The Titusville Academy, a nonprofit school serving students with disabilities, is marking 50 years of success.
Founded by Stephen P. Hritz, Ph.D., in 1971 as the Princeton School for Exceptional Children, the school started in the educational wing of the Unitarian Church of Princeton. It opened with just three teachers and a single student, but quickly grew to over 50 students, according to information provided by The Titusville Academy.
In 1988, the school moved to a newly renovated building, the historic 1905 Titusville School overlooking the Delaware River, in the Titusville section of Hopewell Township. It was then renamed The Titusville Academy.
Prior to founding the school, Hritz worked as director of education for the Drake School at the New Jersey Neuro-Psychiatric Institute in Skillman, which later became North Princeton Developmental Center; and as associate professor and chair of the Special Education Department at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey).
“His influence on The Titusville Academy and the lives of thousands of students who have benefited from our program over the last 50 years cannot be overstated,“ Manker P. Mills, board president, said in the statement.
The Titusville Academy provides a noncompetitive, individualized educational experience for children in grades 1-12. The academic program prepares students for college, technical training, military service, and direct entry into the workplace.
“The mission was then, and is now, to provide a comprehensive academic, behavioral, and social program so students develop the skills they need to return to their local school districts within two or three years,” Deborah R. Zerbib, executive director, said in the statement. “We are proud of the positive working partnerships we have with districts who place students with us.”
The Titusville Academy is a New Jersey state-approved coeducational private school serving students ages 5-21 who have learning and behavioral difficulties. Students are placed by their local school district and attend at no cost to parents.
To learn more, visit https://titusvilleacademy.org/