The very capable Mrs. Lesczynski has taken on a new role in the DSHA community this school year. She has transitioned from teaching in the classroom to the role of interventionist in the new St. Angela Merici Academic Support Program. The St. Angela Merici Academic Support Program, introduced in the fall of the 2024-2025 school year, adds to DSHA’s many learning programs for students. Lesczynski and others have been working tirelessly to present the new program which offers specialized accommodations for students.
Lesczynski began her career as a classroom teacher seven years before coming to DSHA. For two years she was a member of the History Department, teaching Cultures and Civilizations and U.S History. The fall of 2024 brought a new opportunity for Mrs. Lesczynski, as The St. Angela Merici Academic Support Program officially kicked off. The program was made to support students whose academic performance is impacted by anxiety, ADHD, and more. The formation of this program was crucial as there was previously nothing in place to support students in this way.
As an interventionist, Leszczynski helps to create individualized learning plans for students in order to provide appropriate academic accommodations. In addition to learning plans, Lesczynski provides academic support individually or in small groups to ensure students succeed at DSHA. Working directly with students can look like “helping with homework or assisting with studying for a test, or sometimes it’s doing long term planning ahead for a project, writing papers, or organizing work or physical materials” says Lesczynski.
While the program has been going great so far, Lesczynski describes how the impact of the transition, saying, “I love that I’m getting to work with students who I already had in my classes in previous years, so that part is really fun, but miss getting up and speaking in front of big groups of students and talking about history content”. She also describes how she has significantly more meetings with administrators, parents, and students compared to her previous position.
Ultimately, the success of the program is evident in the achievements of the students it serves. They are able to use the resources Mrs. Lesczynski provides, like created lesson plans and academic coaching to excel in their courses within the DSHA community. Going forward, Lesczynski plans to lay out the groundwork of the program and set policies and procedures in place. One of her goals for the future is to add an additional staff member to the program in order to interact with students on a more frequent basis.
