On Lake Dow Road in McDonough stands a school like no other. Our World School launched in  2016 to provide custom-tailored education to children diagnosed with special needs. “We’re the only private, K12, special education school serving students in the south metro Atlanta area,” said Head of School Don Dunlap. While private schools aren’t required to provide each student with an IEP, or individualized education plan, OWS uses them to ease students’ transition to or from public schools and provide a level of accountability for teachers.

Principal Kimberly Walden collaborates with teachers to implement each child’s IEP and support the school’s overall goal of helping students reach their full potential. “Too often, we don’t see children with special needs equipped for post-secondary success. We want them to be able to live a life of quality, dignity and contribution,” she said.

High school student Nick D’Alessio dreams of being a news anchor like his father, Ray, who is the co-anchor of the Georgia Farm Monitor. OWS has provided a place for Nick to hone his talents in front of the camera as he and fellow students produce the school’s daily video news and announcements. Nick says it’s his favorite part of the day, but he also enjoys learning math skills, talking to his teachers and working in the OWS coffee shop.

The coffee shop is an innovative way that OWS prepares students for the future, and Walden invites the public to stop by. “All our students bake on Thursdays, then the middle and high schoolers sell the baked goods and coffee on Friday mornings at 8:00. We have walk-up and drive-through service,” she said. The program offers real-life job experience, including an application process, interviews, and uniforms.

OWS scholars participate in adaptive baseball and cheerleading programs and are encouraged to give back through the Key Club and mentoring groups. Older students learn life skills in an on-campus apartment that also serves as a calming space, while younger kids have a designated sensory room to help them process big emotions.

Speech, occupational and ABA therapies are integrated into the school day, which parents find convenient. Classes are capped at 10 students, and each classroom has a teacher and a paraprofessional for a 5:1 student/teacher ratio. OWS is accredited by GAC, GISA and Cognia.

Dunlap says that manageable class sizes, an excellent curriculum, and salaries equal to those of the public school system make for little to no teacher turnover. “We don’t lose teachers. There’s a sense of peace here; it’s such a beautiful, homelike, inclusive place.”

Walden agrees. “All the kids here know each other; there’s a spirit of family,” she said. “We don’t have bullying here. We include everybody for who they are; everyone is allowed to be themselves, and it’s a beautiful thing to see every day.”

Learn more about the school by visiting www.ourworldschool.org or calling (678) 782-6089.

By Kari Apted