Faculty & Staff | Sunrise School

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Sunrise has experienced and highly qualified faculty and staff. Our special education teachers have specialized training beyond their credentials, many in their individual subjects, such as language arts mathematics, science, foreign language, art, music, and sports. Our faculty and staff are selected not only for their academic strength, but for their love of neurodiverse children and teens, enthusiasm for teaching, and a sincere desire to foster the academic and social development of our students.

The small classroom sizes at Sunrise allow for the accommodation of various learning styles and increased individualized attention. Our small teacher to student ratio maximizes participation, and provides a rich and engaging learning environment in every subject.

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Pam Clark

Senior Director of Schools

Pam Clark

Senior Director of Schools

Pamela Clark, Senior Director of Schools, joined The Help Group in 1986 and played an integral role in the origination and continued development of the Village Glen Schools. In her position as Senior Director, Pamela is responsible for the oversight of all educational aspects of the Village Glens in both Culver City and Sherman Oaks. Together with the Heads of School and the Director of Learning, Pamela has ensured that Village Glen Schools are educational leaders in serving students who present with high-functioning autism. Educational excellence in Village Glen can be evidenced by many markers including twelve consecutive years of WASC Accreditation and of course, the heartwarming success stories of our very unique students.

“My work with Village Glen Schools is always an incredibly rewarding experience. It gives me much satisfaction to know that we are maximizing our students’ academic and social potential. I will never tire from overhearing our new students say that they finally found in Village Glen a place where they belong – a place where for the first time, they have a friend.”

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Kalee Miller

Sue Anne Kaples

Sherman Oaks Principal

Sue Anne Kaples

Sherman Oaks Principal

Sue Anne Kaples has been a part of The Help Group since 1988. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Northridge. In the 1990’s she left working in the schools, for a career in law enforcement. She rejoined The Help Group family in 2000 and went on to obtain her teaching credentials and Master’s degree in Special Education. Ms. Kaples believes that every student should have responsibilities and a say in the decisions about their future. “Everyone deserves to have their own sense of purpose and true happiness!”

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Jason Vaske

Culver City Principal

Jason Vaske

Culver City Principal

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Laurie Stephens

Village Glen School Psychologist

Laurie Stephens

Village Glen School Psychologist

Dr. Laurie Stephens is a developmental psychologist who has been working with children, teens, and young adults on the autism spectrum for over 30 years. She currently serves as The Help Group’s Senior Director of Autism Programs. Previously, Dr. Stephens served as the Director of Clinical Services for Education Spectrum for 12 years. She provided diagnostic and psycho-educational evaluations, individual & family therapy, social skills training, educational consultation and professional, academic and parent training. Dr. Stephens has lectured around the world, focusing on social skills development and intervention strategies.

Dr. Stephens received her BA in Experimental Psychology from UC San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook. Prior to working with Education Spectrum, Dr. Stephens served for 8 years as the Director of Autism Spectrum Disorders Programs at The Help Group. In her position then, Dr. Stephens created Young Learners Preschool for Autism and designed comprehensive education, behavioral and social skills programs for all the specialized day schools. She established an intensive social skills summer camp program for children with Asperger’s Disorder, which had an international reach with campers coming from the United Kingdom, El Salvador, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the UAE and other countries.

Dr. Stephens’ primary area of specialty is in designing social skills curriculum, with a new-found passion for the changing nature of social expectations in the digital age. She has designed, run and supervised social skill groups for children as young as two years of age up through young adults. Dr. Stephens has focused much of her work on the development of theory of mind and how it relates to all aspects of a person’s functioning.

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Nicole Jorenson

Nicole Jorenson, MFT