11/06/07

History of Aseltine School

The Timeline

The History

In 1968, Donna Aseltine, a Speech and Language Therapist, recognized an educational void for children with special needs in San Diego.  Together with friends and members of the community, she set out to provide an effective, meaningful academic experience for these children.

Early on, Mrs. Aseltine ran the school out of her modest home on a minimal budget.  Parents, friends and local community leaders, with their own checkbooks, saw to it that salaries were paid and basic needs were met.  Despite the tough times, it was evident that through the Aseltine program, students were making real progress in their quest to succeed in school.

Then in 1972, Aseltine began leasing a former parochial school in the Hillcrest section of San Diego.  Now able to serve more children, Aseltine also caught the attention of local educators who saw the program as a vital component of the San Diego educational system.  Students who had been labeled “throw-away children” by the system, were being prevented from falling through the cracks.

Marian Grant became Executive Director of the school in 1977, after Mrs. Aseltine retired.  As was the case with most non-profit organizations, money was in short supply yet she was determined to develop a skilled and caring staff, as well as an individualized curriculum that addressed all of the student’s needs: academic, physical and emotional.  Mrs. Grant believed that this could best be accomplished when all individuals impacting the student (parent, therapist, teacher, etc.) coordinated their efforts.  Although she has since retired, Mrs. Grant continues to work with Aseltine students teaching creativity through the arts.

Aseltine has since evolved into a place that directs its resources and energy towards the empowerment of youth who are at high-risk for future homelessness, addiction, crime and mental health institutionalization. 

In the late-1980’s, Dr. Hayden Thomas was hired as Executive Director.  Dr. Thomas and his team sought to build upon the innovative foundation established by Mrs. Grant.  The new Aseltine program focuses on identifying and moving students well beyond the limitations of the “behavioral engineering” approach that has, for so long, dominated special education practice. 

This new program places greater emphasis on working with emotionally disturbed youth as active partners (vs. passive “patients”).  Working in tandem with staff, students create a sense of community, security and challenge that empowers them to identify and creatively experiment with new and better ways of responding to the obstacles that have thus far limited their lives.