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ACES program
off to a great start this year
GREENVILLE – The ACES Program (Achievement Center for Educational
Success) finished up the first nine weeks of class on October 25.
There have been 35 students enrolled from five Darke County school
districts; Ansonia, Arcanum-Butler, Mississinawa Valley, Tri-Village
and Versailles since the beginning of the school year.
Jeff Vaughn the program director said, “We are also proud to announce
the following students on the ACES Honor Roll: “A/B”: Damien Dickey
from Ansonia, Clay Heins, Dillon Stamper and Dylan Hinch from Arcanum,
Brandon Burger from Mississinawa Valley, Ashley Banis, Katherine Banis
and Steve Tankersley from Tri-Village. “B”: Erika McNally from
Mississinawa Valley.” These students are working diligently and
are determined to get their diplomas.”
The ACES Program is a collaborative effort involving Council on Rural
Services; Gateway Youth Programs, the Darke County Educational Service
Center and Darke County schools. ACES is an alternative education
program for students in Darke County school districts in grades 9-12
who are credit deficient or not being successful in the traditional
school setting. Students must be referred to ACES by their home
school principal.
Coursework is provided by ACES in a classroom setting under the
guidance of a certified intervention specialist and teaching
assistant. The program approach is that students can be
successful if the environment is conducive to their learning
style. Social skills and behavioral counseling are also
offered to all students enrolled, by Robb Fulker, Gateway Youth
Advocate. The overall goal of ACES is to have students achieve academic
success and graduate with a high school diploma.
This school year, ACES has added a food/nutrition course that is being
taught by Tracy Wheeler, OSU Extension Office. The course helps
teach the students the importance of healthy eating and choices. This
course gives nineteen (19) of the students the opportunity to get in
the kitchen and learn how to cook healthy dishes.
Thanks to a grant from the Ami McClurkin Community Fund which is
administered through the HOPE Foundation, ACES is able to provide two
art classes per week to the interested students. The art classes
are taught by Christina Cox and give students the chance to express
themselves through drawing, sculpture, and other hands-on art
projects. There are 16 students currently enrolled in the art
course.
On October 14th and 21st, the students went on field trips to Camp Yale
in Winchester, IN. Camp Yale provided a great learning experience
in the areas of leadership, team building, trust and problem
solving. The students participated in team building challenges,
rock wall climbing and the rush of taking a plunge off a 60 foot zip
line. These field trips were made possible by the Harry D.
Stephens Memorial Fund.
Council on Rural Services works closely with the Darke County Education
Service Center and the local school districts to ensure every student
receives the needed instruction to succeed in school and move forward
towards a positive future in their life. For more
information about the ACES program call Jeff Vaughn, program
coordinator at 937-548-8002 or check the web site at
www.councilonruralservices.org. The Achievement Center for
Education Success (ACES) and Gateway Youth are programs of Council on
Rural Services … programs for innovative learning.
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