CBA Stories

“Pierce has settled into his classroom and I am delighted with his disposition after just a few weeks at Chesapeake Bay Academy! Prior to his transfer, Pierce was overwhelmed with anxiety surrounding his school performance. He is painfully aware of his struggle and naturally, his self-esteem and confidence were impacted by the evaluations related to his reading disability. I requested a delay in further testing to protect both Pierce’s soft heart and waning belief in himself as a capable learner. However, for the first time, Pierce is eager to go to school. He feels liked by his teachers. He is ready to face challenges. Since his admission, Pierce’s entire outlook has changed. THANK YOU!!!”

“I absolutely love CBA and have told others how supportive, caring, and transformative CBA was for my family. I have no doubts that my son wouldn’t have achieved the same level of success had it not been for the amazing organization at CBA.”

“My son has attended Chesapeake Bay Academy for the past 12 years and is graduating next week. This school has changed the trajectory of his life and our family life in so many ways. His diagnoses are high-functioning autism, ADHD and anxiety. He was struggling in the public school setting with large group instruction and bullying. To see your third grader suffering with self-esteem and confidence at such a young age broke our hearts. We knew we had to find him a different learning environment. He stepped into the doors of CBA and never looked back. With the small class size, individualized instruction, supportive and caring teachers and staff, it was a perfect fit for him. It hasn’t always been easy, but we worked with the school as a team in coming up with strategies and methods that worked best for him and his style of learning. Building relationships and honest communication with the educators is such an important part of the process. With the education and life skills he has learned at CBA, he spent his senior year working an internship with a local organization. Due to the successful internship, he has been asked to continue with this organization after graduation, in addition to taking college courses. We are so incredibly thankful for Chesapeake Bay Academy.”

“My son has been at CBA for several years now and we came from both a public and private school background where we had issues at both with bullying from students and teachers, in the gifted program but classroom and grade issues. We had him tested and he came back 2e, ADHD and high intelligence. I didn’t fully trust the program at CBA because it seemed too easy. No homework and good grades made me suspicious. But we listened to teachers and the kid that we were told wouldn’t be able to be successful in 7th grade honors math was completing Algebra and moving on to Geometry in 9th grade (he’s taking calculus next semester)! We had an issue with one English class in 8th grade that I really didn’t feel was challenging him and I think I talked to every teacher and admin I could until we worked out the issue and got him suitable coursework as well as support. That suitable coursework was the middle school director partnering with the upper school director and personally working with him for an entire semester. It was a struggle but we worked together to find the right answer and I’m so glad we did. My son is now in the 11th grade and in dual enrollment at Virginia Wesleyan (and received a 100 on his business 101 final!) and CBA. He finished his first SAT test two weeks ago and is preparing his college applications to George Mason, W&M and Virginia Tech. Without CBA none of this would’ve been possible for my son. While I think CBA is an exceptional school it does have the same working principle as every other school, you will get out of it what you put into it. Was it a perfect fairy tale and answer to everything, no, in reality nothing ever is, but we all worked together and with my son to find the best answers and solutions for him. He’s a wonderful kid that has been supported, accepted and transformed by his experience at CBA and I’m grateful that we had the opportunity.”

“CBA has become our treasure! It is now our priority to remain in VA so that our daughter can continue to go to CBA for the rest of her educational journey. The teachers, the staff, and the other students is what she needed. Whenever she used to cry for being bullied at school and not being able to keep up with the school work, I always told her, “It’s not you, we just have to find your people. Once we do, you’ll be so happy. Trust me.”  Now she is happy and eager to go to school!”

“I’m reaching out to share with you that our son absolutely loves CBA. For the first time, in a long time, I feel his unique needs are being met. That means the world to me. It also means I can step back into the workforce. I will be starting a new job in January. ”

“I just want to thank you for all of your help over the summer as we worked together through the admissions process. Last night, our daughter said that she was always quiet at her previous school but that she is more comfortable talking at CBA. She seems to like her classes, especially the Social Skills and Music classes. I think she’s finally going to be OK.”

“Best school choice ever made for our little one.”

“The after-school activities with his peers are huge for our child, socially. Being in the community setting with trusted peers was great. He learned to handle money and be organized which are great independence builders. We LOVE CBA – the students, teachers, and staff. I cannot imagine a better school. Thank you so much!!!”

“My child received an excellent education, as well as top quality educational and personal support during her four years at CBA. Her growth in all areas is almost immeasurable.”

“This if the first year our student has said he really enjoyed school! He’s made significant progress in his first year at CBA and we look forward to his continued growth with such a caring talented staff.”

