Dance and piano lessons, art and drama are just some of the program offerings.

Dance and piano lessons, art and drama are just some of the program offerings.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Eagle Heights Academy has received an excellent rating from the state for its High G.E.A.R.S after-school program.

The acronym stands for Gaining Excellence in the Arts, Reading and Sciences, and Eagle Heights received a $1 million 21st Century Grant to offer the program which provides pupils with academically enriching activities.

The school received a performance assessment by the Ohio Department of Education, which included a visit to the school, and received excellent ratings in the state report. The program surpassed average standards for variety of activities, active parent involvement, safety compliance, program organization and staff leadership.

In particular, state representatives confirmed the program was based on pupils’ needs and interests. They also reported that High G.E.A.R.S offered diverse recreational, cultural and resiliency building activities as well. The assessment concluded that “the program has an appropriate schedule, flow and duration of activities, including structured and unstructured time, and time for social connections and community building.”

High G.E.A.R.S offers pupils in kindergarten through seventh grade such activities as dance and piano lessons, art, sign language, choir, drama, karate and foreign language studies. These classes are taught by Eagle Heights teachers and outside community members. The children also have the opportunity to visit Camelot Lanes and the YMCA, where bowling, swimming and sports are offered.

The program, serving about 150 children, is coordinated by Linda Mansfield, an administrator at the school. She and Mary Ann Tofil, program director, work to create an atmosphere of personal and academic growth for the children.

“The program provides the opportunity for participants to engage in activities that may otherwise be unavailable to them,” Tofil said. The pupils’ exposure to the outside community through High G.E.A.R.S broadens their experiences and gives them tools to succeed in social based activities, she said.

The program also provides the opportunity for the children to showcase talents learned in their classes. They have concerts and events throughout the school year that are open to the public.

High G.E.A.R.S is in its last year of a five-year grant. Mansfield said the plan is to seek renewal of the funding to keep it running, although she said it is unlikely that a second $1 million grant will be available.

The school will look for other grant sources to help keep the program, she said.