Jack Taggart The Charter News 4/01/20 Governments are meeting the spread of the novel virus, COVID-19, with many strategies to slow the contagion, such as social distancing, health precautions, and even stay-at-home orders from multiple state governors, including Oregon Governor Kate Brown. Among these initiatives is the temporary closing of schools in all states (some are scheduled to close in certain districts, some have or … Continue reading The Effects COVID-19 and Technology are having on Schooling

Tazwell Brandabur The Charter Features 3/15/20 Teachers themselves determine how students are graded, creating a spectrum of severity as complex and varied as the teachers themselves. This spectrum may lead to long-term consequences. A study published by the Fordham Institute in February, 2020, found that the way teachers grade students dramatically affects the students’ long term academic success. Students in classes with higher grading standards … Continue reading Tough Love Grading Practices Produce Results

Siena Geren  The Charter Features  3/11/20       In a typical classroom of 30 students there are on average three dyslexics reports, reports APM. Although there is no class at ACA as large as this, the proportions of students affected by dyslexia in a typical ACA classroom would be one to two.        According to Learning Disabilities, as many as 43.5 million … Continue reading The Other Side of Dyslexia

Madalena Larkins The Charter Features 2/20/20               Whether or not a wall should be built at our southern border is an intensely debated topic, however people often overlook the effects doing so would have on wildlife in the area.                Around half of the official 1,954 mile long U.S.-Mexico border is made up … Continue reading Border Wall Creates Unintended Consequences for Wildlife

Cheyenna Hall  Featured News  12/20/2019 Teachers and students alike have heard many excuses at school. Even if they aren’t the ones making the excuses they still remember them.  “There was homework??” and “What’s today?” are both excuses used by Kailyn McKay who is a ninth grader at ACA. These excuses make it sound like she was oblivious to the homework that was due and makes … Continue reading Excuses Used at School

Tazwell Brandabur The Charter Features 12/21/19 Charter schools have long been the center of an intense debate at the local and national level– a debate that’s intensified with the coming presidential election. At this point, the three frontrunning Democratic candidates, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, have openly called for a ban on charter schools. Sort of. Daunting as … Continue reading Is ACA Safe?

Madalena Larkins The Charter Features 12/20/19 The class of nine and their teacher, Michael Lancaster, gather in the dimly lit media arts room for the last time before winter break. Kailyn and Cheyenna toss a half full plastic bottle back and forth across the room, Jack and Tazwell seem to be absorbed in something on their Chrome books, and Mr. Lancaster pauses in his explanation … Continue reading Inside The Charter Newsroom

While the teacher grabs some papers from a printer, students of Mr. Silwell’s Modern World History class seize the the opportunity to doze off for a few minutes. Continue reading Sleep Is Affecting Students In More Ways Than We Thought

By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 4/10/19 Her days of sewing zippers in Campfire Girls are over, but she still finds happiness and passion in her hobby of being a seamstress for a ballet studio. Jilene Modlin is an ES here and a parent of two ACA students. She has been with ACA since before the beginning, and for many years taught sign language. … Continue reading Jilene Modlin and Her Seamstress Endeavors

By Natalie Ramsey                     The Charter Features – 2/1/19                           Recently, members of the Language Arts Committee have been working on organizing An Evening of the Spoken Word. This event is not only for students and their families to enjoy the spoken word, but is also to promote the literary works of students On February 20, 2019, from 6:00-7:30pm, the ACA library will be opening its … Continue reading An Evening of the Spoken Word

By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News Feature – 1/23/19 What is the National Honors Society (NHS)? Many people do not know the answer to this question, and the truth, according to members, is that their society is motivating students to achieve amazing things within their community. It is more than just a club or meeting point for kids; the NHS is the leading organization, according … Continue reading The National Honors Society at ACA

By Miriam Lee The Charter News/Feature – 12/13/18 A rose by any other name is still a rose. Diana Brainerd with another title is still Diana Brainerd. From the start of ACA, to now, Diana Brainerd has always had an important role in the ACA community—whether that be as a parent, friend, OBOB coach, ES, teacher, or associate director. “Diana has the experience, from her … Continue reading Diana Brainerd Adopts a New Role at ACA

Evalina Shulikov The Charter Feature- 12/12/18 This year, Suzanne Edwards has joined the team of ACA. She loves to sing and plays many different instruments. She teaches choir, piano, and marimba. She loves music and is said to have an immense amount of musical talent. Suzanne Edwards has many musical talents such as singing and playing many instruments. Her main instruments are voice and piano, … Continue reading Suzanne Edwards Brings Many Musical Skills to ACA

By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 12/10/18 The volunteer-run organization FIDO is working vigorously to combat the problem of animal hunger and ACA is helping out. The problem gained attention when volunteers involved in the Meals On Wheels program noticed people feeding their food to their pets instead of themselves. This sparked the creation of the Animeals program and later the Friends Involved in … Continue reading ACA Battles Animal Hunger Alongside F.I.D.O.