“We loved every minute of being at CBA. We saw exponential growth in our child’s confidence and academic skills, as well as her social skills. We are so thankful to every single one of the amazing staff at CBA.”

“We are very grateful for how attentive the school is to each student’s needs and developing approaches to curriculum that are flexible to meet learning differences.”

“CBA is a blessing for my daughter. She was reading at a kindergarten level when she entered 6th grade at CBA, and now she is making excellent progress and has the foundations and ability to read at her grade level. From here on out, she will continue to excel in her academics and future, thanks to CBA!”

“Our family is very happy with CBA. The school has been an excellent place for our child to grow and develop emotionally, socially, and academically in a safe environment where differences are appreciated and accepted.”

“I just want to thank you for all of your help over the summer as we worked together through the admissions process. Last night, our daughter said that she was always quiet at her previous school but that she is more comfortable talking at CBA. She seems to like her classes, especially the Social Skills and Music classes. I think she’s finally going to be OK.”

“This school taught me a lot, as a mom. The school taught me to be patient with my child when it comes to his learning difference. Thank you, CBA.”

“CBA was the right choice for our family. The CBA environment from our perspective is safe, enriching and allows students to grow.”

“I thank CBA for surrounding my child with a safe and open environment for learning.”

“I had every confidence during the quarantine, and on the return to in-school learning, that CBA was taking every precaution and keeping families informed. This was very appreciated.”

“I think that overall, CBA is far and away the best possible option for educating my child. There is simply no comparison. The teachers are a treasure and the administrators have been incredibly talented and organized.”

“We are thrilled with each year we’ve had at CBA. I can’t imagine our son at a different school. It has met his needs wonderfully. Not sure if we could imagine a school experience that has provided for him more completely than CBA.”

“From what I’ve experienced this year, I could not be more pleased. I’m truly thrilled with my child’s progress this year, both academically and emotionally. Thank you!”

“I wholeheartedly believe that our daughter wouldn’t be where she is at if it wasn’t for CBA and the outstanding teachers she has instructing her. We have seen her grow so much this past year despite the pandemic issues. Her teacher is wonderful and you can tell passionate about her job. I am very happy with the services we have received.”

A Chesapeake Bay Academy education serves not just students, but has a lasting impact on entire families.  As our students are relieved of the stress and frustration that often accompanies underachievement, the whole family becomes more relaxed.  Parents are able to shift their focus from a constant state of anxiety about one child to their other children and family members, and to each other, resulting in a more balanced family life.

My son is a traumatic brain injury and attended this school for grades 7-12 . He graduated with a high school diploma (not certificate of attendance or a specialized diploma) in 2018. The dean is a great example of ADHD success and I believe part of what made the school so successful were people like him on the staff. There were staff changes yearly sometimes by surprise but overall everyone did a good job, and there were some serious challenges I’m sure. They do a great job of choosing knowledgeable understanding staff members that are innovative in their teaching methods. No matter how many staff changes we had, that was consistent. I wish I had known about this school sooner than I did, the environment for lower grades was awesome. Everything was geared towards strategies for learning differences. The lighting, the seating arrangements the play time. It breaks my heart to think about how I made my son try to fit into the public school setting with the bullying and manipulation when there was a place like this. The best part, he was able to attend, to his work and have a social life with NO MEDS. There were CHADD meetings, birthday party invites and grades that he was proud of. This school was the best decision I made for my son. There were not so great days and situations, but overall awesome.

– Alumni Parent

Prior to CBA Anthony was very quiet and kept to himself. Most times he didn’t even want to go to school. He was always afraid of being bullied or being made fun of because Anthony learned differently than the other children. Then I took him to CBA. At first I was nervous for him, but Anthony came out that first day so excited about all the kids he had met, he was even invited to a party! That moment I watched my son open up like never before. CBA gave my son what I had been searching for. Pride in his own self and reassurance, but most of all the environment of love and support. CBA gives their students so much support. I could never thank each person who has taught Anthony, encouraged Anthony, and supported Anthony enough.

– McPherson-Bababunmi Family, middle school parents

For over 3 years, Jayden has had significant trouble going to sleep each night and staying asleep. With ONLY one week at CBA, Jayden has asked to go to sleep most nights around 8pm and is sleeping soundly. She used to come home from school and ask to go to her room to decompress. Now, she comes home and hangs out in the family room with the family. Life has completely changed for our family in such a short period time and we are so thankful for CBA.

