Drew Nebrig: Alumni Impact Story | The Epiphany School of Charlotte

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“The Epiphany School changed my life. Because of the small classes, my teachers were able to help me a lot more. I also found people who were my type—people I could build friendships with.”
— Drew Nebrig, The Epiphany School Alumnus

Drew Nebrig is an unassuming rockstar. Contemplative and well-spoken, the 17-year-old honors student at Queens Grant High School doesn’t seem like someone who could smash a drum solo. But when he’s not doing homework, Drew is jamming out at Charlotte’s School of Rock.

“I play different songs with a bunch of people. We even perform three times per year,” Drew says cooly. His mother, Michelle Nebrig, smiles. She recognizes the gravity of her son’s passion for drumming.

At four years old, Drew was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Later, when the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was adopted, the diagnostic label of PDD-NOS was dropped and Drew’s diagnosis changed to Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD1).

Though Drew attended a specialized pre-k program, Michelle wanted him to have a more conventional K-12 experience. She wanted him to learn in a “truly typical setting with kids without any identifiable disabilities.” And he did, at first.

“It started out really good,” Drew remembers of his experience at a Charlotte private school. “I didn’t find anything to be that difficult and everyone was nice. I made a bunch of friends.”

Drew thrived in a neurotypical classroom in kindergarten, but the “gulf widened” in first grade, says Michelle. That’s when he started struggling academically and socially.

When Drew Nebrig started falling behind socially and academically, his mother turned to The Epiphany School to give him the tools and support he needed

“It started out really good,” Drew remembers of his experience at a Charlotte private school. “I didn’t find anything to be that difficult and everyone was nice. I made a bunch of friends.”

Drew thrived in a neurotypical classroom in kindergarten, but the “gulf widened” in first grade, says Michelle. That’s when he started struggling academically and socially.

The Tipping Point: “We can’t give Drew what he needs.”

“Once the workload increased, attention difficulties came into play,” Michelle notes. “It also got harder to maintain friendships. There weren’t as many invitations to birthday parties or after-school playdates.”

Routine aspects of school life—fire drills, for instance—also became challenging for Drew. The school made some accommodations, even allowing Michelle to bring in a psychologist to offer training on children on the spectrum.

Drew was also going to a weekly social skills group for children with Autism to try and strengthen his social skills.

“There weren’t enough ways for them to accommodate Drew.”

In the end “it was just never enough,” says Michelle. “There weren’t enough ways for them to accommodate Drew.”

Eventually, administrators told Michelle “We can’t give Drew what he needs” and that the family should search for a different school.

The Search for a Welcoming Place

Michelle learned about The Epiphany School of Charlotte through co-founder, Mary B. Moore. At the time, Moore was running the weekly social skills classes that Drew regularly attended.

Hoping to find a “loving place” that could accommodate Drew’s learning differences, Michelle enrolled her son at The Epiphany School. He was nine at the time—a third-grader.

Drew was excited for the smaller classes and more individualized instruction, but Michelle had her reservations.

“Quite frankly, I was worried about there not being enough academic rigor,” says Michelle. “Drew is a bright kid and can handle being challenged cognitively and conceptually. He just struggles to show his work and pay attention.”

That’s when Michelle reached out to a family whose academically gifted son attended The Epiphany School. The family explained that the curriculum could be specialized based on a child’s needs.

Michelle also spoke with other parents who understood what it was like to have a child on the spectrum and who could offer support as Drew navigated this life change. “They just got it,” she says. “There was zero judgment.”

Michelle also spoke with other parents who understood what it was like to have a child on the spectrum and who could offer support as Drew navigated this life change.

“They just got it,” she says. “There was zero judgment.”

As Michelle nurtured relationships with fellow parents, Drew formed friendships with his peers.

He learned to accept himself and his diagnosis without fear of judgment and, in doing so, how to support others. He found his two best friends at The Epiphany School—kids who watched the same cartoons and who laughed at his silly stories—and started getting invited to birthday parties and sleepovers.

“It was so affirming for us,” says Michelle. “We knew this was a safe space.”

A New Drew

Once Drew settled into his new community, he started to thrive academically.

The Epiphany School provided the one-on-one instruction he needed to keep pace with state standards in core subjects.

The school also offered a sensory-sensitive environment free of stimuli that might distract him from his studies.

But Drew learned more than to write persuasively and solve algebraic equations. Thanks to the Friends & Feelings™ Program, the school’s integrated social emotional learning curriculum, Drew also learned how to thrive in the social world.

The Friends & Feelings™ Program at The Epiphany School is an integrated social emotional learning curriculum that teaches students how to thrive in the social world.

His teachers helped him verbalize his feelings, understand non-verbal social cues, and develop coping strategies for when he got overwhelmed.

After the first year, Michelle could see her son changing for the better.

“Drew blossomed into a leader,” says Michelle. “He became a role model for the younger kids at The Epiphany School.”

Thriving After The Epiphany School

After six years at The Epiphany School, Drew enrolled at Queens Grant High School in ninth grade. He remembers being “really, really nervous” on his first day. But rather than getting overwhelmed, Drew leaned into the social emotional skills he learned at The Epiphany School.

“As soon as I got used to it and understood how everything worked, I liked my new school,” says Drew. “I wanted to stay there.”

During his freshman year, Drew performed so well academically (all A’s!) that his teachers recommended that he take honors courses in his sophomore year. Again, he made all A’s, even while juggling band practice.

Drew is the quintessential example of what The Epiphany School hopes to produce: strong and capable individuals who thrive both socially and academically in high school, college, and beyond.

Drew is the quintessential example of what The Epiphany School hopes to produce: strong and capable individuals who thrive both socially and academically in high school, college, and beyond.

A Word (Or Two) Of Advice: Don’t Wait

Drew describes his six years at The Epiphany School of Charlotte as “life-changing” and thinks it can be life-changing for other kids too. “The Epiphany School will help you through any problems you might have had at a previous school,” says Drew.

Of course, Michelle understands that it can be difficult to accept that your child isn’t thriving in a neurotypical setting. She suggests that parents take the time to mourn the idea that their child might not be completely successful in a neurotypical setting.

“I think experiencing [The Epiphany School] for yourself is such an important piece of realizing, ‘Okay, I had this plan and dream for my child and that’s not working out, but this [new school] can be good too. This can be what my child needs and what my family needs’” says Michelle. “The Epiphany School certainly was our answer; it was our home.”

Then, she suggests calling The Epiphany School of Charlotte at 704-908-6299 to schedule an in-person tour.

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