The Staff
Dave Nelson
As director, Dave is intimately involved in every aspect of the program, including teaching and support, curriculum design and administration. He is a licensed counselor who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and their families with a focus on developing the interactive, emotional, and learning capabilities of children . He also specializes in helping parents understand and address the variety of issues in nurturing the growth of a challenging child.
Based on his experience using Stanley Greenspan’s developmental, individual-difference, relationship-based approach (DIR, also known as “floor-time”) with his own son who was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder at age three, he changed careers to begin working with children facing developmental and learning challenges. Prior to opening The Community School in 2005, he started a middle/high school program at another specialized school in the metropolitan Atlanta area. On weekends as a service to the community, Dave runs a periodic hiking group that pairs adolescent mentors with younger children facing similar developmental challenges. Through his work with adolescents in school settings, he is on the forefront of creating and implementing curricula that integrates social-emotional development and intellectual learning.
Dave has an M.S. in Counseling and an M.A. in English Literature from Georgia State University, as well as an M.B.A. from Duke University. He is licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Georgia. He is part of Floortime Atlanta, a professional group of clinicians in the Atlanta area who use the DIR approach. He sees a small number of children in private practice. He also participates in monthly meetings to educate other professionals, and is in the process of completing his national certification as a DIR practitioner. He has also served on the Board of Directors at the Cliff Valley School in Atlanta.
Dave is married and the father of two teenage sons. His interests include golf, literature, skiing, hiking, and biking. He is originally from Massachusetts, and still spends part of his summer in New England. Before becoming a counselor, he taught Business Communication at GSU in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, and worked in the computer industry, providing development office turnkey systems to non-profit organizations.
Lucie is a four-day teacher at The Community School (every day except Thursday). She works with students as a tutor for core academic subjects. She is also opening the world of creative arts to the students, helping them to find new ways to understand themselves and express their ideas. Lucie works with students individually or in small groups using creative arts to improve communication, develop imagination, and facilitate emotional growth. She has also partnered with other teachers to provide classes that integrate creative expression into other subjects.
Lucie has a degree in education from the University of Georgia and a degree in Graphic Design from the Colorado Institute of Art. She has also taught part-time at the Paideia School. Her preferred modes of artistic expression include mixed media and photography.
As a first grade teacher in rural Georgia, Lucie met the needs of her students by designing special curricula that emphasized language and reading skills, abstract math concepts, social studies, and art. This experience developing integrated curriculum for special populations enables her to approach the students at The Community School in similarly creative ways.
Lucie’s past experiences as a researcher for National Geographic, an assistant to Calvin Klein, a corporate logo designer, and a political campaign coordinator all give Lucie an amazing set of experiences with which to connect to the students.
Lucie enjoys camping, canoeing, and reading, in addition to raising two teenagers.
Beverly has a degree in Psychology from the University of Arkansas and is a certified Interrelated Special Educator with the State of Georgia . Most recently she has worked in the Henry County School System with special needs children in the middle school environment. Beverly approaches teaching with an emphasis on integrating mental, physical, emotional and social aspects of the student, taking into consideration that each child learns differently.
At The Community School, Beverly works with individual students and small groups. She coordinates the middle school grades core curriculum, and for the 2007-8 school year will develop and coordinate a science curriculum. She is a full-time teacher.
As co-leader of the physical and recreational education program, Armann coordinates and implements all physical activities for The Community School including fitness and strength training, organized team sports and team-building exercises. Armann also leads the weekly adventure day in which students and staff spend the day on hiking trails incorporating education, social development and physical activity. Additionally, Armann co-directs a non-profit organization called Learning on the Log that specializes in providing sensory recreational programs for children with social and developmental delays.
Armann has embraced the DIR/floor-time philosophy since he started practicing in 2000. Before working with children in group and school settings, he provided private therapy for a number of clients. Armann has been involved in starting and running two metro-Atlanta school programs for children with developmental challenges and has extensive experience in developing and implementing physical and recreational therapy.
Armann graduated from the University of Vermont where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a minor in business administration. He is in the beginning stages of obtaining his national certification as a DIR practitioner. Armann attends monthly meetings with other Atlanta DIR professionals who practice the floor-time philosophy. He also participates in two monthly supervision groups where his case studies are presented and evaluated by leading professionals.
Armann is originally from Iceland, and moved to the U.S. in 1990. His hobbies include soccer, golf and hockey. He was a four year varsity soccer starter for the University of Vermont Catamounts and his involvement with the sport continues through local summer camp instruction. He and his wife met during college and reside in midtown Atlanta.
Integrating the roles of therapist and teacher, Deven provides support for various programs within The Community School. Deven is also a lead teacher at the school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. She is skilled at integrating social and emotional curriculum into academic activities. Deven also works with groups and individuals to strengthen social skills and self awareness.
Deven first began working with the DIR approach in 2002, working with Dave Nelson at another specialized school program for middle/high school children in the Atlanta area. In addition to The Community School, Deven continues to implement the DIR philosophy in her private practice counseling work, and her summer work with Learning on the Log, a non profit organization providing after-school and summer recreational programs for children with social and developmental delays. Prior to working with adolescents, Deven worked with young children at a local preschool.
