Jack Taggart The Charter News 5/20/20 Covering a broad demographic of subjects and issues, the social studies classes of the 2019-2020 school year have been interesting to say the least. From the judicial system to the history of the Vietnam War, the students have been exposed to a variety of new subjects. Chris Stilwell, who taught Modern World History and Sociology, said, of the classes, … Continue reading Social Studies Classes 2019-2020
Cheyenna Hall The Charter News 5/11/20 During the current COVID-19 Pandemic everyone’s focus has been on staying home and therefore healthy. A lot of the following questions have not been answered: Is it safe to go outside? Should we refrain from going to the doctors? Are you putting yourself and your family in danger if you go to the store? What should we be doing … Continue reading COVID-19’s Effect on Healthcare
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 5/7/20 Statewide primary and general elections happen every two years in Oregon, and the contents of Oregon’s May 19th primary election ballots will vary, as voters will receive different ballots depending on how they’re registered to vote. The state of Oregon has closed primary elections, which means that those registered as a member of a political party will be able … Continue reading What Will Be On The Ballot For Oregon’s May 19th Primary Election?
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 5/4/20 The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown graduation ceremony plans up in the air, leaving school administrators around the world to figure out how best to celebrate their graduating classes. ACA sent out a survey to seniors and their parents, asking for their opinions on how best to celebrate ACA’s class of 2020, given the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic. Respondents … Continue reading What Will Graduation Look Like For ACA Seniors?
Jack Taggart The Charter News 5/2/20 A close look at the course list for the 2020-2021 ACA school year will reveal that a new class will be available to highschoolers: Leadership. The idea for the class came about when Mrs. Gerstner first became an ES at ACA, at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. Gerstner was concerned that some of her new ES students … Continue reading ACA Rolls out New Leadership Class
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 4/30/20 State officials released new policies for awarding grades and credit to students in grades K-11, amid the ongoing school closure. Oregon Department of Education (ODE) released an announcement on April 15th, stating: “Students who demonstrate evidence of essential learning by the end of the spring 2020 term, shall receive a ‘Pass’ and the corresponding course credit.” During the second … Continue reading ODE Releases New Guidelines for Awarding Grades And Credit to Students
This Page is no longer updated– it will be superseded by The Charter’s reopening live updates page. Tazwell Brandabur The Charter News Last updated 5/24/20 at 4:30 PM PT The Pandemic At a Glance: Cases: Deaths: Jump to: Latest: Worldwide: 5,453,399 345,077 Current Policy On May 15th, Governor Kate Brown allowed almost all Oregon counties outside the Portland metro area to U.S. 1,673,678 98,831 State … Continue reading Defunct: Live Updates: Coronavirus, April 23rd — May 24th
Tazwell Brandabur The Charter News 4/22/20 ACA, like all Oregon schools, has been operating virtually in response to the ongoing pandemic since March 16th. In the weeks after the closure, instant messaging like Hangouts Chat and video conferencing services like Zoom and Google Hangouts quickly became a fixture of ACA’s distanced learning strategy. That changed on April 13th. A memo released on April 10th by … Continue reading OCSD Bans Most Forms Of Communication Between Students And Teachers.
Siena Geren The Charter Features 4/18/20 In these days of social distancing, on-line learning, and nothing being normal, the simple distraction of back to basics time in the kitchen preparing a delicious meal can be a step in the direction of sanity. This week The Charter will be starting a weekly column of recipes with the goal of providing our readers with just such a … Continue reading Comfort Food in Hard Times
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 4/15/20 “It wasn’t our choice to start a pandemic our senior year, and we don’t deserve to not graduate because of it,” announced Paige Stickney, an ACA senior. On April 8th, Governor Brown announced that all schools in Oregon would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year, and distance learning would continue for all students not in the … Continue reading Governor Brown Lets Seniors Graduate Amid Ongoing School Closure
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 4/9/20 Twelve year old Levi Reynolds was at home without much to do after schools closed due to COVID-19. This resulted in him creating a group chat on Google Hangouts, which ended up having 167 members. “I made it because I was bored,” says Levi. It started out with around 12 kids from ACA that he knew, and one former … Continue reading ACA Student Creates Group Chat With More Than 150 Students
