ed. from Westchester University, a Masters in Special Ed & Multicultural Ed. from Eastern University and has done Post Graduate hours at the University Of Pennsylvania & Penn State University Doctoral program for Behavior & Autism. She worked in a model classroom for Early Intervention, specializing in medically fragile children for several years then a model classroom for children with autism. When Jennifer moved to Georgia she began providing consulting in Advocacy, Play/Behavior Therapy, Social Skills Groups as well as staff trainings for various preschools in the area.
Jennifer is originally from Pennsylvania and currently lives in Roswell with her husband, Herb and her two children Jack and Hallie. She has two schnauzers Benny and Mooks as well a few horses.
Kelsey Stamps - Teacher
Kelsey has a Masters in special education from CUNY Brooklyn College and a BA in Elementary Education from UNC at Chapel Hill. She has over 17 years of expereince in teaching and with students that learn differently. She has worked with all ages from kindergarten through high school. This is her first year at Alexsander Academy.
Donna Zittrouer - Support Teacher
Donna has a Masters in Statistics from the University of Alabama. She has been an amazing support to all of us at Alexsander Academy, having provided classroom support on and off almost the whole time we have been a school since 2008! She is now full time with us providing classroom and after care support.
Donna lives in Johns Creek and has two grown children and two puppies with her husband, Sam. Her son Andrew is on the autism spectrum.