Chartwell School

“Because Not All Great Minds Think Alike”

By Edita McQuary

Chartwell gave me the desire to learn … Teachers not only care about academics, they care about you. The strong personal connection students have here with their teachers is something every student wishes they could have,“ according to Andrew Miles, a 2014 graduate currently studying at the University of Arizona.

Since opening their doors in 1983, Chartwell School has been one of only four similar schools on the West Coast that specialize in teaching students with dyslexia, a language-based learning disability, and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). The school is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and they follow the California State curriculum.

Student population is approximately 100 students – 65 in lower and middle school and 35 in high school. Classes are small and the ratio is approximately one teacher to four students. Approximately two-thirds of the students are male and one-third female. The students come from Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Benito Counties.

Two forward-thinking, well-educated mothers of dyslexic children, Nicki McMahan and Judy Lewis, started the school in downtown Seaside where they were located until nine years ago when they acquired a thirty-acre Fort Ord property. Recently they were able to acquire an additional thirty acres. The hilltop campus with a view of the Pacific has hiking trails and resembles a college campus rather than an independent school. Their beautiful, functional campus buildings are “green,” that is, LEED (Leader in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certified and multi-purpose. They are very proud of their brand new ceramics studio honoring Marti Mulford.

The school was originally called the Thomas Allyn School and then later the name was changed to Chartwell after the name of the favorite home of Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill, a famous dyslexic, said Chartwell was the only place where he could be himself. A few other well-known out-of-the-box dyslexic thinkers are Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, and Sir Jackie Stewart, OBE.

Sir Jackie Stewart visited Chartwell in August 2014 during Monterey Car Week to give a talk about his struggles with dyslexia as a child in Scotland. He overcame them by focusing on what he could do, not on what he could not. He is president of Dyslexia Scotland, a non-profit organization. In closing his inspirational talk, Stewart said to the parents and teachers to “really give them time, really help them. They can be brilliant, successful people – probably more successful than the “clever ones!”

The high school, which opened its doors in 2009, offers a college preparatory, project-based learning program. The high school Dean of Students, Billy Swift, says, “The High School is a place of great passion and promise. I am excited to help guide and support each student, family and fellow teachers in furthering the school’s success.” Most of the faculty in the lower, middle, and high school hold graduate degrees.

The school prides itself for its cutting-edge teaching and learning environment incorporating knowledge base, core skill development with technology integrated into all parts of the curriculum. All students are expected to be responsible, respectful, and honest. The 2015 graduation class of Nolan Dost, Michael Tanimura, and Ben Marx (see photo) garnered ten college offers of admission to four-year colleges and over $270,000 in scholarships. The Class of 2014 (five students) received acceptances from 39 colleges and universities and a total of $528,000 in scholarship offers.

A part of the enrollment application process is a psychological assessment administered by an educational psychologist. There is a need-based financial aid program and tuition support fund discount available to new families enrolling their child in their first year.

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Chartwell School is located at 2511 Numa Watson Road, Seaside, CA 93955. Telephone: 831.394-3468. www.chartwell.org, admissions@chartwell.org.