The CDC says go ahead and make one. Tazwell Brandabur The Charter News 4/9/20 After several months of discouraging the use of masks by the general public, federal health officials now recommend that citizens wear improvised masks while “in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” The announcement came from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on April 4th. … Continue reading A Straight-Up DIY Mask Update:
To provide Distance Learning for All during the extended school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACA administrative team worked with onsite classroom teachers to gather and organize materials. Those materials were distributed to students and parents during a carefully orchestrated drive-through, curbside pick-up, Friday, April 3. Another pick-up day is planned for Friday, April 10, alphabetically in 1/2-hour increments between 9-11:30am. See below … Continue reading ACA Distributes Supplementary Materials, Equipment to Students on Fridays
Everything you need to know about the Coronavirus, updated daily. Tazwell Brandabur The Charter News 4/21/20 The ongoing outbreak of the SARS-CoV2 virus has given rise to an information storm, as news organizations, social media platforms, and governments scramble to keep the public informed. Much of this coverage has proven false. This page will be updated daily to include the most recent, accurate information about the … Continue reading COVID-19 Updates– Defunct
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 3/19/20 Nearly 600,000 public school students in Oregon are out of school. This comes on March 17th, after Governor Kate Brown announced that all public schools must close and remain closed until April 28th, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The decision of whether or not to reopen schools will continue to be re-evaluated. ACA students had mixed feelings about the … Continue reading Students React to School Closure
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 3/9/20 On Monday February 24th, Republicans in the Oregon state legislature participated in a walk out in an attempt to kill the cap and trade bill, a piece of climate legislation that would require fuel companies to pay for greenhouse gas emissions. They have not returned to the Capitol since. This prevented the chamber from voting, as two thirds of … Continue reading Oregon Legislative Session Adjourns Prematurely After Republican Legislators Boycott Cap And Trade Vote
By: Chloe Lute ACA’s Gender Sexuality Alliance, or GSA, has recently been reinstituted for the 2019/20 school year. The founder of the club believes it is perfect for anybody looking for somewhere where they can express themselves comfortably. Gender Sexuality Alliance would be defined as the state of everyone, regardless of gender or sexuality, being joined or associated. The GSA meets Tuesdays during lunch, in … Continue reading Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Club at ACA
It’s noon, and most of ACA is going on break. Ann Heppner isn’t. Instead, she’s preparing for what many ESes describe as a “tremendously helpful” class, one that can be “miraculously beneficial” for students’ grades. Mrs. Heppner walks into the classroom and greets her two-person class. This is business as usual for any one of ACA’s “Lunch and Learns.” The Lunch and Learn program has … Continue reading Underused Power-up Hiding in Plain Sight
Jack Taggart The Charter News 11/18/19 ACA’s Lego Robotics club got started when Tara McLaughlin, Lego team coach and mother of two ACA students considered starting a Lego team at ACA, similar to the one she and her children had participated in at a school they previously attended. “I thought a homeschool environment could really benefit from [a] robotics outlet… I know how many kids … Continue reading ACA’s Lego Robotics Club
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 11/18/19 ACA is hosting a holiday bazaar—on campus—on Friday December 6th and Saturday December 7th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. There will be a variety of vendors, both student and local, as well as a bake sale, kids crafts area, raffle, food, and live music performed by ACA musicians. There will be 30+ vendors (as of 11-11-19) who will be … Continue reading ACA Holiday Bazaar
Haladar Wright The Charter News Feature 11/18/19 You may hear the musical sounds of wind instruments emanating from room 114 on Mondays and Wednesdays. ACA has created a new class, the Beginning Band. It’s purpose is to teach students wind instruments and bring Band music to ACA. Valerie Johnson, the director of the class, created it to teach more instruments. “There was no music class … Continue reading Beginning Band Class Created
Cheyenna Hall The Charter News 11/18/2019 ACA has many committees that staff members are involved in. Some are for the staff and some are more beneficial for the students. Staff members are the people who run the committees. There are many committees and each of them are different and do different things. “The purpose of committees are to focus on school improvement. To support the … Continue reading ACA’s Many Committees
