Aim High

The education you dream about.

The communication and collaboration you’ll rave about.

Our handpicked therapists and teachers are experts in the field, and they’ll raise your child’s margin of skill and success,
again and again.

Our handpicked therapists and teachers are experts in the field, and they’ll raise your child’s margin of skill and success, again and again.

And here’s the perk.

We share the wins with you.

Our experience becomes yours.

"Their communication is tops.

The teachers and lead staff
always make me feel at ease.”

Kyndal M.
Jet's mom

"The staff always returns my calls and emails promptly.

They give me tips and ideas to use with my son at home too.”

Vanetta L.
Ethan's mom

Mom, Dad, YOU are one of the team.

Pesi Orlander

Founder and Executive Director

Pesi’s brainchild, Aim High, is the result of her foresight, fortitude, and determination to raise the bar for children with disabilities.

With a Master’s in special education and decades of classroom and administrative experience, Pesi has a talent for recruiting the best and brightest to Aim High’s team. She cultivates a warm and professional environment,  directing her school agency with inimitable grace and skill. In her hard-to-come-by spare time, she loves writing, drawing, and researching history. And if she really finds time, paddleball and swimming are a priority.

Sara Lew

CFO/Bookkeeper

Professionally she’s the number cruncher, but her passion lies with the students with disabilities her efforts serve.

Sara has spent the majority of her career managing the financial quagmire of the special education industry, gaining extensive experience. She loves the work environment at Aim High, and the  opportunity to work with dedicated, like-minded individuals. After hours, Sara enjoys reading, shopping, and solving 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Steve Berman

Educational Director

More than a principal, Steve is a leader. Not surprising, as he has dedicated his career to refining, supervising, planning, developing, facilitating, and implementing (phew!) everything and anything school-related.

Combining extensive experience and training in school administration and psychology, Steve commandeers his ship with trademark precision and presence of mind.  Driven by a commitment to excellence, he takes pride in executing streamlined education systems at Aim High and providing the best outcomes for students with disabilities. A strong communicator and collaborator, Steve is a favorite of our parents and students.

Sema Prus

Eval Coordinator/
Office Manager

A proficient evaluator with a Master’s in special education, Sema has been with Aim High since its inception in 2003.

The challenges families face in raising a child with special needs deeply resonates with Sema, and she finds it extremely rewarding to guide and support them through the process. The incredible staff and atmosphere at Aim High motivate her to make a difference, day in, day out. While advocating for students is her primary role by day, Sema enjoys swimming, reading, spending time with her family, and cheering on the Boston Red Sox.

Malka Pshemish

BCBA/IEP Coordinator

Since 2003, Malka has dedicated her career to enriching the lives of children with special needs, particularly those with ASD.

Under her direction, students with ASD make outstanding progress and are mainstreamed successfully in kindergarten. She loves being part of the learning and growth that takes place in the integrated classrooms — especially the remarkable interactions between students with and without special needs.  Out of the office, Malka enjoys hiking scenic parks with her own children.

Moshe Yerucham

Technical/Financial

How do you describe the guy who fills in the gaps — just about everywhere?

Indisputably indispensable, Moshe is the perfect combination of technical skills and business acumen that saves the day, time and time again. He takes pride in learning new techniques, simplifying complex tasks and explaining tech so that even the dinosaurs on staff finally get it. When he’s not stop-gapping minor emergencies at Aim High, Moshe prioritizes his family,  learning, and piano playing.

Chaya Newgarten

Administrative Assistant

A real people person, Chaya brings a positive vibe and sense of camaraderie to the team. Her greatest pleasure comes from encouraging others to achieve their goals and dreams.

She finds people fascinating and is always learning from anyone she can. When she isn’t busy running the back end of Aim High, you can find her communing with nature, horseback riding, deep-sea diving — and wistfully dreaming about a voyage to the moon.

Rachel Gross

SEIT Coordinator

Goal-oriented and goodness personified, Rachel is always on top of her game. With 15 years of single-minded service to Aim High’s children under her belt, Rachel devotes reservoirs of resources and experience to benefit students with disabilities.

She takes pride in ensuring students receive the critical therapy they need, so they meet the criteria for mainstream admission. When she needs a break (probably less often than the average human) she reads, bakes, gardens, and enthusiastically cheers on her sons during soccer games. 

Rachel Gross

SEIT Coordinator

Goal-oriented and goodness personified, Rachel is always on top of her game. With 15 years of single-minded service to Aim High’s children under her belt, Rachel devotes reservoirs of resources and experience to benefit students with disabilities.

She takes pride in ensuring students receive the critical therapy they need, so they meet the criteria for mainstream admission. When she needs a break (probably less often than the average human) she reads, bakes, gardens, and enthusiastically cheers on her sons during soccer games. 

Chaya Newgarten

Administrative Assistant

A real people person, Chaya brings a positive vibe and sense of camaraderie to the team. Her greatest pleasure comes from encouraging others to achieve their goals and dreams.

She finds people fascinating and is always learning from anyone she can. When she isn’t busy running the back end of Aim High, you can find her communing with nature, horseback riding, deep-sea diving — and wistfully dreaming about a voyage to the moon.

Sara Zhong

Speech Therapist

Sara Zhong is one of our speech-language pathologists. She is passionate about helping children discover the power of communication and providing individualized, child-centered therapy.

She has experience working with children from birth to 21 who have expressive/receptive language disorders, speech sound disorders, motor speech disorders, and autism spectrum disorder. Sara is patient and caring as she remains focused on building each child’s functional communicative skills. The children look forward to their sessions with Sara as she provides a nurturing environment in which their curiosity and playfulness is encouraged and rewarded.

Chana Orgel

Speech Therapist

Chana Orgel graduated with a masters in Speech-Language Pathology from Hofstra University in 2006. Chana has been with Aim High for many years and is truly  a gifted Speech therapist.

She enjoys working with our special needs preschool students more than any other population and it shows.  Her special therapeutic strengths and skills have benefited our students and improved their communication skills. Her positive impact has been felt by both students and their parents and Chana is grateful to be able to provide Speech-Language services to children at an age where they can benefit the most.

Aleesa Thousand

Occupational therapist

Aleesa Thousand-Lin OTR/L graduated from University at Buffalo with her MS/BS in Occupational Therapy in 2012.

Aleesa has experience working with the pediatric population in both the sensory gym and school settings since 2014. Aleesa is a long time O/T for Aim High and has improved the fine motor skills of scores of our special needs students.  Aleesa has that special touch that is so necessary for children with special needs and has been tremendously successful in improving their muscle tone, motor skills and sensory issues.  Aleesa is professional in every sense and has been positively involved in the development of our special needs population for many years.

Divya Sehgal

Physical therapist

Divya Sehgal is a Senior Pediatric Physical Therapist. She holds a Masters in Neuro and has been working with Aim High for the last 14 
years.

She has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, neurological and genetic disorders, and developmental delays. She believes that every child is unique and has tremendous potential hidden in that little mind and body. Aim High is extremely proud that during her tenure, Divya has continually excelled in her work with dedication and a personable approach to our children’s unique needs.

"You can tell they care.

The staff at Aim High is incredible. I’ve seen significant growth in Jace since he started preschool, and I know it’s because of his teachers and therapists. You can tell they really care about him. They’re communicative, accommodating, and supportive. Forget about Jace missing them when he graduates — I’m going to miss them!”

Jessica M.
Jace's mom

We’re rooting for you and yours.