Deven received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in philosophy from Emory University in 2001. Deven received a Masters in Clinical Psychology degree from Argosy University in 2006. Deven is a licensed associate professional counselor (LAPC). She is in the practice of professional counseling, working with children and adolescents, in addition to her involvement with The Community School. She attends regular meetings for DIR professionals in the Atlanta area, and is working towards DIR certification.
Deven enjoys music, dance, literature and travel. She lived in France for a short time and, before becoming a graduate student, she volunteered for Emory Reads, a local organization committed to teaching children reading and foreign language. She played ice hockey in high school and college and continues her involvement with a local Atlanta women’s team. Deven currently resides in Inman Park .
Elana Himmelfarb earned her BA in Psychology and French from Emory University. She received her MA in Psychology from West Georgia University, with a specialty in abuse & trauma and high-risk children & adolescents. Elana has practiced psychotherapy in environments such as a children's unit in a private psychiatric facility, a child/adolescent county mental health clinic, a counseling center at a college, and many other therapeutic environments. Over the last 10 years she has pursued post-masters training in remediation and education for children with learning disabilities (Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes, Emory University /Egelston Hospital, All Kinds of Minds Institute), Learning and the Brain (Harvard University), Neurodevelopmental Constructs of Learning (Columbia University, All Kinds of Minds Institute), and academic testing (Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes). Her most recent position before coming to TCS was as High School Learning Specialist, High School Schools Attuned Coordinator, and Teacher for Paideia High School for the last 8 years. For the last 6 years at Paideia Elana was an active member of both the English and Ethics Departments and taught 11th/12th grade Writing Intensive Literature courses, 10th grade Ethics courses, and Abnormal Psychology. Elana Himmelfarb initially came on board to help design and implement the various structures and protocols needed for TCS to meet private school accreditation standards. Elana's additional roles at TCS include building student learning profiles, performing academic testing, providing learning support to teachers, developing transition plans for older students, and teaching. Elana also maintains an educational consulting practice and is Executive Director of DeepBlueRipple International. In her spare time she loves to make stained glass mosaics, travel, and be in nature whenever possible.
Josephine joins The Community School this year after obtaining an M.S. in Educational Psychology at Georgia State University in 2007. Her interests in education and counseling grew out of her experience with her child's reading disability. She has taught reading at The Paideia School, and currently works as a researcher for Georgia State University on a federally funded study examining the impact of theater play on verbal and nonverbal communication.
Josephine works twice a week at TCS. She oversees publication of the school's nascent literary magazine, working with students and faculty to coordinate stories, art, photography, deadlines and distribution. She envisions the magazine as a vehicle for students' verbal and artistic expression, for community building both within and outside of the school, and for realizing her fantasy of controlling a media outlet.
Josephine was born in Atlanta and lives in Morningside. She is married with two teenagers, and enjoys tennis, travel, etymology, and chai tea. She has served on several nonprofit boards, and is a member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
Rebecca is a full time teacher at the school. She is part of a team that develops and implements curriculum specifically designed to meet the needs of each student’s learning style. This includes creating an environment conducive to emotional, social, and intellectual growth.
Before her involvement with The Community School, Rebecca worked for four years as an independent consultant using the DIR (floor-time) approach with special-needs children ranging in age from three to fifteen. She worked with one child as a facilitator in an independent school in the Atlanta area. Rebecca has also worked in the Atlanta Public School system teaching in the Interrelated Program, which serves children with learning challenges.
Rebecca received her B.A. in Psychology at Goucher College in Baltimore , Maryland . She completed an internship at Johns Hopkins University in the neurobehavioral unit, working with children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder. This experience deepened her understanding of developmental variations in children and adolescents.
Rebecca is from Atlanta and comes from a family of educators. She enjoys playing soccer, running, traveling and reading. She attends regular meetings for DIR professionals in the Atlanta area. Future plans include graduate school.
Dean is a two-time graduate of The University of Georgia (Journalism '02 & History '04) and recently received his state certification through North Georgia College and State University. While attending education classes Dean decided that he would like to pursue an advanced degree in reading. Prior to The Community School he taught every different social studies class at Chattahoochee High and Temima High School for Girls. While there he focused on the social issues behind history and on reading comprehension and writing skills. He enjoys teaching social studies because there are so many ways to analyze historical events. Dean believes that social studies class is a great opportunity to learn about people, history, the way the world works, and is also a great chance to acquire or improve academic skills. He is looking forward to the added challenge of teaching literature and of helping create a ubiquitous humanities program at TCS.
Dean volunteers as a Little League baseball coach and tutors Spanish in his free time. You can usually find Dean reading on the couch, at a Braves game, at a concert, or at the airport! He has held jobs in Taiwan and England and has been all over Europe ( Holland and Switzerland are his two favorite destinations) and driven across the country twice. Dean hopes to write the next great 'coming of age' novel one day. Dean is a full-time teacher.
Ryan is a full-time assistant teacher. As a former student, he has unique insights into the workings and thought processes of the students. Because he has “been there and done that” and succeeded in overcoming many of the obstacles the students face, he is uniquely capable of relating to them. His example is an inspiration and a source of hope to students, teachers and parents alike. Ryan has worked as an assistant in an outdoor hiking program, and he currently runs a small summer program engaging adolescents in fun and productive recreational activities.
At The Community School, Ryan assists in all facets of the program, including PE, the outdoor program, and in-class activity. He also serves as the school's resident tech support. Ryan’s interests include history, science, video games and billiards.