By Oliver Heimbigner The Charter News 10/28/19 ACA has a new archery club coming soon, and many students are interested in joining. “The Archery club will be cool because I used to do archery, and archery is cool,” said Seth Ellicott, a 10th grader at ACA. Drew Holland the creator of this archery club says: “I think it is important to have a different variety … Continue reading Archery Club
by: Chloe Lute Students at Alliance Charter Academy are tuning their instruments and shining their dress shoes for the quickly arriving music showcase weekend. The students, teachers, and parents are anxiously awaiting the music filled weekend. The students have been working hard in preparation for the showcases. Kiera McKay, grade seven, says “It makes me nervous and excited at the same time, nervous about being … Continue reading ACA’s Fall Concerts are Just Around the Corner
Rebecca Burton The Charter News 10/30/19 You can now see dragons, elves, and witches roaming the halls of ACA! This year the school has added a new club, the dungeons and dragons club where people can discuss their favorite characters and levels. Come as you explore the world of dungeons and dragons. This club is for the inspired dungeons and dragons players who want to … Continue reading Student Starts Dungeons & Dragons Club
Kailyn McKay The Charter News 19 The Harvest Ball was held in the cafeteria at 7:00 pm on Friday, October 25. Twenty tickets were sold from the study hall in advance of the event, according to Merrie Miller, our study hall teacher and ticket salesperson. She said that usually kids don’t start buying tickets till the last week. Sophomore Haladar Wright was one of the … Continue reading 2019 Harvest Ball
Kailyn McKay The Charter News 10/2/19 ACA has seen some new faces, since 2007. This year there are 70 new students that registered, according to Mrs. Diana Brainerd. So many family and friends of other current students want in and start a new schooling life here, she added. Alliance can accept, at most, 395 students each year and as of late September we have 390, … Continue reading Taking in new families
Oliver Heimbigner The Charter News 10/25/19. On the campus of ACA, a new phone policy has been ratified. Some students dislike it, and many students simply ignore the policy. The director of ACA Seanna Bloemer says about this policy, “I think phones can be a distraction in the classroom if there are not clear expectations. I believe the policy sets clear guidelines so all students … Continue reading Phone Policy
The second most common cause of death people ages 10-34 in the U.S. is suicide. Ranking 15th in the U.S., Oregon has one of the highest percentages of deaths due to suicide. This sobering statistic is all the more disturbing when it is brought into consideration that it is a subject that hits close to home, as some students at ACA struggle with suicidal ideation. … Continue reading The Issue of Suicide
Tazwell Brandabur The Charter Features 21 Oct. 2019. On October 21st, Mr Holland’s PE class found the gym invaded by a faintly humming silver dome, 20 feet in diameter and 10 feet high. Fortunately, this was no alien invasion of ACA, but rather the Starlab, a mobile observatory and planetarium, brought in by Mr. Lancaster’s Astrobiology class to teach constellations and planetary science. “Constellations serve … Continue reading Astrobiology Brings Strange Visitor To ACA
Cheyenna Hall The Charter News 10/28/19 Mrs. Alicia Heinsoo, ACA’s new counselor has been meeting with the students of ACA since the beginning of this school year. Mrs. Heinsoo states that she has “striven to provide a safe space for all students to feel respected and comfortable.” Although many students already have regular meetings with her there are also some slots in Mrs. Heinsoos schedule … Continue reading ACA’s New Counselor Mrs. Heinsoo
Madalena Larkins The Charter News 10/28/19 School pictures were different this year. Stephanie Young—a longtime ACA parent—took school pictures, instead of someone outside of ACA, like we’ve had in past years. It seems that there was an overall positive reaction to the new photographer and backdrop. Young chose to take the pictures outside in front of the bricks instead of doing them inside with a gray … Continue reading Stephanie Young Takes School Pictures
Tracey Edson, the new choir director, was just hired. For the past month, the choir program at ACA has not had a teacher. Several students interviewed expressed great excitement and happiness that Edson is here. Ashton Scott, a Junior, expressed feelings of surprise that Mrs. Edwards hadn’t returned, but says he is still committed to making the choir program fun. Lauren True, a Junior, says … Continue reading New Choir Teacher Hired
By: Cheyenna Hall Since the first day of grade school, to the awkwardness of middle school, through challenging high school and finally to senior year, seniors have been getting ready to go out into the world and give it their best, ready to prove that they have what it takes to go anywhere and accomplish anything. Even though sometimes they get a little ahead of … Continue reading Senior Prank or Legacy Project?
