LOUDONVILLE — Changes will be waiting when students embark on their first day of school, Aug. 18, in Loudonville.
The Loudonville-Perrysville Board of Education discussed a new soccer field, athletic facilities, staff and plans for how students learn during its Monday meeting.
The district also is developing a new strategic plan that will guide its priorities in academics, student wellness, facilities and community engagement.
New soccer field
The school’s new soccer field had its opening day Aug. 8.
The field is still filling in and will require additional time to become ready for use. Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said officials are trying to be cautious with the rain to not rip the field up right away.
The district recently installed new visitor’s bleachers at the football field and received a new scoreboard, sports boards and a sound system for its athletic facilities.
“Scoreboards have already been installed at the softball field, baseball field and the soccer field,” Allerding said.
A new sound system was also installed at the soccer field donated by the athletic boosters.
A different approach for middle schoolers
One of the objectives in the district’s draft strategic plan calls for developing a comprehensive middle school teaming model.
Loudonville-Perrysville students enter the high school in seventh grade. Allerding said the district wants to explore a structure that better addresses the needs of middle school students.
“Those kiddos at the middle school level have very different needs than our high school kids,” Allerding said.
The district plans to work with staff and provide professional development as it explores what that plan could look like.
Academic opportunities grow
The student learning portion of the plan calls for expanding academic offerings, including gifted services, College Credit Plus and STEM.
Allerding said the district has made progress in providing gifted services and recently began updating curriculum in subjects that went more than 20 years without new materials.
“We’re excited that those teachers are getting new, updated curriculum in their hands and working with students,” Allerding said.
The plan also calls for the district to address both students who need additional academic support and those who need more advanced opportunities.
Other additions
The district reported it has filled all remaining open positions heading into the school year, including food service positions that remained vacant for a large portion last year.
The high school will continue its Hope Squad program for a second year. The district also is exploring the possibility of creating kindness clubs in each building so more students can participate.
The district’s strategic plan remains a draft and will go through additional review before the board adopts it.
