From construction and building renovations to
improvements in district test scores and educational
programs, many good things are happening in the Alliance
City School District. An era of complete physical change has taken
place within the Alliance School District, and with the completion of
these construction and renovation projects, students will be housed
in more than $63 million worth of new and renovated buildings.
Not all changes involve brick and mortar. Numerous positive
changes have focused on improved test scores and an expanding
curriculum designed to meet the changing educational needs of all
Alliance students. Students are able to choose from a comprehensive
program that includes early learning services for preschool and
kindergarten students to college preparatory, general studies, and
career and technical education courses for our high school students.
Peter Basil Jr. became the school district's superintendent in
May 2007 and immediately put all his focus in improving academic
standards, specifically with the state's test results.
"As the new superintendent, I would bring my experience
in improving student achievement and boosting test scores.
My immediate goal will be to get Alliance out of continuous
improvement and increase the performance index on the state
report card to more than 100," Basil Jr. said in his application.
THE DISTRICT
There are about 3,200 students enrolled in the city schools.
School psychologists, speech and hearing pathologists, nurses,
special education teams, counselors and additional support staff
work together with regular classroom teachers to help provide the
best possible education for all students, including individualized
programs for children with disabilities. A program for gifted students
begins with third graders and continues through the middle school
and high school levels. Numerous summer programs for students
in grades one through high school are offered, and the new early
learning school for children ages 3 through kindergarten boasts an
enrollment of more than 400 students.
ALLIANCE HIGH SCHOOL
Each year, the top seniors at AHS receive more than $1.5 million
in scholarships and awards. Throughout their high school years, these
students not only excel academically, but they become leaders in their
educational community. A post-secondary program allows seniors to
take college courses and earn college credit while students at AHS. A
number of enrichment courses are also available, including advanced
placement classes, offered as part of the high school curriculum.
In addition to an extensive college preparatory program, the
high school curriculum includes programs in general studies as
well as career and technical education options through the Alliance
Vocational Education Planning District.
The varied Career and Technical options provide students a choice
of programs offered among the three member high school campuses.
The majority of the classes are housed at Alliance High School.
Program options include automotive body, automotive mechanics,
broadcast arts, career connections, commercial art, cosmetology,
graphic communications, and welding. The Business and Agriculture
Group classes, such as agriculture engineering, horticulture, natural
resources, and turf management, are available through a vocational
agreement with Marlington High School. Additional program options
are available through the Salem High School campus. Students
enrolled in the Career and Technical Programs receive specialized
training on state-of-the-art equipment and are taught by instructors
who are certified in the latest technology.
The extensive vocal music program includes more than 200 students.
These students perform in groups ranging from select show choirs to
concert choirs to a gospel choir. Instrumental music groups include
several bands, a string orchestra, and a select orchestra. Instruction for
the instrumental music program begins in the elementary schools. Many
of these students participate in the spring musical at the high school.
Often, elementary and middle school students are included.
The high school also has an award-winning Academic Challenge
team and a robotics team designed specifically for the "technology based"
student.
Alliance Middle School, which is a consolidation of Stanton Middle
School and State Street Middle School, opened at the beginning
of the 2002-03 school year. Funds totaling 14 million from the Ohio
School Facilities Commission and local tax dollars were used to build
Alliance Middle School. About 800 sixth, seventh and eighth graders
attend the school. It is divided into three houses, one for each grade
level. Each grade level house contains 10 classrooms and two
science labs. The facility is about 112,000 square feet and is located
on 33 acres of land. Thanks to a grant from General Electric, a land
lab is being developed for students to expand their learning out of
doors. AMS has lots of opportunities for young adolescents to grow
academically and physically while they build positive relationships
with peers and adults. AMS offers a strong arts program, a wide
variety of after school activities, support for student needs through
the AMS Care Team, and an outstanding academic program.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Northside Elementary School opened for students at the start
of the 2002-03 school year, followed by the opening of the new
Rockhill School at the start of the 2003-04 school year. Renovations,
including the addition of classrooms, have also been completed
at Parkway Elementary School. The Alliance Elementary schools
provide a rich curriculum for students in grades one through five. In
addition to the academic curriculum, elementary schools offer after
school programs and Care Team services to help meet the diverse
needs of the Alliance students and their families.
THE ALLIANCE EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL
The Alliance Early Learning School opened in the fall of 2006.
The vision of the school is "A Strong Start...A Bright Future",
meaning that the school expects to build the foundation for a
from page 34 seamless transition to school age programming. The building serves all preschool and kindergarten children in the Alliance City
School District. We house 19 classrooms and approximately 410
students in our building. There are 12 kindergarten classrooms
in the building, one being a special needs inclusion classroom.
Three of the preschool classrooms serve typically developing
students, and four preschool classrooms serve a combination
of special needs and typically developing peers. Two of the
special needs preschool classrooms support children with Autism
Spectrum Disorders. The school strives to establish and maintain
collaborative relationships with each child's family and community
partners to support the attainment of program goals. The
preschool program is accredited by the National Association for
the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the kindergarten
program went through the accreditation process during the 2006-
2007 school year. Through intensive self study and evaluation,
the Early Learning School continues to maintain quality early
childhood programming for Alliance children and their families.
ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
An extensive athletic program is available to high school and
middle school students. This program includes cross country (boys
and girls), soccer (boys and girls), volleyball, tennis (boys and girls),
golf, basketball (boys and girls), wrestling, swimming (boys and
girls), baseball, softball, track (boys and girls), and cheerleading at
the high school level. Athletic programs at the middle school level
include football, cross country (boys and girls), volleyball, basketball
(boys and girls), wrestling, and track (boys and girls).
Visit the Alliance City School Districts Web site: www.aviators.
stark.k12.oh.us
ADMINISTRATION
200 Glamorgan Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.