Chloe Lute The Charter News 10/2/19 Over the summer a few of Alliance Charter Academy’s rooms got refurnished to be more functional and appealing. Some of the biggest changes include the Guitar room and the Study Hall. The Guitar Room, room 116, got a new paint job and is now completely reorganized. There’s now a board on the back wall which holds all of the … Continue reading Changes to ACA Building
Jack Taggart The Charter News 10/2/19 It’s that time of year again, as teachers, parents, and students set the ball rolling with the new 2019-2020 school year. And with more than fifty million students enrolled, (according to the National Center for Education Statistics), this is not only a big adjustment for the public school system, but also an adjustment for many students, parents, and teachers. … Continue reading Back to School
Madalena Larkins The Charter Features 10/2/19 A recent poll of ACA staff members was conducted and sixty eight percent of staff polled had additional sources of income outside of ACA. Only thirty four percent said that they wanted only one job, so about half the staff polled who had another income enjoyed doing two jobs. Also, sixty seven percent of staff polled said that they … Continue reading Other Jobs ACA Staff Do
Tazwell Brandabur The Charter News 9/30/19 Much of success, both in school and later life, depends upon a set of critical skills known as executive functioning. These skills include scheduling, time management, and prioritization, which are all essential for staying organized. With this in mind, ACA hired Karin Bright, an executive function coach based in Portland, to help students, and to help teachers help students. … Continue reading Student Planners: So Far, So Good
By: Alyssa DiLoreto – 5/20/19 The ACA admin is really wanting to work on reinforcing the phone policy. It’s a pretty hard subject that is argued on a lot. Cell phones are big problems for many schools. Students sometimes forget that they are not usually allowed to have their phones out during class. Here at ACA we have a phone policy in place that some … Continue reading ACA and the Phone Dilemma
By Natalie Ramsey The Charter- 5/21/19 An annual spring rummage sale is one of ACA’s traditions used to raise money for the school, as well as other charities. Families bring in donations and are able to volunteer to help plan, organize, and run the sale. The rummage was started as a fundraiser by the Parent Action Team. Donations of clothes, books, children’ toys, kitchenware, and … Continue reading Rummage Sale
Rachel Shulikov The Charter News 5/22/2019 Last year’s seniors may be the last ones to have done a senior prank, if Seanna Bloemer, ACA director gets her way. She want the seniors to do a “legacy project” instead. But Anna Pullella, this years graduate would rather be the last senior to do a prank. “My first reaction was shock because senior prank is something … Continue reading Senior prank
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 05/20/19 “Ten minutes!” Drama Club director, Paul Angelo shouts. “Thank you ten minutes,” the cast shouts back, some still pouring some last minute glitter on their costumes. The tension of anticipation builds until at last they are on stage and the curtain reels back. Drama Club has put on a variety of performances in the last several years; … Continue reading Drama Club Performs The Tempest
By Evalina Shulikov The Charter News – 5/15/2019 ACA’s school counselor, Maryann Remburgs, is leaving and won’t be our counselor anymore next year. “It has been really awesome being here at ACA, and I really loved the people. The people here are really fabulous, so that’s why it was such a hard decision to leave,” said Remsburg. After Mark Silverman passed away, Remsburg knew someone … Continue reading School Counselor Leaving ACA
By Miriam Lee The Charter News – 5/17/19 Picture this: it’s 2015, the last week of school, and class after class you’ve had a party. Stuffing your face with chocolate cupcakes, exotic fruit, or maybe some potato chips. A full week of endless parties, at school. Not too long ago, this was the reality at ACA. For those who have been attending for awhile, you’ve … Continue reading Chaos Controlled
By Hailey Fox Charter Newsroom – 5/d/19 On May 8th at seven am about six volunteers arrived at the kitchen side entrance to help unload the orders the plant sale had gotten. The plant sale ended up selling $843.05 worth of plants. To find out more about the plant sale read the story by Rachel Shulikov. The driver of the plant delivery truck had gotten … Continue reading ACA Plant Delivery
By Sydney Starr The Charter News – 5/15/19 Jenna Friesen is expecting her first baby, a boy, towards the end of October 2019. She is currently 16 weeks along (as of May 6, 2019). Friesen says that she plans on hopefully working until she has her baby, and then she will be taking maternity leave. She anticipates being back “…by the end of January.” Diana … Continue reading ES Expecting Baby in October 2019
Rachel Shulikov Charter News – 4/6/2019 ACA’s opting out rate for the Smarter Balanced testing is about 15 percent, and for every student who opts out this year, ACA gets a zero score for that student. State testing is for students in grades 3rd through 8th and 11th. There are two language arts parts and two math parts. The tests show the strengths that the … Continue reading Testing opt-outs Affect ACA
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 05/01/19 Expanding your horizons doesn’t mean moving to Singapore for everyone, but for ACA’s art teacher, Todd Ingham, it does. After this school year ends, Ingham will not be returning to ACA because he, his wife and two sons are moving 8,283 miles away to Singapore. Ingham’s wife, who has been wanting to do an international job for … Continue reading Goodbye ACA, Hello Singapore!
