ASHLAND — We all know raising children takes a village. Educating children takes a village, too. Teachers at Mapleton work hard to provide a solid education for the students in our district, but without the help of numerous other people in our building, their job would be much more difficult.
So many other individuals in our “village” serve day in and day out to provide our children with the resources and support they need to thrive. Here is a sampling of the other muscles that make Mapleton strong:
Guidance Department
The Mapleton Elementary and Middle School Guidance Department helps students (grades PK-8) with academic, personal/social development, and career exploration. Classroom character education lessons, small lunch bunch groups, individual counseling, Career Center visits, testing, and course scheduling are some of the areas that the guidance department can provide support for students and their families.
The Mapleton High School Guidance Department helps Mapleton students (grades 9-12) and their families navigate academic, personal, and social development during the high school years. Our department provides students and their parents with comprehensive and current information on numerous topics pertaining to student academic success, course scheduling, graduation planning, college/career preparation, the college and scholarship application process, testing, and the wide variety of opportunities for students.
School Liaisons
In partnership with Appleseed Community Mental Health Center and Ashland County School Districts, the school liaison program provides our students with a common link between school, home, and community resources to help students and families in need. There are two school liaisons who serve Mapleton. Together, they collaborate with school staff, assess student and family needs, intervene in crisis situations, teach healthy lifestyle development, reach out to families for education and home visits, and partner with community resources.
Special Education
Every child deserves a quality education, but not all students learn the same way. When students face particular learning challenges in the classroom, teachers and/or parents may request an educational evaluation to determine if a student needs an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Mapleton’s Special Education Director facilitates our special education programming, coordinating, monitoring, and collaborating with each student’s IEP team. The Special Education team develops a plan, ensures adequate resources, and tracks student progress.
Title I Program
Mapleton Elementary School is designated as a Title I building. This designation provides additional government funding, based on the number of students who receive free or reduced meals in the building each year, that allow the school to provide dedicated Title I services to the students at Mapleton Elementary School. These services are provided by teachers whose positions are funded by Title I funds. The school makes decisions about what services are provided by these teachers based on various student data points that include frequent benchmark testing and progress monitoring.
The purpose of the Title I program is to provide extra supports to make sure that all students have a fair and equitable chance at academic success. By combining these services with our regular classroom instruction and other targeted interventions, Mapleton Local Schools works to provide a complete educational program for all students.
School Resource Officer
The safety and security of our students is of utmost importance at Mapleton. Deputy Brandon Hendrix serves as our school resource officer. He teaches D.A.R.E. programming to kindergarten through high school students in addition to serving the security needs of our campus. He is on duty every day to help with whatever situations arise.
Food Services
Our head cook and support staff in Mapleton’s cafeteria are tasked with the responsibility of providing hot meals for hundreds of students on a daily basis. According to the Food Research and Action Center, “School lunch is critical to student health and well-being, especially for low-income students—and ensures that students have nutrition they need throughout the day to learn. Research shows that receiving free or reduced-price school lunches reduces food insecurity, obesity rates, and poor health.”
Our cafeteria staff make sure our children’s nutritional needs are met so that they can concentrate on learning instead of worrying about when they will eat next.
The district uses PaySchools Central to help parents find out if they qualify and sign up for free and reduced breakfast and lunch. This service also gives our families access to more state and federal funding, reduced cost for aftercare programs at the elementary school, career-based intervention programming at the high school, fee waivers for college tests, and even fee waivers for some colleges and universities.
Health Services
Mapleton’s district nurse and clinical nurse are on staff to support the health needs of our students, from immunization requirements to administering necessary medications and treatments, as well as assessing and treating students who might not feel well and assisting with follow up care as needed. School based clinics are offered to bring healthcare to staff and students, making it more accessible for everyone. Health and wellness are fundamental for student success in the classroom. We are grateful to have such dedicated healthcare professionals on our team, caring for our students and providing resources to help them make healthy life choices.
Transportation
Did you know that, according to the American School Bus Council, school buses save families about 62 billion miles of driving each year? Our bus transportation system cuts down on traffic on our roads and in our parking lot, reduces environmental pollution, and provides safety benefits for our students as well. The same council above states that “students are about 70 times more likely to arrive to school safely if they take the school bus instead of traveling by car.”
Busing adds tremendous value and convenience to the families of our community, and we’re grateful for our team of drivers, mechanics, and operators who make this system work.