An independent private school in Birmingham, Alabama
serving infants through 8th grade
Student Support Services
Our goal is to help support students so that they can achieve their full potential as a student and as a member of the Highlands Community. Comprised of our Director of Lower School, Director of Middle School and Encore, Director of Student Services, Guidance Counselor, and Learning Specialist, the Student Services team provides additional academic and social-emotional support for our students and families.
Our Student Services Team
Director of Student Services
Our Director of Student Services, Gabe McCool, works side-by-side with students to help them succeed. Whether a student needs help navigating academic issues or social-emotional conflicts, she is a resource for students, teachers, and families. She works with families to address any concerns or provide additional support in navigating their student's journey.
Guidance Counselor
We believe each student is unique. Our Counselor works with each to student to meet their individual needs. With a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, Lindsey Scoggins has served as a mental health professional and student counselor in various schools across the South. In addition to leading classes for grades 4K-8th grade, she also meets with individual students to counsel them on various social and emotional matters.
LEARNING SPECIALIST
Highlands School is committed to meeting and supporting the needs of all of its students. Often, students require additional support, specialized instruction, and/or research-based compensatory strategies to enable them to reach or exceed grade-level expectations. Our Learning Specialist, Shara Kernan, works with students in Kindergarten through 8th grade who have been identified by the Student Services Team as needing additional support outside of the classroom. She provides intensive, specialized reading and writing instruction (including Orton-Gillingham and Wilson Reading), as well as multisensory math instruction. She works with individuals and small groups based on each learner’s identified needs and strengths.
For students identified as needing support, Shara provides instruction, compensatory strategies, assistive technology, and appropriate accommodations. Shara also assists Middle School students in developing self-advocacy and goal-setting skills to enhance their ability to work independently upon graduation from Highlands.
Social Emotional Support
The social, emotional, and mental health of our community is one of our highest priorities.
Annual Standardized Testing
Each year, students in 3rd through 8th grade participate in ERB standardized testing. This information is used to help our teachers identify and understand our strengths and weaknesses, so that we can help all students reach their potential