By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 5/1/19 Saving three lives isn’t what most ACA students consider doing on a typical school day, but May 15 won’t be a typical day. The reason ACA and many high schools put on these blood drives is quite simple; it saves lives. According to the Community Blood Center and the Red Cross approximately 37 percent of the US … Continue reading The Red Cross Comes to ACA for Our Blood
By Miriam Lee The Charter News – 04/29/19 High schoolers, mark your calendar for a special night of simplicity. Despite the “uniqueness” of ACA, our school still participates in one of the oldest traditions among high schools. That is, prom, a formal dance — thrown in almost every high school in the U.S. — dating back to the late 18th century. The ACA prom is … Continue reading NHS Plans Prom 2019
By Evalina Shulikov The Charter News- 3/10/2019 ACA is planning to have a reunification drill. Although we don’t have a set day for the drill, our school is planning to have it in the beginning of October, in the next school year. A reunification drill is a drill where the whole school walks to a location near the school but not on the school property. … Continue reading Reunification Drill
Rachel Shulikov The Charter News – 4/11/2019 For about ten years the Parent Action Team (PAT) has been putting on the plant sale as a fundraiser. This year Valerie Johnson, ACA teacher and parent is in charge of the sale. The money that is raised is used by the PAT for their projects. This year 30 percent of the funds will be for the … Continue reading ACA Plant Sale
By Miriam Lee The Charter News – 4/10/19 Student class schedules for 2019-2020 will be out this May, and high schoolers may be anticipating the new Chemistry class. The question is, which lucky sixteen students will be accepted into the class? Although Chemistry has been offered in the past, for middle schoolers and once for high schoolers, it hasn’t been an ongoing class at ACA … Continue reading Chemistry Class Sparks Reaction
By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 4/5/19 The Poetree has been given new “life” and decoration through Hercules, a taxidermied squirrel whose purpose is to get more students of all ages interested in the writing poems. The squirrel was placed on the poetree, which is just outside room 210 in the main hallway, around a month ago, and his purpose is to intrigue students … Continue reading Hercules Livens Up the Poetree
By Sydney Starr The Charter News – 4/10/19 On April 19th and 20th, ACA Junior Rachel Modlin will be performing with the Ten Grands piano concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Families can sign up at the welcome desk to reserve their seats for the show. Modlin’s Journey to Ten Grands Modlin explains her piano history: “I started when I was six with a … Continue reading ACA Student to Play At Ten Grands
Three New Lunch and Learns By Rachel Shulikov The Charter News – 3/18/2019 Aside from Monday Science Lunch and Learn, ACA staff has started three new lunch and learns. The new Lunch and Learns started at the beginning of the second semester. The subjects will be Social Studies led by Chad Wynne, Math led by Debora Whittet, and English Language Arts (ELA) led by Sarah … Continue reading Three New Lunch & Learns
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 02/23/19 Striving to become a more eco friendly school, ACA is pushing to find new ways of recycling, reusing, and reducing. Their current goal? To keep markers out of landfill, and find a way to reuse them. Study hall teacher, Merrie Miller stumbled upon a program called ColorCycle which is facilitated by Crayola. ColorCycle is a marker … Continue reading ACA Joins Marker Recycling Organization
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 03/15/19 Parent Action Team invited, Alex Zerbe, “The Zaniac,” to perform and entertain at an assembly. The Zaniac is comedian, juggler, magician, and educator. He first stepped into fame when he attended America’s Got Talent, back in season two. He now has his own shows and assemblies at schools and festivals. On Wednesday, March 6th, The Zaniac had … Continue reading The Zaniac Shakes Things Up
By Miriam Lee The Charter News — 3/8/19 As you may have noticed, Alliance Charter Academy has a new playground and it’s ready for play. The previous playground was burned down, and authorities say it was arson. See “Arsonist Burns Down Our Playground” by Rylie Young for more details. An estimated $15,000 worth of equipment was lost in the fire, according to Young’s story, and … Continue reading Welcome New Playground
By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 2/22/19 From the wide taste of literature to the smell of pizza and popcorn, readers and watchers alike seemed to have fun at this ACA event called “The Evening of the Spoken Word.” The library was filled with event goers, and the readings showed it with a wide variety of poems, writings, and excerpts being read including the … Continue reading The Evening of the Spoken Word
By: Alyssa DiLoreto Science tends to be a complicated subject and class time can’t always cover all the content. At ACA, some of the teachers noticed students struggling in their classes. That’s why the Monday Lunch and Learn was created. The Monday Lunch and Learn is in room 207 (the science room) from 12-12:30pm. The teachers Ann Heppner and Denise Monte are in the room … Continue reading The Monday Lunch and Learn
By Evalina Shulikov The Charter News Briefs- 2/25/2019 Besides being a math teacher at ACA, Mr. Toth enjoys crabbing. Mr. Toth thinks crabbing is “fun and easy.” His dream is to go to the coast, catch crabs, oysters and make tacos. Some of the places Mr. Toth goes crabbing to are Tillamook Bay, Netarts Bay and Astoria. His family usually goes crabbing at bays because … Continue reading Mr. Toth’s Hobby: Crabbing
By Sydney Starr The Charter News – 2/27/19 The first draft of the 2019 – 2020 class schedule has been sent out to teachers just over a month earlier than last year. This means the final draft is on track to be released to students and families almost a month sooner than last year. Diana Brainerd, lead ES, associate director, and member of the administrative … Continue reading 2019 – 2020 Class Schedule is Expected To Be Released Early
The Charter News – 2/5/2019 Rachel Shulikov In December, during the winter break, several students, with supervision of adults, redecorated a part of both bathrooms on the upstairs floor. One of the students that helped redo the bathrooms, Paige Stickney said, “We repainted the doors to help bring a more positive attitude to ACA and give students something positive to look at after the break.” … Continue reading Bathroom redo
By: Hailey Fox The Charter Features – 1/30/19 On Friday February first in the school gym will be the winter formal or Snow Ball. Grades 9-12th should are allowed to join in on the dancing from seven to ten at night. It costs eight dollars if you get a ticket at the study hall and ten dollars at the door. All guests must fill out … Continue reading The Snow Ball is Here!
