Congratulations to NHA’s 2023 graduates!

Congratulations to NHA’s 2023 graduates!

Congratulations to NHA’s LARGEST Graduating Class Yet!

At this year’s 2023 graduation, New Horizons Academy (NHA) broke its own 2021 record, graduating 12 students…its largest graduating class yet!

On May 21 at the Career Center, 12 students crossed the stage and celebrated their high school accomplishments. They included:

  • Luke Chambers
  • Tony Conti
  • Tyler Davidoff
  • Hannah Engler
  • Gabe Hobby (Salutatorian)
  • Arek Jadwisiak
  • Noah Nagel (Valedictorian)
  • Logan Parker
  • Josh Parran
  • Cadince Ramirez
  • Ellisha Rodriguez (Receiving her long-awaited diploma from 2020)
  • Jackson Snider

Our graduates are headed out on many and diverse career paths. Noah is hoping to begin college classes in the fall at Revere Bible College. Luke, Tony, Tyler, Hannah, Gabe, Arek, Logan, and Cadince will be exploring part-time jobs and career training programs. Josh and Jackson will join Ellisha returning to develop their vocational skills at the Career Center and Special Grounds Coffee in August.

Photos from the graduation ceremony can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.696534239146887&type=3

Congratulations to our 2023 graduates!

Hey Springfield… Let’s Play OUTSIDE!

Hey Springfield… Let’s Play OUTSIDE!

“Let’s play OUTSIDE!” are words that we hope to hear very soon at New Horizons Academy’s Springfield Campus. After over two years of grant writing and fundraising, we hope to break ground mid-April on our long awaited playground project. Our hope is to unveil this fully accessible, multi-sensory playground in August to kick off the new school year.

After years of playing in the school hall and sensory room, NHA’s kiddos are ready to break free, soak in the green therapy, and PLAY!

Educators know that play is about more than just recreational activities, recess, or break time for our students. Play helps children, of all ability levels, increase their physical fitness, reduce obesity, gain emotional and mental mastery, lay the groundwork for creative thinking, promote cognitive development and reasoning, develop their fine and gross motor skills, improve their problem solving abilities, and offer them opportunities to try out new social patterns and behaviors.

This fully inclusive, multi-sensory playground will offer children and youth of all ability levels and their families a place to explore, discover, and grow together. The play area will address the needs of typically developing children, as well as, children with neurological, intellectual, and physical disabilities. It will be rich in sensory experiences, music and movement, physical fitness, social interactions, and physical challenges. The playground will also naturally expand and enhance NHA’s physical education, rehabilitation, conductive education, wellness, therapeutic and recreational programs.

The playground will feature many different elements that our special needs kids will love including—swinging, spinning, climbing, sliding, balancing, rocking, dancing, strengthening their bodies, integrating their senses, and listening to music from adaptive outdoor switches. The playground equipment will include inclusive, adaptable swings, slides, rockers, climbers, obstacle courses, parallel bars, balance beams and musical instruments. 

We are super excited that the playground will also now feature three sensory rings. Children can engage with visual, tactile, and auditory sensors, including sound panels that feature interaction with adaptive switch inputs. 

For green therapy, there will also be a large grassy area for students to explore, discover, and sit on for outdoor classes, activities, and reading. There truly is something for everyone!

Among the organizations and groups, which have helped make this dream a reality, are—the LPGA Dana Open, the Ohio Elks Cerebral Palsy (CP) Fund, Lockrey Manufacturing, Everence, Giving Tuesday 419, the NHA Fun Run/Walk, and many, many caring individuals and families. Donations are still being accepted, so please consider giving today or walking in the NHA Fun Run/Walk in September.

Playground Timelines:

  • Mid-April—Begin cutting out the blacktop and pavement for the foundation.
  • May—Installation of fence posts and the temporary construction fence.
  • June—Prepping the foundation and drainage.
  • July—Playground equipment arrives, and installation begins.
  • Mid-July—Installation of the artificial grass playground surface.
  • Late-July—Installation of the 6’ high vinyl privacy fence around the playground and fob entry for safety and security.
  • Mid-August—Finalize playground equipment installation.
  • August 21—First Day of School & Unveiling of the Playground

What’s My Name?

What’s My Name?

NHA has such an awesome mascot. The kids absolutely love it when the eagle makes an appearance in their classrooms. There is so much joy and wonder as they jump around and give it hugs. However, we just realized that our eagle was missing something very important… a name.

We needed to fix that!

During Right to Read Week, we held a contest with the Wauseon and Springfield campuses to come up with a  name for our amazing eagle mascot.

