North Allegheny School District

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North Allegheny School District
District type Public
Religious affiliation None
Location North of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Enrollment 2005-2006 Approx. 8,041 students
Grades K-12
District location Suburban
District Mascot Tiger
District colors Black and Gold
Average Class Size 23

North Allegheny School District (NA or NASD) is located about 12 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It serves an area of 48 square miles, including Marshall Township, the Town of McCandless, and the boroughs of Bradford Woods and Franklin Park. Not only is the district the largest suburban school district in Allegheny County, but it is also one of the largest employers in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, employing over 1,000 people.

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[edit] The North Allegheny School District

The North Allegheny School District is regarded as one of the best public school system in the state of Pennsylvania. North Allegheny has an exceptionally strong academic reputation and regularly scores above statewide and national averages on standardized tests. 63% of its professional staff possesses either a masters degree or a doctorate. Its budget for the 2005-2006 school year is $104,670,122, or $12,269 per student. North Allegheny serves the municipalities of Bradford Woods Borough, Franklin Park Borough, Marshall Township, and the Town of McCandless. The school district is one of the top 100 employers in the North Hills section of Allegheny County. The school district houses seven elementary schools, three middle schools, one intermediate high school (grades 9-10), and one senior high school (grades 11-12). A total of 8,041 students attend the North Allegheny School District, and the district employs 616 professional staff members.

[edit] Athletics, Facilities, and Activities

The school district offers 24 varsity sports. During the 2004-2005 school year, nine of these sports took WPIAL titles, 18 took section titles, one took a PIAA title. Additionally, the inline hockey team won the 2005 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Roller Hockey League "Penguin Cup". They have a dominant XC team, and are the favorite to win the title for years to come.

The 2005-2006 school year heralded the following WPIAL wins for the Tigers: Cross-Country, Swimming, and Softball, in addition to a PIRHL championship for Inline Hockey.

In the 2006-2007 School Year, North Allegheny's Cross-Country and Field Hockey teams both won the WPIAL, with Cross-Country placing 5th in the PIAA. Winter sports such as Gymnastics and Swimming also captured WPIAL titles.

North Allegheny's primary athletic rival is neighboring district North Hills, and this rivalry has often become extremely intense.

The school district owns Newman Stadium which seats 7,500, and a $5.1 million multi-purpose athletic facility called the Baierl Center. In addition, North Allegheny has 31 playing fields, a 6-lane 25 yard pool, and 14 tennis courts.

North Allegheny also has an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) unit.

Schools in the District include:

[edit] Academics

Six of the district's schools (both high schools, all three middle schools, and an elementary school) have received the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence award. The Senior High School offers 17 Advanced Placement courses, and both high schools offer a combined 32 honors courses. The class of 2006 currently has 12 National Merit Finalists. North Allegheny has earned a reputation for its strong academics and the excellent way in which it prepares its students for college.

[edit] Transportation

North Allegheny is also unique in that it owns its own transportation fleet based at the Marshall campus and the NA Transportation Department on Hillvue Lane. Their fleet transports over 9,200 students to 67 different schools and consists of 128 vehicles used to pick up students living throughout the district.

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Disapproval of Superintendent

North Allegheny's superintendent, Dr. Patricia Green, was the source of some controversy in July 2005. 15-year school board veteran Jim Beierle abruptly resigned, saying he did not want to be a part of offering Green a contract extension. "I don't think she knows what she's budgeting," said Beierle. "I don't agree with her vision, the way she handles students and staff, the curriculum and her leadership in general." However, School Board President Maureen Grosheider disagreed, explaining, "I think the superintendent has done ... what we've asked her to do -- to focus on curriculum and instruction."

[edit] Student Website Critical of District

A number of students made news when they reopened a website entitled North Allegheny Sucks during the 2004-2005 school year. The website features a forum, attacks various policies of the School District, and allows students to rate teachers. When North Allegheny administrators attempted to discover who was involved in the website's development during an earlier release of the website, the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union warned North Allegheny that "they don't have a right to investigate these kids" [1]. The ACLU further explained that, "If they start threatening kids to identify the webmaster, they're setting themselves on a collision course with a lawsuit." The local news outlets covered the website both on their broadcasts and online.

[edit] Teacher/Student Sex Scandal

In early January 2007, a member of North Allegheny's English department, Mrs. Julie Stimmel, was accused of having sexual relations with a student at the North Allegheny Senior High School. Stimmel resigned from her position, and the family of the student involved is not pressing charges [2].


[edit] External links

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