East Allegheny Middle School-
A Full-Service Community School

At East Allegheny Middle School, academic support, character building activities, stepping, sports and career building area part of the after-school program.  During the school day, the Y offers a program to prepare girls to face the challenges of early adolescence.  Individual and groups counseling for students in need is offered during the day as well. Summer programs, developed in collaboration with community agencies, have allowed the students to benefit from programs offered both at the school and the agencies’ sites. As part of community service, students have planted a garden and restored the area outside the school.

The school has provided needed educational and social service supports to remove barriers to student academic success since the 2003-2004 school year. The school is part of the East Allegheny School District that recognizes that each student is unique and that, through cooperation with parents, communities and schools, each student will have educational opportunities to achieve individual success.

This full-service community middle school consists of a strong instructional program aligned with mental health, family involvement, and community engagement, enrichment activities that improve educational success and contribute to overall growth and development, and programming and support services that meet the needs of parents and other community members.

Mon Valley Education Consortium is the lead agency for this full-service community school. This consortium is a Local Education Fund that raises money, seeks out resources, designs initiatives and convenes communities to respond to the challenges faced by school districts in southwestern Pennsylvania.

In the 2003-2004 school year the 6th-8th grades of the East Allegheny Junior High School were transformed into a middle school. Educators think that the middle school concept is developmentally appropriate for and better meets the needs of young adolescents. The conversion of 6th-8th grades into a middle school and the development of a full-service community school were concurrent, integrated transformations.

Central to both these models is students’ sense of belonging in the school. Therefore, at the beginning of the school year faculty and staff organize an orientation for incoming students that acquaints them their new environment. Along with this orientation, an icebreaker week engages students in a variety of team-building and social activities with the teachers and other staff members to familiarize them with the middle school culture.

Program offerings. Activities and programs at East Allegheny Middle School focus on increasing academic achievement, building character and developing other vital life skills. They are offered year round, with school-year sessions, summer sessions, special community and adult activities, special weekend events, evening programs and field trips.

Fee-free activities and programming are centered on developing successful habits, decisions and behaviors both in and out of school. Students may choose from a variety of these activities and participate in as many as they want. Recreational activities are linked to skill building and academic enrichment programs. Participants’ grades are monitored and programming is designed to meet each individual’s needs.

Programming during the school day includes:

A character based life/coping skills program for young women and a once-a- year character based life/coping skills workshop. The focus of both activities is to deal with issues such as peer interaction, self-concept, appreciating differences, conflict resolution, body image, community and belonging and value development.
The Teen LEAD program for young men. This is a character based life/coping skills program that deals with issues such as peer interaction, self-concept/image, appreciating differences, conflict resolution, community and belonging and value development.

Programming after-school.

Grade level academic support provides students with help with homework questions and tutoring in specific subjects. Classes are taught in small groups by certified academic coaches and community volunteers.
A faith-based counsel and study group for young women focuses on developing student leadership, raising self-esteem, accepting others and developing healthy friendships.
A fine arts dance program
A young men’s group affords students a time to get together, do fun things from games to sports and talk about issues that are important to them.
Mental health groups provide parents, neighborhoods, and students with the resources and supports they need to raise children to be healthy and happy.
During the school day, the full-service community school addresses issues arising from changing demographics in the district. Students are actively involved through Town Meetings.

Town Meetings. As the East Allegheny School District has become increasingly diverse, learning to accept and appreciate cultural differences has been challenging. In an effort to address this issue the full-service community school team and the students of East Allegheny have created the Students of East Allegheny for Development (SEAD) Committee. The purpose of the SEAD Committee is to plan, develop, and execute programs and activities that nurture an appreciation for cultural differences, introduce different cultural traditions and practices to the student body and promote an inclusive and supportive school environment. As a result an annual cultural program  has taken place.

Summer session. The full-service community school has partnered with community agencies to offer summer programs.

Support Services. The full-service community school has an agreement with Turtle Creek Mental Health and Gateway Mental Health Services, which provide counseling. In addition, the school in conjunction with Gateway Mental Health Services has developed an anger management group that meets weekly. Finally, the administration and guidance counselors have developed a supplementary group counseling program centered on life skills and self-image. During the summer, anger management groups are offered both at the middle school and at a community site.

Family involvement. Families are taking a more active role at East Allegheny School District.  Parents collaborate with teachers and administrators, community organizations and members of the community to discuss the best academic practices and to develop strategies to cultivate productive citizens, and to strengthen families.

The role of Eisenhower Foundation. The Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation provides funding, technical assistance and process and outcomes evaluations of the full-service school to the East Allegheny partnership.

Positive outcomes at East Allegheny Middle School. Evaluation findings show that the full-service community school at East Allegheny had a positive impact on students’ sense of safety at school and positive peer relationships.

 

Jane Schuneman
Site Director

Gary Peiffer
Principal

Contact person
Jane Schuneman
(412) 824-8013 Ext.134