Classrooms submitted some very creative name ideas. Ballots were then collected in a beautiful eagle submission box created by our very own Ms. Nicole. The finalists were (in alphabetical order):

  • Apollo (Ms. Caryn)
  • Everest (Ms. Kara)
  • Joy (Ms. Janelle)
  • Ozzy (Ms. Anna)
  • Thunder (Ms. Renate)

All students and staff will receive a special gift this week to commemorate our mascot finally getting a name.

The winner is… (cue AC/DC music)… THUNDER! 

Ms. Renate’s vocational studies class will get an additional treat for winning the contest and coming up with Thunder the Eagle’s name.

NHA Field Days Announced

NHA Field Days Announced

Mark Your Calendar!

With the end of the school year fast approaching, New Horizons Academy (NHA) has announced its 2023 Field Days. We wanted to make sure that all parents were aware of the dates, put them in their calendars, and made sure that their students were appropriately dressed for the weather (including sunscreen).

  • May 12 (Rain Date—May 15)
    Wauseon Campus & Career Center
  • May 17 (Rain Date—May 18)
    Springfield Campus

If you have any questions or concerns about your students’ participation in the Field Days or would like additional information about them, please call the NHA School Offices at 419-335-7272 or 567-703-1322.

NHA Year-End Awards Assemblies

NHA Year-End Awards Assemblies

New Horizons Academy (NHA) parents, caregivers & family members are warmly invited to celebrate our students’ accomplishments at the 2023 Year-End Awards Day assemblies on:

  • May 15 at 1:00 p.m.
    Springfield Campus’ Sensory Room
  • May 16 at 1:00 p.m.
    NHA Career Center’s Gym
  • May 17 at 1:00 p.m.
    Wauseon Campus’ Hope Center Hall

These are always very special (and emotional) events. We look forward to seeing you there! For questions or more information, please call the NHA School Offices at 419-335-7272 or 567-703-1322.

2023 NHA Graduation Planned

2023 NHA Graduation Planned

New Horizons Academy (NHA) is so pleased and proud to announce its LARGEST graduating class yet with 11 students, graduating on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at the NHA Career Center, located at 854 S. Shoop Ave., Wauseon, OH 43567. The community is welcome to attend! All graduates are asked to arrive by noon.

NHA’s 11 graduates from the Class of 2023 include—Luke Chambers, Tony Conti, Tyler Davidoff, Hannah Engler, Gabe Hobby, Arek Jadwisiak, Noah Nagel, Logan Parker, Josh Parran, Cadince Ramirez, and Jackson Snider.

