MKA’s Office of Student Support bridges counseling and academic support, nurturing every aspect of our students' growth and understanding of human complexity in a diverse, collaborative, and inclusive environment.
This tri-campus office facilitates student and family programming, promotes cross-campus collaboration, and provides professional development opportunities for MKA employees. Adopting a whole-child approach, we empower students to reach their full potential academically, socially, and emotionally. We align with MKA's mission to foster intellectual independence, a love of learning, and a strength of character, ensuring that all students feel seen, known, and accepted within a supportive learning environment.
MKA strives to admit learners who can engage with and be successful in the school’s program without modification, regardless of disabling circumstances. MKA does not offer special education or therapeutic support as part of its program; however, students should be able to meet all program requirements with reasonable support from their teachers, counselors, and learning specialists.
COUNSELING & MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
We recognize that mental health is essential to academic success, social-emotional development, and overall well-being. Our tri-campus counseling team is dedicated to nurturing the whole student by promoting Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)at every stage of development. Counselors provide a range of support services tailored to the unique needs of each campus and age group, including short-term individual support, group work that fosters peer connections and collaborative problem-solving, and classroom lessons focused on emotional regulation, self-care, and healthy relationships.
We believe that supporting students is a community effort, so our counseling team works closely with teachers, administrators, parents, outside counseling agencies, and other key stakeholders to ensure every student receives the resources they need to thrive. While the specific counseling support may look different depending on age and developmental stage, our mission is consistent: to guide students as they establish healthy, lifelong habits, learn to manage their emotions constructively, and develop a growth mindset. Through this collaborative and holistic approach, we empower our students to care for themselves, support one another, and contribute positively to their community.
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
The Academic Support Program takes a collaborative, evidence-based, data-driven, and student-centered approach. By emphasizing communication, ongoing professional development, and inclusivity, the program creates a supportive and nurturing learning environment for all students to help ensure their academic success and personal growth.
Campus-based learning specialists are available to support students with developmentally appropriate strategies that complement classroom instruction. They collaborate with faculty to implement best practices and tier-one strategies for academic success in the general education classroom. Academic support specialists work with families by providing resources, referrals, and programming to support students’ educational needs.
MKA is committed to providing a Pre-K–12 program for learning support that is consistent with our program, Mission, and philosophy. As stated in MKA Guidelines for Assistance: “The guidelines and policy statements…reflect MKA’s commitment to educating the whole child within the boundaries of resources that MKA can reasonably provide. Our policies and practices regarding students with specific learning disabilities or psychological disorders are based upon the belief that we should be sensitive to the particular learning challenges of our students while maintaining high academic standards and expectations. For students with disabilities to be successful at MKA, an active partnership between the school, the family, and the student is essential. It is ultimately up to the school to decide whether and to what extent we can reasonably accommodate a student’s learning challenges and/or special needs. A guiding principle is that a student must be able to engage with and manage MKA’s academic program even without accommodations.”
MEET OUR DIRECTORS
Laura Demaria
Laura Demaria
Since joining MKA in 2007, Laura has served as a history teacher, advisor, learning specialist, and Director of Academic Support. A former College Scholar at Wooster, she previously taught special education and was a learning specialist at Riverdale. She’s also an MKA parent.
Daniella Kessler
Daniella Kessler
Daniella joined MKA in 2014 after working in mental health and school counseling on the West Coast. With over 15 years of experience, she holds a master’s and advanced certification from UNLV and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor.