By Sydney Starr The Charter News Feature – 01/24/19 Like many of us, you may have boxes of cast off books sitting in your garage collecting dust (and mold), from your KonMari tidying frenzy. You’ve been meaning to donate them for months, but you have no idea how to go about it. Thankfully Jennifer Hitchcock, ACA’s librarian, sat down and explained how you should donate … Continue reading How to Donate to ACA’s Library
By Hailey Fox Charter Newsroom – 11/14/2018 Last year when the students at ACA took the science OAKS test, the 11th graders fell short of the district by 0.2 percent. According to administration, the charter by ACA has a clause that states ACA will always exceed the OCSD (Oregon City School District) in state testing scores. Since the scores were lower compared to OCSD’s scores, … Continue reading ACA’s Testing Scores
By: Alyssa DiLoreto After we said goodbye to ACA’s guitar/ukulele teacher, a new one came in and taught/prepared the classes for the Winter Concert. When the previous guitar teacher left, it took ACA a while to find someone to replace him. Within a few weeks they found Brady Heinsoo, who was willing to step in. “My little sister Hallie goes here.” Says Mr Heinsoo, “She … Continue reading New Long Term Guitar Substitute
By Evalina Shulikov The Charter News- 11/15/18 Did you know that our school actually has a mascot? Have you ever wondered what our school mascot is? Well, our school mascot is an eagle! We have a big banner in the gym with our mascot on it. “I like the eagle because it’s a symbol of strength and majesty and that’s encouraging to me.” said Kristen … Continue reading School Mascot
By Miriam Lee The Charter News – 11/16/18 New students, new staff, a new school? A district-wide bond proposal has been approved by voters. As a result, ACA along with other schools in the district, will be undergoing modifications, which should be complete within the next five years. “The updated plumbing and the HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air conditioning] system will be awesome—we might feel … Continue reading Voters Approve
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 11/16/18 Alliance Charter Academy launched a new and improved official website. The website is live and constantly being updated to display current and relevant information about our school and the upcoming events, that prospective and attending families need to know. This look, which was launched on October 30th, is a welcomed update from the previous design that was … Continue reading ACA launched a new website design
By Matthias Armstrong The Charter News – 11/09/18 A new Spanish speaking group has formed at ACA, and its goal is to build a learning Spanish speaking community within ACA. Starting every Tuesday, at lunch, the new spanish group will be meeting in the speech room to converse and learn new things, for instance grammar and vocabulary in Spanish. People already in the group have … Continue reading New Spanish Speaking Group
By Sydney Starr The Charter News – 11/14/18 An Alliance Charter Academy (ACA) student has created a new action group, the Positive Impact Team. This group is focused on making the school more environmentally friendly and positive for students and families. Team Information and Goals The team will be having meetings every other week on Tuesdays during lunch, the location is to be determined. Rylie … Continue reading ACA’s New Positive Impact Team
By Evalina Shulikov The Charter News- 11/14/18 Looking for a good place to study? This year our school has a family study hall. It is located downstairs, the room next to the preschool classroom. It is the perfect place for students and parents to study and do their homework. It is available Monday-Thursday from 9:00-12:00 in the morning. According to parents and students that … Continue reading Family Study Hall
By MacKenzie Waterman Usually Alliance Charter Academy has an extensive wait list, but since many students left last year we were able to get through the entire waitlist and still have fourteen spots open. “I just find it interesting that we’ve had a higher turnover than normal.” said Seanna Bloemer, ACA’s Director and a former ES. The school can’t deny access to anyone but, they … Continue reading Student Turnover
By Rylie Young The Charter News – 10/31/18 This school year, ACA has undergone major staff changes with staff leaving and new staff joining. Last year’s counselor, Megan Coggins, left to spend time with her new baby. In her place, this year is Mark Silverman. Mark Silverman, ACA’s new counselor, states “I really value diversity and inclusive environments where people regardless of where they come … Continue reading Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Welcome Mark Silverman.