  • Luke Daniel Chambers—Is the son of Kirk and Carol Chambers. He has attended NHA for the last 10 years. Luke lives in the Liberty Center School District, plays on the Henry County Special Olympics Basketball Team, and works hard in the Special Grounds Kitchen. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals, and he plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
  • Anthony (Tony) Charles Conti, II—Is the son of Anthony and Priscilla Conti. He has attended NHA for the last nine years. Tony lives in the Wauseon School District, works in the Special Grounds Kitchen and Home Restaurant, is a gifted artist and space enthusiast (Check out his mural at the Fulton County Humane Society.), and enjoys playing with his dogs—Mordecai and Lacey in his spare time. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals, and he plans on exploring work opportunities after graduation.
  • Tyler Robert Davidoff—Is the son of Patricia Hogan and is currently living with his Aunt Theresa Wehrle in the North Central School District. He has attended NHA for the last three years. Tyler works in the Special Grounds Kitchen, appreciates his work study placement at Pizza Hut, and enjoys reading and gaming in his spare time. He has earned his Citizenship, Science, and Community Service Graduation Seals; and he plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
  • Hannah Lakota Engler—Is the daughter of Brian and Kristin Engler. She has attended NHA for the last six years. Hannah lives in the Archbold School District, has worked in her family’s Home Restaurant and The Barn’s kitchen, and enjoys playing with her dog-Hallie in her spare time. She has earned her Citizenship and Community Service Graduation Seals, and she hopes to work at McDonald’s after graduation.
  • Gabe (Gabriel) Alexander Hobby—Is the son of Shannon Hobby. He has attended NHA for his four years of high school. Gabe lives in the Pike-Delta-York School District, works in the Special Grounds Coffee Shop behind the counter and at the drive-thru window, and enjoys gaming in his spare time. He has earned his Science and Community Service Graduation Seals; and since he is good at finding flaws in computer programming, he hopes to enroll in a tech school in computer science in the future.
  • Arek Jason Jadwisiak—Is the son of Jeffrey and Christina Jadwisiak. He lives in the Springfield Local School District, has attended NHA’s Springfield Campus for the last four years, and is the third Springfield Campus graduate. In his free time, Arek enjoys reading, role playing games (RPG), and video gaming. He has earned his Citizenship and Science Graduation Seals, and he hopes to enroll in a tech school for coding in the future.
  • Noah Alan Nagel—Is the son of Lory and Greg Nagel. He lives in the Pike-Delta-York School District, has attended NHA for the last five years, is active in scouting, constructed benches for his community service project, and is currently finishing his Eagle Scout Award. Noah worked part-time at Chief Supermarkets, over the summer as a camp counselor at Camp Lakota, and at Special Grounds Coffee both behind the counter and in the Flavoring and Bagging Room. Noah has earned his Citizenship, Science, Community Service, and Student Engagement Graduation Seals; and he is considering attending a trade school in either electrical or welding in the short-term while still considering a career as a youth pastor.
  • Logan Kayle Parker—Is the son of Kristine and Paul Dick. He attended NHA for six non-consecutive years. Logan lives in the Patrick Henry School District, participates on the Henry County Special Olympics Bowling and Basketball Teams, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center and Chief Supermarkets. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals, enjoys visiting Kaitlyn’s Cottage, and plans on exploring community work opportunities after graduation.
  • Joshua (Josh) William Parran—Is the son of Rick and Brenda Parran. He has attended NHA for the last 10 years. Josh lives in the Wauseon School District, has participated on the Fulton County Special Olympics Basketball and Track Teams, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center and Ace Hardware. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals and plans on returning to NHA’s Career Center in the fall to continue honing his daily living and vocational skills (Students may stay at NHA through their 21st birthday.).
  • Cadince Amara Ramirez—Is the daughter of Tamina and Anthony Wright. She has attended NHA for the last eight years. Cadince lives in the Napoleon School District, has participated in the Soaring Arts Program, practiced her work skills at the NHA Career Center and Season’s Eating, and enjoys dancing and listening to music in her spare time. She earned her Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals and hopes to work at Soaring Arts after graduation.
  • Jackson Timothy Snider—Is the son of Timothy and Jackie Snider. He has attended NHA for the last three years. Jackson lives in the Millcreek-West Unity School district, is active in his Wednesday Night Church Youth Group, and practiced his work skills at the NHA Career Center, Special Grounds Kitchen, Home Restaurant, and Chief Supermarkets. He earned his Fine Arts and Community Service Graduation Seals, plans on returning to NHA’s Career Center and Special Grounds Coffee in the fall to continue honing his vocational skills, and hopes to work at Marcos in the future making pizzas.

Congratulations to all of our graduates! We truly wish you the best, and we hope that everyone, who is able, will come out on Sunday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m. to celebrate their accomplishments at the NHA Career Center on S. Shoop Ave. in Wauseon.

NHA Students Shine at Christmas Musical

NHA Students Shine at Christmas Musical

NHA Students Taught Us NOT to Be Grumps (or Grumpy) and to Share the Spirit of Christmas!

Thank you to our all-star musical New Horizons Academy (NHA) students and cast members, who delivered outstanding performances on December 13 at Pettisville Missionary Church when they reminded us all NOT to be grumpy or grumps in the 2022 Annual NHA Christmas Musical, “The Grumps of Ring-A-Ding Town!”

Under the direction of NHA Music Teacher and Christmas Musical Director Melissa Valentine, over 100 of our special needs students sang, danced, and taught us all about the importance of caring for each other and keeping the Christmas spirit alive. In the musical, the bells of ol’ Ring-A-Ding Town have stopped ringing, because the townspeople have completely lost their holiday spirit. With all of the pressures of the season, they have become so grumpy that even the bells refuse to ring. When a severe winter storm pounds the village with ice, wind, and snow, the grumpy citizens are reminded how much they need each other and how rewarding it can be to share and care for one another in the true spirit of the season. When peace, love, and joy return, the bells of Ring-A-Ding Town begin to ring again; and we are all reminded NOT to be grumps or grumpy and that miracles really can and do happen!

This inspirational, Christmas musical was made possible by our talented students and dedicated NHA staff and teachers, especially Music Teacher and Director Melissa Valentine. Without all of her hard work, vision, dedication, and creativity, the show would not have gone on. She found or created the absolute perfect role for each of our students’ abilities and personalities and corralled and coached over 100 of our special needs preschool to high school youth through the entire Christmas show. Melissa was truly our role model on sharing and spreading the Christmas spirit and not letting the grumpy grumps spoil the holiday season!

If you missed this special Christmas show, check out all of the photos on New Horizons Academy’s Facebook page HERE or check out our YouTube channel for your own special, encore performance HERE.

