A new state-of-the-art facility for Magnolia Speech School is under construction in Madison County.
One of the premier schools in the southeast for children with hearing loss and language challenges, the school recently celebrated its 65th anniversary in the Jackson area. Magnolia Speech School is one of only 50 of its kind in the world and one of fewer than ten schools that incorporate a specific auditory/oral program for hearing-impaired and language-impaired children.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in October for the new 30,000 square foot facility with completion expected in time for the start of the 2022-23 school year.
The school’s current facility is located on Flag Chapel Road in Jackson and was built in 1974. The new facility is adjacent to Holy Trinity Anglican Church on the east side of Bozeman Road near Reunion Parkway.
A unique individualized education program is developed for each Magnolia Speech School student, with highly specialized classroom learning supported by auditory training, speech, and occupational and physical therapy services as needed. Music, computer lab, and library facilities are provided for all students.
The school offers a very small student-teacher ratio with highly trained educators certified in their area of expertise. Children come to the school from across the southeast for comprehensive assessment, and families move to the area so their child can attend classes. Magnolia Speech School’s goal is to keep students on pace to transition to the school of their choice with the verbal skills to succeed.
"We are thrilled to establish the new school in Madison," says Executive Director Valerie Linn. "This location makes us more accessible to families and makes our work more visible in the community. We will have space for more students and be able to offer updated resources and technology to students and families who need our specialized and unique instruction.”
After purchasing the 6.6 acres outright in December 2019, the school launched their Building Hope capital campaign for the estimated $13 million project. “American City Bureau conducted a Feasibility and Readiness study,” explains Joshua Friedel, who has managed Building Hope’s internal development. “We met our goal of 80% of funds raised during the quiet phase of our campaign,” says Friedel.
“We then began construction and entered the campaign’s public phase.” The school is working with contractors Brasfield & Gorrie, and Mackey Mitchell Architects and Dean and Dean Associates/Architects.
Chuck and Cindy Bell and the Bell Family are serving as Campaign Family Chairs, and Jean and Kelley Williams are serving as Honorary Campaign Chairs. Magnolia Speech School has a long history of community support and established a goal of strengthening their community relationships in the building of their new facility.
Additional information on the new school and the Building Hope capital campaign is available on buildinghopemss.com or the school’s website, maganoliaspeechchool.org.
STATISTICS/INFORMATION
•Nearly one in 12 of children ages three to 17 in the U.S. has had a disorder related to voice, speech, language, or swallowing in the past 12 months.
•By the first grade, roughly 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders, including stuttering, speech sound disorders, and dysarthria; the majority of these speech disorders have no known cause.
•Children with hearing loss require three times the amount of exposure to learn new words and concepts compared to their typical hearing peers.
