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The Green Chimneys School for Little Folk opened in 1948 with eleven students 3 to 6 years old, with young Samuel Ross leading a small staff to provide academics, recreation, and a loving environment for the children, with the unique experience of interacting with and caring for animals. His father, Dr. Barney Ross, and Adele MacDonald, a nurse working for him, helped to establish a home-like setting at this unusual boarding school. Housemothers were employed to tend to the needs of each child, essentially becoming substitute parents. Night staff brushed the children’s teeth and put them to bed. Teachers, staff, and children ate meals and celebrated birthdays and holidays together. The school community was one large family.
By 1952 the school expanded to include children 2 to 9 years of age. It was just two years later that Ross married Myra Mattes, a teacher, on the grounds of Green Chimneys. Continued success led to a further expansion in 1957 to include children up to age 12 with Green Chimneys providing pre-school through 6th grade.
As the school grew, Ross realized that some of his students, even the brightest and most gifted, had social, behavioral, or emotional problems that prevented them from reaching their full potential. These students received extra attention, and many were able to overcome their difficulties. The focus of the school began to change; it was gaining a reputation for helping children with special needs.
By 1966, it became apparent that the children attending Green Chimneys were in need of a year-round program. Both a middle school and dormitories were added to the campus and the academic year expanded to 12 months.
Today Green Chimneys serves more than 200 students in renowned therapeutic day and residential school programs. The Farm & Wildlife Center is home to nearly 200 domesticated farm animals and wildlife species, including injured and imprinted birds of prey. Animal-assisted therapy continues to play a critical role in the education and therapeutic treatment of the children who not only benefit from the presence of animals but play a role in their care.
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