NHA Now Accepting Applications for 2023-24

NHA Now Accepting Applications for 2023-24

All three New Horizons Academy (NHA) locations are NOW accepting new student applications for the 2022-2023 school year! NHA is so pleased to announce that it is accepting new student applications for its regional special education PK-12 school campus at 220 Lawrence Ave. in Wauseon, its Greater Toledo Area campus at 6201 Trust Dr. in Holland—just off of Airport Highway, and at its new Career Center and Special Grounds Coffee Shop at 854 S. Shoop Ave. in Wauseon. Currently, NHA serves special education students from over 25 different school districts from across nine Northwest Ohio counties. Call TODAY to find out more about NHA and its academic and vocational programs. Classes begin in August, so begin the enrollment process NOW.

If you are looking for the right special education placement for your preschool to high school student, a place where your child feels like he or she fits in, consider NHA in Wauseon, our Holland or Springfield Township campus, or through the new Career Center. At NHA, kids come first. We exist for our students; our students do not exist for the school. Students don’t have to fit into the classes. The classes and programs are designed to meet the student’s individual needs. Please visit us today, and see if we are the right fit for your special needs student.

NHA’s Wauseon & Springfield Township Campuses:

  • Are regional preschool to 12th grade special education schools
  • Have a 1:2—staff to student ratio
  • Specialize in individualized, personalized education
  • Provide strong academics, community involvement, life skills classes, and vocational training
  • Offer early intervention, conductive education (CE), sensory integration, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology & music instruction
  • Participate in the College Credit Plus (CCP) Program
  • Are Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Schools
  • Accept both the Autism & Jon Peterson Scholarships as payment in full.

NHA’s NEW Career Center & Special Grounds Coffee Shop:

  • Prides itself on small classroom sizes (4-7 students)
  • Works with young adults up to age 21
  • Targets functional academics, vocational skills training, and work study placements
  • Provides on-site work study placements through its Special Grounds Coffee Shop including kitchen and food prep, counter and customer service work, and maintenance and cleaning
  • Helps transition high school students and special needs young adults into community work study programs
  • Provides job coaching and transportation to community work sites
  • Community work site partners include Ace Hardware, Chief Supermarkets, the Fulton County Airport, Goodwill Industries, and the Home Restaurant with others coming on weekly.

Our mission is to help your child achieve the greatest independence possible through early intervention programs, classes, community activities, life skills training, vocational placements, and job coaching.

Steps to Enrollment:

  1. Call the school for more information.
  2. Submit a copy of your child’s IEP & ETR for review.
  3. Schedule a school tour, interview, and student assessment.
  4. If accepted, complete student enrollment paperwork, and provide proof of residency.
  5. Complete and accept the Autism or Jon Peterson Scholarship.

For more information on New Horizons Academy or to schedule a tour, contact Admissions Coordinator Ronda Rupp at 419-335-7272 or via email at [email protected].

2022-23 NHA Yearbook Sponsorship

2022-23 NHA Yearbook Sponsorship

We are so thankful to our sponsors for making this past year’s yearbook project possible.

Our goal is to once again provide our students and their parents with this very special memento. We hope to raise funds through sponsors in order to keep the costs of the yearbooks as low as possible, so that more students and their families will be able to afford one.

We invite you to consider being a sponsor of this very special project!

We also gladly accept general donations for those not interested in being recognized as sponsors.

COST: $150.00

This level of sponsorship includes a 3.75″ x 4.25″ (approx.) color advertisement in the yearbook, recognition on our website and recognition on social media with a link to your business’ social media page or website.

COST: $90.00

This level of sponsorship includes a business card sized color advertisement in the yearbook and recognition on our website.

COST: $30.00

This level of sponsorship includes your business or name listed in the yearbook and website.

  • Advertisements are requested to be received by April 30, 2023.
  • Ads can be emailed in .jpg/.jpeg format to [email protected].
  • Ads may be dropped off at Sara’s Garden or New Horizons Academy.

Sara’s Garden is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. We’ll send it to you upon successful completion of your donation.

NHA Christmas Musical Reminder

NHA Christmas Musical Reminder

Don’t forget!

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the students of New Horizons Academy in Wauseon will be presenting “The Grumps of Ring-A-Ding Town,” a Christmas musical, and other musical numbers.

As in years past, our Christmas musical will take place at Pettisville Missionary Church, in Pettisville, Ohio at 6:00 p.m. 

Each student will be offered a part in the show, so please mark your calendars for this exciting event!

More detailed information will be coming home with the students in the next few weeks… but for now, just SAVE THE DATE (and tell your friends)!