Press Releases

ACES Greets the New School Year With Two New Schools and Relocation of Three Facilities

July 22nd, 2019

(North Haven, CT – July 22, 2019) As one school year ends, an exciting summer with great expectations for ACES students, staff, and parents begins. While the children are taking a relaxing break from the school year, ACES Construction Services has spent the summer finishing off a new campus that will house two of its existing schools and relocating three other existing schools. The new ACES @ Leeder Hill Campus will open this fall and will house ACES Whitney High School North and ACES Whitney Academy. Whitney Academy is the new name for what was previously called Whitney High School East/West/CREATE. Both of these schools were previously located at 205 Skiff Street in North Haven.

“We have been planning for this for over two years and now the future is here. The opening of our new facility at Leeder Hill is a state-of-the-art facility which will benefit students in many ways while aiding staff with new and improved teaching tools,” said ACES Executive Director Thomas Danehy. “Besides new furniture and facilities, there is an abundance of new technology, a therapy facility, and extensive vocational training.  It’s going to be ideal for this student base.”

The new ACES Whitney Academy is a therapeutic environment dedicated to serving students ages 14 to 21 who exhibit a range of cognitive, physical, behavioral, language and medical challenges. In addition to its academic mission, the school places a strong emphasis on transition to life and work including self-advocacy and self-determination. These areas establish the foundation for all student programming.

ACES Whitney High School North provides a positive, therapeutic, individualized and multifaceted program for high school students with significant behavioral, mental health and learning issues. Students participate in a full academic and vocational program which includes a research-based motivational behavioral management system.. The goal is to prepare students to participate in a democratic society; compete successfully in the job market; be informed decision makers, and become life-long learners.

Both new schools are in the same building but segregated into different areas. Here is the information for the new schools:

• ACES Whitney Academy, 130-A Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT 06517 (203) 281-3577
  Principal: Lisa Mucciacciaro
• ACES Whitney High School North, 130-B Leeder Hill Drive, Hamden, CT 06517 (203) 407-4500 Principal: Mark Dougherty

Besides the new ACES @ Leeder Hill Campus, ACES has relocated three of its existing schools.  They are:

• ACES Mill Elementary (Grades K-5) 295 Mill Road, North Haven, CT 06473 (203) 230-0800. Principal: Cindy Ratchelous
• ACES Mill Academy (Grades 6-8) 205 Skiff Street, Hamden, CT 06517 - (203) 234-0303
  Principal: Bryan Markiewicz
• Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS - Grades K-8) Gateway Community College Campus, 88 Bassett Road North Haven, CT 06473 -(203) 281-9668.
  Principal:  Todd Solli

ACES Mill Elementary School is a new and innovative program that serves students in grades kindergarten through grade three who have needs beyond the current in-district educational programming. ACES Mill Elementary combines the best of what ACES experts know is successful in managing and modifying challenging behavior that enables students to function effectively in a classroom environment and innovative trauma-informed therapeutic programming.

Knowing that all children have the ability to be successful, while accepting each child’s individual differences, ACES Mill Academy fosters the development of students in the fourth through eighth grades academically, behaviorally and therapeutically to the extent that each child realizes his or her own self-worth as an independent, self-motivated, responsible learner who possesses the ability to make good choices in order to become a more productive, contributing member of society.

Wintergreen is a kindergarten through eighth-grade school that serves over 600 students from ACES partner districts: Hamden, Meriden, New Haven, Wallingford, and Woodbridge.  Students can also enroll through the Magnet School Parent Choice Program. WIMS is special because it is an overall educational experience with an emphasis on the arts, technology integration including one-to-one iPads and Chromebooks for all students and curriculum enriching field trips.

Each school is being carefully prepared, cleaned, and secured so that all facilities are a safe and inviting learning environment on the first day of school, which is September 4th.

About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Service’s (ACES) is to transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership. One of six Connecticut regional educational service centers, ACES is the regional educational services center for the twenty-five communities in New Haven and is both a school district and a non-profit services agency. ACES serves 2,300 students from fifty-seven communities throughout Connecticut at its three magnet schools and nine special education schools. ACES service divisions include international educational programs and services, technology, transportation, translation, behavior services and autism programs, extension therapy services (occupational and physical therapy), assistive technology, collaborative programs, professional development, human resources and financial services, and ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically challenged adults. ACES also runs the Open Choice program for New Haven County as well as a magnet school parent choice program for its Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School and Thomas Edison Middle School. Additionally, ACES runs the Middlesex County Early Head Start Partnership program. For additional information, go to www.aces.org.