New school focused on special needs children to open in Oak Ridge North

The location for The Journey School, a new private Christian school for special needs students ages 3 to 21, is seen Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at Sojourn Baptist Church in Oak Ridge North. The school is set to open August 14 and will occupy buildings behind the church. less The location for The Journey School, a new private Christian school for special needs students ages 3 to 21, is seen Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at Sojourn Baptist Church in Oak Ridge North. The school is set to open ... more Photo: Cody Bahn, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Cody Bahn, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close New school focused on special needs children to open in Oak Ridge North 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Melodie Chandler’s heart was captured in China.

For the past eight years, Chandler lived in China and served at a foster home for special needs kids. She built a life there — serving and fostering children, marrying her husband and becoming the mother of six children, some biological and some adopted.

When Chandler and her family had to leave China earlier this year due to a hostile government, her heart was crushed.

“I was praying and crying out to God about what we were going to do with our lives,” Chandler said.

But of course, this Montgomery County native and former music teacher could not let her passion for serving special needs kids fall by the wayside.

That’s why, just a few months after returning to the United States, Chandler is starting the Journey School for special needs students of differing abilities from ages 3 to 21. Opening its doors for the first time on Aug. 14, the school will offer full-time private Christian education with various therapists on-site for children’s needs.

“It’s six months of my life that I never imagined. I was down and not sure of myself at all, but God encouraged me to keep going. Every door continues to open,” Chandler said, who will run the school through her nonprofit Journey of a Joyful Life.

Journey School will be occupy the buildings behind Sojourn Baptist Church along Robinson Road in Oak Ridge North where the Sojourn Christian Academy used to be housed, and the students will utilize the playground and garden in the fenced-in area there. The school will also have a sensory room in addition to regular school rooms like a library, nurse’s room and cafeteria, and the entire facility is accessible by wheelchair.

The school plans to have a 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio and will offer enrollment at $15,000 per year. Built upon the mission to empower, encourage and educate children with differing mental and physical abilities according to their unique gifts and talents, Chandler said children will be grouped based on their developmental levels for educational purposes.

“We’re looking at the heart of the child and understanding why they do what they do, and then knowing how to meet them where they are in order to help them function in society,” Chandler said. She added that a large component is also helping the parents feel like they have the support they need.

Much of the curriculum will be based on community involvement and field trips to teach the children with Down syndrome, autism or cerebral palsy how to handle themselves in various situations.

Open houses The Journey School is hosting two open houses, one for potential teachers on Wednesday, July 10, at 6 p.m. and one for potential students and families on Thursday, July 11, at 5:30 p.m. The school is also hosting a dedication service July 18 at 6 p.m., also at the school. All events will take place at the school at 27420 Robinson Road, Oak Ridge North.

To make this all happen, Chandler has partnered with All Nations Community School , a relatively new private school formerly leasing space from a synagogue in The Woodlands. Now, the two schools will be right next door to each other.

Christina Callaway is the director of All Nations. She said it is a good fit to work with Journey School because they share a similar mission and vision, even though they are focused on different types of students.

“Our school started with the vision that we want students to engage with other cultures. That extends to others who have unique giftings, to teach the kids not to be afraid whether it’s someone who doesn’t look like them or someone who is differently abled,” Callaway said.

Students attending the two schools will participate in activities together occasionally.

For example, the students will have the opportunity to participate in drum circles together through Let Them Drum, a nonprofit organization led by Ralph Hicks that gathers both special needs and typical children to connect through drumming on the bottoms of trash cans or steel drums. The drumming acts as physical therapy for many kids with special needs.

“We’ll combine the two schools around dismissal time, once a week, and drum for about 30 minutes. We’ve never done this before but getting to interact with the kids like this is going to be awesome,” Hicks said.

Chandler said that this all comes down to seeing families and children thrive.

“To have a place where they’re excited to come and where they’re surrounded by people who love and care about them and know that they can do more. It’s empowering families to know their children are worth it,” Chandler said.

jane.stueckemann@chron.com