By Matthias Armstrong For almost a year ACA has been helping with The Father’s Heart Street Ministry to tackle the problem of homelessness and people in need around Oregon City, but our contributions and involvement are just beginning. Many people at ACA are unaware of our involvement with the Father’s Heart Street Ministry but this amazing story and cause deserves the attention of … Continue reading ACA and The Father’s Heart Ministry
By Rachel Shulikov Since Jill Mohr stepped down from her part-time lead teacher position a couple months ago, we’re well into this school year with Julie Swanson as our new lead teacher. Swanson qualified for the job and is now ACA’s new lead teacher. Swanson started off as a teacher, she taught high school Language Arts and also was an ES. When she heard about … Continue reading Julie Swanson’s New Position
Sydney Starr The Charter News In June 2019, Chad Wynne, ACA’s Social Sciences department head, will be leading a small group of two students and one mom, on an educational tour through Spain and France. This tour group is unusually small, Wynne says “We are a very small group, and so it’s just me, two students, and one of those student’s mom’s. I was hoping … Continue reading EF Educational Tour to Spain and France
By Hailey Fox The Drama Club at ACA has done many plays, some original, and some classics. This year, they will be performing The Tempest, a play written by William Shakespeare. There are a lot of students in the play this year, Liberty Cox is one of those students. Cox plays Miranda, the main character’s daughter. According to Cox, “My Boo” is Ian Sofich. He … Continue reading ACA’s Next Drama Club Performance
By: MIRIAM LEE 10/24/18 ACA’s annual Harvest Dance—previously organized by parents—has been taken over by the students. Get ready for a night of music, dancing, treats, and spooky decorations. The ACA newsletter states that this year’s dance will be held in the ACA cafeteria from 7:00-10:00pm, on October 26th. According to Hallie McMillan, one of the student organizers, grades 7th-12th can pre-order tickets for $5 … Continue reading Harvest Dance 2018
By Alyssa DiLoreto – 10/24/18 Portland is long overdue for a large earthquake but if the Bucks for Buckets fundraiser does it’s job, ACA will be better prepared if and when the “big one” strikes. Earthquakes and other natural disasters have hurt so many people, and broken so many lives due to unpreparedness. This year, Oregon City School District is working on being prepared for … Continue reading Bucks For Buckets
By Mackenzie Waterman Note: Author has familial connections to the subject of the story. Owning a bookstore has always been a dream that Megan and Paul Waterman shared. In December of 2017, their dream came true, they opened “The Book Nook”. The name comes from a quote from Longfellow. “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks. And all the sweet serenity of Books.” Megan and … Continue reading The Book Nook
By Sydney Starr The Charter News As the 2018-2019 school year starts for families at Alliance Charter Academy (ACA) there will be one less familiar face there, Kim Kruger, The Curriculum Manager, has left her job. Karen Downing, who worked with Kruger as the Curriculum Assistant, has now transitioned to working full time as the new Curriculum Manager. In addition, ACA has hired a parent, … Continue reading Kim Kruger Leaves ACA
By RYLIE YOUNG – 08/03/18 On August 13th, at approximately 2 am, the Oregon City Police Department and Clackamas Fire arrived at Park Place Elementary to find the school’s playground engulfed in flames. The fire was contained and put out quickly. However, it wasn’t before an estimated $15,000 worth of playground equipment was burned, along with two picnic benches. After further investigation, the authorities discovered … Continue reading Arsonist Burns Down Our Playground
by: Rachel Shulikov There is a staff member, a teacher, an ES, that not everyone knows, because she was doing something that not everyone knew about. Her name is Denise Dille. Dille was born in Oregon, then she moved to Arizona, and lived there for eight years, until she moved back to Oregon. She likes dogs and cats. She got married to her high school … Continue reading Who is Denise Dille?
