Lowell School knows its children

Since it was founded in 1968, The Lowell School has been meeting the needs of students with learning differences in order to help them achieve their maximum potential.
The school serves students in grades 3 through 12, with a location in Bayside for its elementary and middle school students and a building in Flushing that houses its high school students. The student body is made up of children from all the boroughs, as well as Westchester and Long Island school districts. There are currently 240 students at The Lowell School.
“One of the reasons that they [the students] are able to achieve here is because of smaller enrollment,” said Dede Proujansky, the executive director of The Lowell School. “It’s a maximum of 12 students in a class with a certified special education teacher and an assistant in every classroom.”
The Lowell School, which is New York State approved and accredited, serves students with various learning differences, such as dyslexia, reading difficulties, math difficulties and auditory processing, among others.
Prior to the start of each school year, The Lowell School puts together profiles of students so that teachers will know each individual’s needs and how to approach them.
“We deal with the whole child,” said Susan Price, the principal of the elementary and middle school. “We deal with their social needs, their academic needs or educational needs, as well as their developmental needs. It’s a very personalized, individual approach to dealing with the whole child, knowing the whole child.”
Price also said that teachers know the students, even if they are not in one of their classes. Price said that she and Proujansky know every student in the school, and not just their names.
Along with its regular curriculum, the school offers services such as counseling, speech, language, occupational and physical therapies, an individualized reading program and individualized and small group math. Students also take part it music, art, computers and physical education.
Parents also play an important role in the education of the students. Price said that, in order for there to be success, the child, parents and school all need to work together.
The school helps build the self-esteem and confidence of its students. Proujansky said that the most rewarding part for her has been seeing the students achieving success, leaving the school “ready to conquer the next step” and “knowing that they can do whatever they set their minds to do.”
Proujansky and Price have many success stories involving students who have graduated from The Lowell School. One of its graduates now has two masters degrees and is in law school. Another works for the military, training new recruits.
“Most of our kids go on to four-year colleges or two-year [colleges],” Proujansky said. “That’s a great success in their [the students] own right.”
The Lowell School, which will have its annual benefit in March, is now beginning to launch a capital campaign so that they can eventually get a building to house the elementary school, middle school and high school, rather than having them in two separate buildings. This would enable them to have more space for things such as science labs, computer labs, an expanded library, music studios and art studios.
For more information on The Lowell School, visit www.thelowellschool.com. The school can also be contacted by e-mailing tlschool@aol.com or calling (718) 352-2100.