With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Andrea “Andi” Jobe, who founded Stanbridge Academy in 1982. Andi was 84 years old when she died at her beachfront home in Ecuador, where she had lived for the past several years. We got this news in a heartfelt email from her son, Allen, whose difficulty in school due to a learning disability spurred Andi to create a school for him and other students like him.
  Allen wrote that he did not speak until he was seven years old, and doctors were pessimistic about his prospects. Unwilling to accept this, Andi enrolled in a Speech Therapy program and graduated with a Master’s. She took an SLP role at a public school in the South Bay and, alarmed at the poor services students received there, set about creating a school that would accommodate their needs.
   In his email, Allen described our school’s beginning in a rented space in Mountain View.  “She had times when she almost did not make payroll. She never turned away a parent in need. Some would drive buses, clean the school, etc. The school grew and grew into what it is today.”
   Allen’s note clarified a mystery for us…why the name “Stanbridge”? Here is what he said: “Very few people, I think, know where the name Stanbridge comes from. It is a boarding school in England that my family friend attended. It was a really bad place with really bad food. My mom helped my friend move to a school called Kildonan in New York. It is no longer open. So she thought it would be fitting to name the school a better place than that place in England.”
  Founding Stanbridge Academy was only one of Andi’s significant contributions to children with disabilities. Andi and her husband, Dr. Richard Jobe, a plastic surgeon, created RSF-Earthspeak, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children learn to speak after cleft palate surgery. Dr. Jobe was also one of the founders of Interplast, an international network of surgeons who provide pro bono surgical care to anyone in need anywhere in the world.
   We are grateful that Allen reached out to us with the news of his mother’s passing and are inspired by his remembrances. In his words, “I am glad to hear that she is still remembered at Stanbridge. It is her lasting accomplishment. She did not have a strong ego and would almost never take credit for anything. She was really hard to buy presents for. She just wanted to give back.”
– Mary Stadler, Director of Counseling

Thanks to your tremendous generosity and the participation of over 150 current and alumni families, faculty, trustees, alumni graduates, and friends of the Stanbridge community, we raised more than $150,000 at last Saturday's Gala. Your support has made our Fund-A-Need vision of permanent shade structures for the courtyard a reality, with installation set for this summer! Spring Gala photos are now available at Gala2025. On behalf of our students—the ultimate beneficiaries of your support—thank you for being part of the Stanbridge community!

PARENT EDUCATION: TRANSITION PLANNING
April 23, 2025 on Zoom | 5:30 p.m.
Join us on Zoom to learn about Self Determination Programming (SDP) at the Regional Centers and how to gain access to this important resource. Tiffany Liang, a San Francisco-based Independent Facilitator, was inspired by her younger sister, Grace (Stanbridge Class of '19) to help families all across the Bay Area navigate Regional Center services and enroll in SDP. With a background in HR at tech companies and a Bachelor's degree from NYU, Tiffany is passionate about making disability services more accessible and empowering families to feel confident in the process.

• This meeting is appropriate for parents/guardians of students in 8th grade and up.
  
• Learn about SDP and how it differs from traditional Regional Center services.
  
• Benefits of SDP, and considerations for whether it’s the right fit or if staying in the traditional system may make more sense.
  
• Who qualifies, how to enroll, and what support is available during enrollment (Independent Facilitators).
  
• Examples of customized, non-traditional services families can fund through SDP.
• ​Tips on navigating the process, understanding Regional Center requirements, and overcoming common challenges.

​(Interested parties should contact [email protected] for Zoom link.)