By: MIRIAM LEE 10/03/18 Suzanne Edwards is taking over all the choirs, piano and marimba. Valerie Johnson is teaching drums and creativity. — Seanna Bloemer, ACA Director Alliance Charter Academy (ACA) has lost their multi-talented music teacher. Students are at a loss, missing their beloved teacher, but also missing their friend. Margie Phillips, former instructor at ACA, now works full-time at Elmonica Elementary School … Continue reading Farewell, Phillips
By Matthias Armstrong A change sweeps across ACA classrooms and it comes in the form of the late policy, and so far it has met favorable reviews. Not all classes have had major changes but a few have embraced a new policy and students and teachers are already seeing the difference. Teachers this year have reworked and reworded their late policies to better convey their … Continue reading Late Policy Reform
By: Hailey Fox – 10/03/18 If you’ve been at this school for a few years, you might know that bug control at ACA has been a problem, from the wasps that invaded the boys bathroom to the ladybug nests in the ceiling of the gym. Unlike those problems, yellow jackets aren’t a big threat as long as you are careful. If you were around last … Continue reading Yellow Jackets at ACA
By: Evalina Shulikov A new Educational Specialist and teacher just joined the team at ACA this year! Marcus Yonce is a quiet and independent person who has a love for writing. He has experience with vast cultures which will be beneficial to our diverse school. Mr. Yonce went to a university in Seattle and got a four year degree for accounting, but realized he didn’t … Continue reading Marcus Yonce
By Alyssa DiLoreto Meet Seanna Seanna Bloemer is not just the new director of ACA, she’s also a friend, wife and mother of two ACA graduates. Her favorite pastimes are hiking and reading. Bloemer has been working at our school for twelve years, and an Education Specialist (ES) for eleven years before her new position. She absolutely adores helping, guiding and working with her students … Continue reading New Director: Seanna Bloemer
For the 2nd Semester of the 2017-2018 school year, much time and effort was spent toward gathering elements for feature story packages and designing spreads with InDesign. Here are the three newspapers we produced: First Print Edition 2nd Print Edition spreads 3rd Print Edition Continue reading The Charter Newspapers – Print PDFs
By Kenzie Waterman As this school year is coming to the end, unfortunately so is some of our staff’s time here. Vicki Nelson and Nic Chapin are leaving the school and will not be returning next year. Vicki Nelson is the Compliance Officer at Alliance Charter Academy, since September of 2011. “As Registrar and Compliance Officer, I maintain the staff and student database and am … Continue reading Director takes new job, Compliance Officer retires
By RYLIE YOUNG – 05/02/18 Join the dark side and turn off the lights! This year’s Contemporary World Issues class is small with only eight Freshman/Sophomore students, but they are making a difference. The class is trying to promote the use of natural lights within your school. The class believes our school waste an excessive amount of artificial light, and if we relied more on … Continue reading Come to the Dark Side – CWI Saving Money, One Bulb At a Time.
By Colin Hughes It was announced that Nintendo was striking a deal with Illumination Studios, the company behind Despicable Me and the Secret Life of Pets, on January of 2018, to make a Mario Movie. The release date has yet to be determined, though. The last time there was a movie about Mario was when Super Mario Bros. starring Bob Hopkins and John Leguizamo was … Continue reading Mario’s return to the theaters
By Luke Burton, The Charter News As our seniors move on to bigger and better things we come together to celebrate at graduation. This year, graduation is at Jackson Campus on June 2nd, at 6:00pm. During the graduation ceremony the graduates have each asked a teacher or parent to hand them their diploma and give up to a one minute speech. These speeches usually include … Continue reading Alliance Charter Academy’s 2018 Graduation Ceremony
By Victor Heimbigner OBOB for the ACA will not be the same next year. What it looks like for the 3-5th grade is undecided and will be determined this summer by the ACA board. The reason it is undecided is because there is controversy about the book “George”. Alex Gino is a author who wrote a book named “George”, a transgender kid at the age … Continue reading OBOB 3-5th grade 2018-19
BY CONSTANTINE VANSICKLE Alliance Charter Academy’s very own Destination Imagination (DI) team is heading to globals! Advancing to globals is a huge achievement for such a small team and they are looking forward to representing the State of Oregon at the Global competition at the University of Tennessee on May 23rd through May 27th. But going to globals also has a financial toll. That’s why … Continue reading Destination: Globals
By, Elizabeth Tarsia As you all might have noticed state testing might have seemed shorter from previous years. Well some changes have been made to the tests themselves and to the prep needed for certain subjects. Before this last testing session there were lessons that needed to be taught previous to taking state tests. Those lessons have been taken away and the test consists of … Continue reading Possible changes to testing weeks
By Colin Hughes If you just came home from the grocery store with a head of romaine lettuce, you’d better get rid of it. There’s an outbreak of E. coli causing almost 150 people to fall sick in 29 states where people eat romaine lettuce. A subsequent study between March 13th and April 25th of 2018 showed that romaine lettuce may be contaminated with E. … Continue reading Recalled Romaine
