North Allegheny Intermediate High School

North Allegheny Intermediate High School
"Great Expectations...The Best Is Yet To Come"
Location
350 Cumberland Road Pittsburgh, PA 15237 Coordinates: 40°34′15″N 80°01′53″W / 40.570728°N 80.031514°W / 40.570728; -80.031514 United States
Information
Type	Public
Established	1960 (building-as senior high), 1974 (as NAI)
School district	North Allegheny School District
Faculty	93
Grades	9–10
Number of students	1,298
• Grade 9	696
• Grade 10	699
Color(s)	Black and Gold
Athletics	WPIAL (AAAA),
Mascot	Tiger
Website	North Allegheny Intermediate High School

North Allegheny Intermediate High School (NAI) is a suburban high school in the North Allegheny School District located in McCandless, Pennsylvania, a community north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is one of two high schools in the district and serves grades 9 and 10. In 2013, North Allegheny Intermediate High School enrollment was 1,395 pupils, with 4% of pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. According to a state report 100% of the teachers were rated highly qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, the North Allegheny Intermediate High School reported an enrollment of 1,298 pupils in grades 9th and 10th, with 54 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. The school employed 93 teachers yielding a student-teacher ratio of 13:1.^[1] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind. ^[2]

In 2007, the ethnic breakdown among the school population was 91.4% Caucasian, 6.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.5% African American, and 0.7% Hispanic.^[3]

The school building has six letter-coded sloping hallways, each based on the numbers of the rooms in that hallway, such as E hallway having rooms in the 50's, each with a mural produced by the art department, and a newer front wing built during a renovation in 1998. The building originally housed North Allgheny Senior High School (NASH) but assumed its current role in 1974 when the senior high school was moved to its current Wexford campus. Before 1974, the intermediate high school was located in what is now Carson Middle School, one of the middle schools in North Allegheny, which is now right above the hill from NAI.

Academic

2013 School Performance Profile

North Allegheny Intermediate High School achieved 90.6 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 95% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 90% demonstrated on grade level skills with 56.84% showing advanced achievement. In Biology, 69% showed on grade level science understanding.^[4] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, they now take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.

Wellness policy

North Allegheny School Board established a district wellness policy in 2006.^[5] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.^[6]

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.^[7] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

The North Allegheny School District offers a free school breakfast and free or reduced-price lunch to children in low income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.^[8] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture.^[9]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D. ^[10] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.^[11]

North Allegheny School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.^[12] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Highmark Healthy High 5 grant

In 2009, the North Allegheny School District received funding through a Highmark Healthy High 5 grant. North Allegheny Intermediate High School received $9,989 which was used to purchase a wide variety of gym equipment.^[13] Beginning in 2006, Highmark Foundation engaged in a 5 year, $100 million program to promote lifelong healthy behaviors in children and adolescents through local nonprofits and schools.

School safety and bullying

North Allegheny School District administration reported there were zero (0) incidents of bullying at North Allegheny Intermediate High School, in 2012. However, there were 10 fights, an assault on a student, as well as, a case of sexual harassment.^[14] Each year the North Allegheny Intermediate High School safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which publishes the reports online.^[15]

The North Allegheny School Board has provided the district's antibully policy online.^[16] All Pennsylvania schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy incorporated into their Code of Student Conduct. The policy must identify disciplinary actions for bullying and designate a school staff person to receive complaints of bullying. The policy must be available on the school's website and posted in every classroom. All Pennsylvania public schools must provide a copy of its anti-bullying policy to the Office for Safe Schools every year, and shall review their policy every three years. Additionally, the District must conduct an annual review of that policy with students.^[17] The Center for Schools and Communities works in partnership with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Education to assist schools and communities as they research, select and implement bullying prevention programs and initiatives.^[18][19]

Education standards relating to student safety and antiharassment programs are described in the 10.3. Safety and Injury Prevention in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety and Physical Education. ^[20]

Classrooms for the Future grant

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006 to 2009. The North Allegheny School District did not apply to participate in 2006-07. In 2007-08, the high schools received $427,158. The district received $77,938 in 2008-09 for a total funding of $505,096.^[21] Among the public school districts in Allegheny County the highest award was given to Highlands School District which received $835,286. The highest funding statewide was awarded to Philadelphia City School District in Philadelphia County - $9,409,073. The grant program was discontinued by Governor Edward Rendell as part of the 2009-10 state budget.

Extracurriculars

The North Allegheny School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive, costly sports program. Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy and in compliance with standards set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students residing in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.^[22]

Clubs & activities

NAI has a wide array of extracurricular clubs and activities available to students, including a Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, AFJROTC, Key Club, and Junior Classical League.^[23]

Music

NAI offers several music courses and activities, such as wind bands, string orchestras, choirs, and music theory and composition electives. Additionally, NAI students have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular music activities. Some examples are marching band, Strolling Strings, NA Symphony Orchestra, and orchestra pit for the musical.^[24]

Athletics

Students can participate in athletics at the Freshman and Junior Varsity levels in a wide variety of sports under WPIAL rules. The athletic program began in 1969 and has won a number of state championships. However, athletics are mainly found at North Allegheny Senior High School, the main North Allegheny high school serving grades 11–12 which houses all varsity sports.

The District funds:

Boys Baseball Basketball Bowling Cross Country Football Golf Indoor Track and Field Lacrosse Soccer Swimming and Diving Tennis Track and Field Volleyball Water Polo Wrestling

Girls Basketball Bowling Cheer Cross Country Field Hockey Golf Gymnastics Indoor Track and Field Lacrosse Soccer (Fall) Softball Swimming and Diving Girls' Tennis Track and Field Volleyball Water Polo

According to PIAA directory July 2013 ^[25]

Notable alumni

• Christina Aguilera – Grammy-winning artist; through 9th grade
• Mike McMahon – professional football player
• Richard Rossi – writer-director, "Sister Aimee:The Aimee Semple McPherson Story"; and Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories ^[26][27] for 9th grade

References