The Charter Features By OLIVIA SILBERNAGEL Now that the media buzz surrounding the Florida shooting has faded almost to silence, students are still fighting for change. An anonymous student who participated in the March walkout says they would like to see more protest,  “Any opportunity to protest against violence or give respect [to] those who need it is one I will take…yes. I would like … Continue reading Gun Control Looking Forward

By Taylor Younger, The Charter Features Joy Best is one of our math teachers here at Alliance Charter Academy, she teaches geometry classes as well as several others. Mrs. Best also teaches math concepts at warner pacific college.           Mrs. Best was not sure what she wanted to do as a career. All throughout her elementary and high school years she believed she would be a … Continue reading Story about our Best

Mrs. Heppner is beloved by teachers and students alike. She travels around the world to judge gymnastic events, and has many admirers from the many years of teaching she has accomplished at Alliance Charter Academy (ACA). Mrs. Heppner has been a role model for every student at ACA and has impacted every one of her students, “She remembers and cares about her students. She’s a … Continue reading Behind the scenes of Mrs. Heppner

By Taylor Younger    Mr. Cheskin can’t tell us what classes are going to be offered next school year or tell us the changes to the music schedule, he can tell us that most of the classes are going to stay the same.  “ There will be changes to the music class schedule next year, but i can’t talk about them just yet because i don’t … Continue reading Any music changes?     

 Special Edition – By Rylie Young Art Explorers, Drawing and Printmaking, Drama Club, and Illustration Storytelling; these are just some of the arts and drama classes offered to students at ACA. It is the time of year for teachers to turn in their class proposals. So what classes are teachers proposing for the art/drama department?     Art Explorers with Todd Ingham and Exploring through Printmaking … Continue reading ACA ART & DRAMA

By Faith Burton, The Charter Features Luke Burton, teenager, skateboarder, pre-professional guitarist and something that may surprise many, ballet dancer. At fourteen years old, Luke was invited by his friend from school, Natazia Head, to join her at Classical Ballet Academy (CBA), one of Oregon’s finest ballet schools. “I didn’t think he would be bad or good at ballet… I just thought it would be … Continue reading Luke The Ballerino

By Nicole Engelke The Charter Feature Alliance Charter Academy (ACA) is a unique school for equally unique students and staff. It is a K-12 charter school created by parents that were dedicated to their children’s well-being and education. Lara Fabrycki, the founder and former director, principal, and “Queen Bee” of ACA, says, “We needed that choice…a choice for kids who didn’t want to go the … Continue reading Building Our Airplane While We’re Flying: A History of Our Homeschool-school

By Rylie Young Two years ago, the idea of Alliance Charter Academy having a school garden grew, and it all started with three humble garden beds in the front schoolyard. When numerous teachers said they wanted a space for their class, things got a bit crowded. Now they have upgraded to a larger space, made possible by a “Heal” grant that they received from Clackamas … Continue reading ACA Garden: Success Story

By Elizabeth Tarsia Kathleen Mixer-Cantrell, a greatly appreciated Educational Specialist (ES) and staff member. Cantrell has been working at Alliance Charter Academy since our program started in 2007. After so many years working at Alliance Charter Academy she says she enjoys it just as much as she did when she first started working here in 2007. Kathleen says she loves working with her ES students … Continue reading The Cantrell of Alliance Charter Academy

  By Samantha Rands and Olivia Silbernagel We interviewed six students at ACA questions about their futures, school, and worries. The goal was to look at the diversity between what different age groups worry about; where an elementary schooler would have fewer worries, and a senior would worry more about the future. We interviewed two elementary students: Gwyneth Lute and Love Best. Two middle school students: … Continue reading ACA Through The Ages

By Rylie Young Genuine, caring, and humorous. That’s how Megan Coggins, our school counselor, would describe herself. Counseling has always been an interest of Megan’s, “It kind of like is my life, in some ways,” she admitted, Growing up, she was the person her friends and other people would go to when they wanted to talk. “I was like ‘Oh, I should be a counselor, … Continue reading Genuine, Caring, and Humorous

By Mackenzie Waterman Sarah Head isn’t just a ES and teacher. She is a wife, mom, and farmer, as well. She enjoys reading, farming, and hanging out with her kids. Her favorite book is “ Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard. She has two kids (both girls), as well as a lot of animals.  She owns around thirty through thirty five farm animals and two … Continue reading Sarah Head’s Many Faces

  The I Love You Guys is a safety protocol that Alliance Charter Academy and many schools in America use. Most people wouldn’t think that a foundation named I Love You Guys (ILUG) would be a safety program for schools and some businesses. Ellen and John-Michael Keyes lost their daughter in a school emergency in 2009, from that accident the I Love You Guys Foundation … Continue reading “I Love You Guys”

By: Elizabeth Tarsia, The Charter Features         Sultana Johansen isn’t just your average office secretary; she has her four year medical assistant degree, as well as being very well educated in the medical field. She went from high school into college.     Prior to working at Alliance Charter Academy she was working as a children’s director at a church. She had been working there for nine … Continue reading Sultana Johansen