Westminster offers unique services to students with disabilites.

 “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Traci Everett, Special Services teacher, believes that this quote from Albert Einstein perfectly sums up Westminster’s Learning Center programs. 

“Our kids are very bright.  Their IQ’s are quite high, but a lot of them feel misunderstood because things don’t come as quickly to them.  They just learn differently than other students,” said Kathy Eichelberger, Special Services teacher.

Westminster is the only college preparatory school to have a full time teaching staff or trained special educators who provide educational support for students with disabilities.  Westminster’s special services are also different from those of public schools. Most public schools only allow students to use special services after they have failed a class, while Westminster offers its programs to all students with diagnosed disabilities.

“Most public schools wait for a kid to fail before putting them in a class that will help them with their learning disabilities, and it just leaves kids feeling dumb or defeated.  If you have a student who needs glasses, no one will tell them they can’t wear their glasses.  Disabilities should be the same,” said Everett.

The goal of Westminster’s Special Services is to support the educational needs of students with diagnosed disabilities, and Westminster offers two programs: The Learning Center (TLC) and the Extended Learning Center (ELC). 

“Within each of these programs are many different levels.  All students learn differently, including those in our Special Services programs,” said Everett. 

The Special Services teachers at Westminster focus on the fact that all students are different, and that everyone has strengths.  Some students are simply not academically gifted.

“It’s good when a student realizes that school will always be hard, that it will be a daily struggle, but that he can work hard to get past it.  I also want all students to realize that if they are not good at school, it is okay. They may be very musically talented or good at sports. The list goes on. We are all good at different things,” said Everett.

Next year, as Westminster moves to a new campus, all freshmen will be required to take a seminar that will teach them helpful methods of studying.  

“I believe that every kid needs at least some of the help we offer students here. We all learn differently, and I want all kids to have the chance to learn helpful ways of studying,” said Eichelberger. 

Next year, changes for the Learning Center will be minimal and deal mostly with issues of space. With more classrooms, Special Services teachers will  be forced to travel more but will also have more space to themselves.