Indiana Township woman fulfills lifelong dream of opening a special-needs school

Dec. 2—An Indiana Township resident is celebrating a professional milestone.

Cherie River worked for decades to accomplish her goal of opening a school specifically designed to meet the educational needs of special-needs students in grades K-8.

The River Academy of Excellence opened Nov. 1 at 3390 Saxonburg Blvd. in Indiana Township. "Twenty years ago, I started my services as a sole practitioner as a speech language pathologist," River said.

The River Academy of Excellence is a private school serving special-needs students. It is licensed to operate in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

River Academy's staff of 12 includes two special education teachers, three teacher assistants and a behavioral therapist.

The staff meets all state criteria and has current clearances, certificates and licenses.

River Academy services include speech language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy and psychology.

Student amenities include a large gym with a zip line, climbing wall, swings, a speech therapy room, a fine motor skills suite and a sensory room with bubbles.

In addition, the school has a private tutoring license.

River, 50, originally from Penn Hills, has a long history of helping children overcome obstacles.

"We serve God by helping children surpass what others said they'd never achieve. Each step counts," said River, noting that although the school is not faith-based, the school is the collaborative effort of two single-mother friends and education professionals, herself and Lee Myford.

Myford served as education director and is a certified principal, school psychologist and superintendent.

The River Academy of Excellence is a sister company to River Pediatric Therapies, a private clinic also based in Indiana Township and owned by River for more than 20 years.

River Pediatric Therapies has provided early intervention and clinical therapy services to more than 1,000 children through contracts with about 20 public school districts and private, charter and cyber schools in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland and Washington counties. River Pediatric Therapies has about 40 to 50 employees.

River Academy currently enrolls three students but is certified to accept up to 24 pupils in grades K-8.

River moved to be closer to the Fox Chapel Area School District.

"We have a lot of local support here from area school districts, and we felt we would have a bigger impact on this community," she said.

"My first day (of school) I could barely sleep the night before," River said. "I was praying that our school would be a successful and welcoming place for students of varying abilities."

Children eligible to enroll must meet criteria that includes being diagnosed with intellectual, learning or hearing impairments and physical or autistic disabilities.

"I was inspired to become a speech language pathologist when my nephew was born 30 years ago with Down syndrome," River said. "He taught me the joy of learning and the value of music and movement in the classroom. I want sensory opportunities to be seen as the 'usual' part of our day of school."

Enrolled students with exceptional needs are referred to River Academy by their home public school districts.

Students are graded in two academic areas: performance and participation.

The school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. There's a language block in the morning and math skills instruction in the afternoon.

Special instruction includes adaptive physical education, music therapy and art.

Danielle Schrecengost enrolled her son, Deacon Donahue, 7, into second grade at River Academy.

Deacon of Hanover Township was referred to River Academy because his home public school district, Burgettstown Area, no longer could accommodate his educational needs.

Deacon is diagnosed with autism and pica, the compulsive eating of nonedible food items such as chalk, clay, dirt, soap, paper or charcoal.

"There's a lot of transition with starting a new school. We chose River Academy because right now every special needs private school has a waiting list," Schrecengost said. "Since covid, a lot of kids with IEPs (Individual Education Plans) require one-to-one care (one student-one teacher) and we get that at River. He's getting tons of attention now.

"For me, it means a lot, because my son doesn't have anywhere to go to right now. He's on waiting lists for about 14 schools. And right now this is the only option available to us."

Sharpsburg parents Linda and Tammy Myers have a 13-year-old son, Nicholas, who is diagnosed with autism, ADHD, ODD and separation anxiety.

"Nicholas enjoys the freedom of thinking outside of the box while learning all of the core subjects," Tammy Myers said. "Nicholas absolutely loves the school and all that it has to offer."

Nicholas previously was enrolled at Dorseyville Middle School in the Fox Chapel Area School District. He left a private residential treatment facility for River Academy.

The Fox Chapel Area School District pays Nicholas' tuition at River Academy, which is about $47,000.

Regular tuition is $53,000 per student, but discounts are provided for multiple referrals from a district.

The third student is enrolled from the Steel Valley School District.

"Tuition fees are determined by the level of support the student requires," River said.

Nicholas was tasked with planning and organizing the "Riversgiving" (a play on Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving) event held Nov. 21 at the school.

"He was extremely proud of all of his hard work on the luncheon and was grateful how the whole staff got behind him," Tammy Myers said.

Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce by email at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .