Welcome Back!

Department of Student Support Services

Welcome Back to the 2024-2025 School Year

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to another exciting school year! We hope you had a restful and enjoyable summer. As we begin this new academic year, we want to reaffirm our commitment to supporting your child’s educational journey.

Our Student Support Services team is dedicated to ensuring that every student receives the individualized supports and services they need to succeed. We are here to collaborate with you and our talented educators to create a nurturing and inclusive learning environment for all students.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you have any questions or if there’s anything we can do to support your child’s success. Together, we can make this a fantastic year for everyone!

Best regards,

Stacey Theophelis

Executive Director of Student Support Services

Department Administration

As we begin the new school year, we would like to introduce you to our dedicated team of department administrators. Each member of our team is committed to providing the best possible support for your children. We are also excited to welcome two new administrators to our team this year!

Stacey Theophelis, Executive Director

Stacey is entering her 24th year as a special educator and started her career as a speech-language pathologist supporting students with communication needs across preschool through secondary. She then spent 6 years working in early childhood as a coordinator and birth-3 SLP. This is Stacey's 8th year as a special education administrator and 4th year as the Executive Director with Clarkston Community Schools.

Katie LaMay, Supervisor

Katie started her career as a special education teacher and has spent the last 19 years with Clarkston Community Schools. This will be her 4th school year supporting student support services staff and families across all elementary buildings. Katie also supports the transition of students between buildings and programs.

Amanda Hoffman-Vance, Supervisor

Amanda has spent her career with Clarkston Community Schools including her role as a special education teacher as well as the Dean of Students at Sashabaw Middle School for 7 years and one year supervising our virtual program prior to joining the SSS administrative team. Amanda supports student support services staff and families at SMS, CJHS, CHS, RHS, Virtual and Non-Public Schools. This is Amanda's 23rd year as an educator with Clarkston Community Schools.

Stephanie Simony, Asst. Supervisor

Stephanie has spent her career as a special educator with Clarkston Community Schools. She was a special education teacher for 7 years, primarily working with students who had cognitive impairments and has spent the past 3 years as the District's Transition Coordinator.

We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to our administrative team! In addition to her continued leadership regarding secondary transition, she will be supervising the LIFE Skills Program, Project Search, and Section 504's this school year.

Lorie Kaul, Administrator of Student Health Services

Lorie Kaul joins our team as our Administrator of Student Health Services, a new position for our district. Lorie has previously worked within our Student Support team as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Early Childhood and prior to that worked as a Registered Nurse in Medical Intensive Care and Neuroscience specialties, with years of patient care experience.

With her unique background and skill set, Lorie is a welcome addition to our team in her new role!

New Department Staff

We are thrilled to announce that we've hired 21 new professional staff members to join our team this year. Each of them brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective, and we are excited about the contributions they will make to Clarkston. Their talents and dedication will undoubtedly enrich our community and help us continue to provide exceptional support and services. We look forward to the positive impact they will have on our team and the families we serve.