Kristie Snape: Owner and Program Developer
ksnape@adaptedswim.com
Kristie Snape is a special education teacher with 8 years experience in the public school system in Gwinnett County from 2005-2011 and Forsyth County from 2011-2013. Kristie currently works for Forsyth County Schools. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Interrelated Special Education from Georgia Southern University in 2005 and her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Walden University in 2011. She has taught kids with many different disabilities ranging from mild to severe including Autism, Asperger’s, Learning Disabilities, ADHD, Emotional/Behavior Disorders, Intellectual Disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, Rhett’s Syndrome, and Significant Developmental Delays. Kristie started Neverland Aquatics the summer of 2013 and has been growing the program ever since. She is a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and is CPR, First Aid, and Aqua Kriya Yoga Certified.
Kristie’s Story:
“After enrolling my 2 year old son, Eli, in an infant swim program, I was immediately impressed with what he was able to do in the water within such a short period of time. Prior to enrolling him into the program, we were using flotation to keep our little daredevil safe while he was jumping off the edge of our neighborhood pool. Little did we know at the time, he was not safe at all. When he was not wearing his flotation he still believed he could jump in the pool unassisted, which led to a number of close calls for us. Eli is still a daredevil, but he now has a healthy respect for water, the proper skills and confidence to play and swim safely.”
“Seeing the success of my own child led me to begin thinking about the families and students with disabilities I teach each day. I immediately began researching available programs in the area. To my surprise, the options were very limited and the only available programs came with little to no adaptive aquatics instructor training. With drowning being a leading cause of death for children with Autism and other disabilities, I knew there needed to be a program in our community that would provide an educated and experienced approach to swim instruction for our students. I made the decision in May of 2013 to start this wonderful program that we now call Neverland Aquatics. Working with children with disabilities is my passion and providing this life saving skill for them is beyond rewarding.”
Rachael Noire: Enrollment & Schedule Manager, Recruitment and Retention Advisor
rnoire@adaptedswim.com
Rachael Noire is happy to be joining the Neverland team! She currently works with Neverland founder, Kristie Snape, as a paraprofessional in Special Education in the Forsyth County School District. She is passionate about helping children with special needs learn and be the best they can be. We are thrilled to have Rachael on our staff at Neverland!
Elizabeth Peace: Adaptive Aquatics Instructor, Billing and Funding Advisor, Pool and Program Coordinator
epeace@adaptedswim.com
Elizabeth is a graduate of the University of North Georgia and is a trained Adaptive Aquatics swim instructor for our team. She also handles all billing and coordinates our Neverland programs. Her kind spirit and gentle way with her lesson kids speaks for itself! She comes to us with loads of swimming experience, including competing in the 500 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly in high school and coaching several swim teams, teaching swim lessons, and lifeguarding. She does an excellent job of tapping into the potential of each student with a balance of warmth with high expectations. Elizabeth is certified in WSI, Lifeguard, and CPR/First Aid. Her swim team experience and love of being in the water helps fuel her passion for helping people of all ages reach their swimming goals!
Amy Whitten: Digital Media Specialist
Lindsay Wojcik: Lead Adaptive Aquatics Instructor
Lindsay is a WSI-certified adaptive aquatics instructor and is the lead instructor on staff! We are proud of Lindsay’s hard work and dedication! Her rigorous lessons and ability to adapt to different students makes her invaluable to Neverland. Lindsay has countless private lessons throughout the week and also teaches Neverland’s group swim class with the Ava White Academy of Innovation. Her silly soul plus her kind but firm demeanor allows her to relate to her lesson kids, she believes that personal connections are an important factor in being a good instructor. The few moments that Lindsay isn’t at the pool, you can find her at Starbucks.
Hannah Howell: Adaptive Aquatics Instructor
Hannah joined the Neverland staff in June 2021, and she is very excited to be a Neverland swim instructor. Hannah is the mother of three children, and she loves sports and spending time with her kids. She has been working with children since 2010 and has been working with children with special needs since 2015. She currently works in the school system in an Autism class, and she loves her work there. She says she is having a blast teaching her Neverland students and enjoying time with them in the water.
Dania Michel: Adaptive Aquatics Instructor
Grace Howell: Adaptive Aquatics Instructor
Ashley Martin: Adaptive Aquatics Instructor
Phyllis Palma
Atlanta, GA
phyllis.palma@gmail.com
Ruth Hubner
Midway, GA
YMCA of Coastal Georgia
http://www.ymcaofcoastalga.org/
ruth.hubner@yahoo.com
Chelsea Ankeny
Mission Viejo, CA
Mission Viejo Nadadores Swimming
www.mvnswim.org
swimschool@mvnswim.orgch
When will you be offering lessons at the Cherokee Aquatic Center in Canton, GA?
Registration for the Cherokee Aquatic Center is open! Email enroll@adaptedswim.com or visit out How To Enroll page if you haven’t already done so.