–Cindy Hunter, middle school parent

Friends and people in general have been asking my son how he likes his new school and he replies with, “I love it.  Mr. Lincoln is my science teacher and he is awesome.”  You may hear that a lot ~ but I can tell you I do not!!!!!!  My son is my little complainer so to hear such compliments only reinforces that CBA was the right choice for him.

CBA has been great for my son. The low student to teacher ratio ensures that he gets the attention he needs for staying on task and staying organized. They also have a wonderful Mindfulness program in the middle school which teaches students to stop and think. Also vital for my son. The support is outstanding!

It’s clear for us when Thomas is a little unwilling to wake up some mornings, and we only have to say, “Well, it’s ok, don’t go to school then…”, he will just jump out of bed, and say “but I want to go!” He loves CBA.

We have been a CBA family for 5 years and I can honestly say it has been a blessing for our son and our family as a whole. He is a Junior now and has made wonderful friendship with his fellow students and strong connections to the staff as well. I am able to stay up to date with all his assignments and he has enjoyed learning in an environment where he feels comfortable asking questions and being himself (this was not possible in the huge classes he was in in the public school). I recommend CBA to any family looking for more than what public schools have to offer.

There is no such thing as a perfect school. Every institution has it’s unique challenges. Chesapeake Bay Academy, however, is a perfect fit for my son. Small class sizes, friends that accept him for who he is and understand/share many of his learning differences, a compassionate and approachable staff, and a safe learning environment all are attributes we hoped for in a school. CBA has all of this and more. It is a warm, welcoming community for students and parents, alike. My husband and I are wholeheartedly invested in Chesapeake Bay Academy through volunteerism in the Parents’ Association, the Athletics Department and the Annual Auction. Our son loves his school, his teachers, being a member of the JV and Varsity basketball teams, and the bonds he has made with classmates. We are grateful every day for Chesapeake Bay Academy.

I was reflecting on Maria’s past while watching her play on the volleyball court.  It is something that we never dreamed would happen.  CBA is transforming our lives and my daughter’s future and we feel so incredibly blessed for it.

CBA was a wonderful experience for our family and I shudder to think where Matthew would be in his development today if CBA had not been an option. Thank you for all you do for your students!

I just want you to know how much we appreciate your amazing teachers, staff and school. As we walked into the house, my son looked at me and said: you know, that school probably saved my life. I really can’t add to that other than to say thank you again and again.

I am very thankful that we found this school for our son.  He is a confident, thoughtful, intelligent, secure and mature young adult.  I don’t think he would be the wonderful person he has become if not for the many influences of the people of CBA.  I wish more schools could make such an impact on their students.

Joshua is looking forward to finding some science images this weekend.  He has already asked if we have enough color ink and good paper to print them out.  He loves loves loves science class.  On the way home some days, he gleefully talks about the discussions in class.  He is especially thrilled when the discussions delve into subjects like anti-matter, space exploration, and theory.  I get the feeling he would happily attend science class all day with occasional breaks for LEGO robotics. Thank you for encouraging his passion for science!

Our son spent five wonderful years at CBA where he was not only nurtured and understood, but received and outstanding foundation and education.  We will be forever grateful.

Amanda graduated from CBA and one of the best memories and experiences was volleyball.  It taught her so much and the coach was so supporting.

Thank you ALL for what you have done for my Tyler over the past four years.  God Bless!

Anya has gained as much from sports as she has in the classroom.  Thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

Thanks so much for taking the kids on a field trip to the Virginia Living Museum today!  Joshua had a great time!  From the moment he got into the car he was telling me about the trip.  He was full of information about all sorts of things he saw and learned.  He was especially thrilled with the presentation at the planetarium.  I feel like I now know a great deal about Neptune.   He has been relating tidbits of information all evening.  Thanks again for coordinating such a terrific day!

I know that you were going crazy this yr trying to coach all the various basketball teams…..having watched some practices, I know it was not easy…that being said, I wanted you to know how much sports mean to Alex…she cannot quit talking about scoring a basket….each morning she makes a comment about “I can’t believe I don’t have to take my sports bag”…having her at CBA was an opportunity for her to get to spend her youth in an environment that was not threatening….having her play sports has been a bonus we did not expect….she played when she was very little, but no matter how we tried to protect her, team sports were always a disaster…the pride she takes in participating is palpable…..having her not only touch the ball the other day, but actually score, has done more for her self esteem than anything I can think of…I just wanted you to know how important you are to the kids over there…your willingness to give up a boatload of your time to allow them to compete is creating memories for them that they could never have imagined they would get….it is allowing them to experience things that normal kids take for granted, but these kids would never get without your help…thank you.