Ivybrook Academy Sandy Springs in North Buckhead Neighbors
A Second Act, Close to Home: Our Owner on the Cover of North Buckhead Neighbors
If you picked up the September issue of North Buckhead Neighbors, you may have recognized a couple of familiar faces on the cover. Our owner, Bill Wagner, and his son Max were featured in the magazine’s resident story, “A Second Act, a Shared Adventure.”
The article is a warm look at a father and son who meet life with curiosity. Bill and Max have searched for the Northern Lights by dogsled in the Arctic, skied more mountains than they can count, and spend their summers with about 100 cousins at a family cottage in Canada. Closer to home, you’re just as likely to find them at a concert at City Springs, a festival in Chastain Park, or the farmers market on a Saturday morning.
It’s also the story of how Ivybrook Academy Sandy Springs came to be.
From the boardroom to the classroom
Bill spent more than 25 years helping build and run media and television companies across the country, moving from public accounting into executive leadership. Becoming a father slowly changed how he thought about that work. As Max moved through school, Bill saw firsthand what happens when a child lands in the right learning environment.
“Watching Max flourish after finding the right educational environment inspired me to pursue a completely different path,” Bill told the magazine.
That path led him to Ivybrook. “I wanted to give younger children that same experience from the very start,” Bill says. “Preschool is where kids first decide whether learning is something they love. If we get those years right, everything that follows gets a little easier.”
Why it matters for your family
Ivybrook blends two respected approaches to early learning. From Montessori, children get hands-on materials and the independence to do things for themselves. From Reggio Emilia, they get a classroom that follows their questions and curiosity, so learning grows out of what they actually wonder about. It’s a lot like the way Bill and Max approach the world: try something new, notice what sparks your interest, and keep going.
Our campus on Roswell Road opened in January 2026, and the families who’ve joined us this first year are shaping what our community will become. “This neighborhood has been so good to Max and me,” Bill says. “Opening the school here was a way to give something back to the families we see at the park and at concerts every weekend.”
Who you’ll meet when you visit
Day to day, our campus is led by Principal Jessica Sampson and our teachers, who know every child by name and every family by story. “My favorite part of any day is watching a child figure something out on their own and look up with that proud little smile,” Jessica says. “That’s the moment we build everything around.”
Come say hello
Bill put it best at the end of the article: “If you spot us at Chastain Park, a concert, the farmers market or just around North Atlanta, don’t hesitate to wave or say hello. We love connecting with neighbors and being part of what makes this area feel so welcoming.”
The same goes for our campus. If you’re curious about preschool for your little one, we’d love to show you around.
Ivybrook Academy Sandy Springs 4506 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30342 (404) 480-8504
“A Second Act, a Shared Adventure: The Wagner Family” by Kiana Wagner appeared in the September 2026 issue of North Buckhead Neighbors, published by Best Version Media. Cover photo by Michael Miller, M2M Pics Photography. Additional photography by M2M Pics Photography and the Wagner family.