GlenOak High School

GlenOak High School which is located in Plain Township, Stark County, in suburban Canton, Ohio, in the United States. The school derives its name from the combination of the former Glenwood and Oakwood high schools, which were merged by the district in the fall of 1975. The school has an enrollment of approximately 2300 students from grades 9-12.

The School

Plain Local recently finished construction of the new GlenOak Community Campus, a high school with a public library situated within the building. Designed by architects Perkins+Will, it incorporates an 'academy' design. Seven academies are within the school, as following:
*9th Grade Academy
*Arts and Communication Academy
*Business and Marketing Academy
*Environmental Sciences Academy
*Health Sciences Academy
*Human Services Academy
*Industrial and Engineering Academy

The Community Campus includes an incorporated public library, a video studio, a 900-seat theater with balcony, and a blackbox. It also sports two gymnasiums, the main gym and a smaller auxiliary gym, softball and baseball fields and a new multi-purpose stadium with Field Turf, named "Bob Commings Field". The stadium enhancements are being funding privately(www.HomeForTheEagles.com). Design of permanent facilities within the stadium were completed in 2008 and an outdoor learning lab is being built near the main retention pond. An adjacent property was bought by the township(Plain) to be converted to a park, and walking trails from the park will wind through the campus. Additional partnerships are being considered, including a medical center that will be arriving, and partnerships with colleges and universities.

History

When Glenwood and Oakwood were merged in 1975, neither building was large enough to house the entire student population. Students were split between the two campuses (about 10 minutes apart) under a variety of arrangements. For many years, grades 9-10 occupied the GlenOak West Campus (Glenwood), while grades 11-12 occupied the East Campus (Oakwood). In 1995, grades 10-12 were moved to the Glenwood/West campus in an effort to promote a stronger sense of community. Grade 9, along with career/vocational programs, were housed on the Oakwood/East campus, which was renamed the "GlenOak Career Center". The Glenwood campus was simply called "GlenOak High School"

Plans for a single, unified campus had been in the works since the early 1990s, though district residents were hesitant to approve of a bond issue to fund the project. A bond was finally approved in 2003, and work begun at a site ½ mile to the west of the GlenOak Career Center. The new high school opened at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year, ushering in a new era of the school's existence.

The new school's construction was part of a larger district re-alignment, involving renovation, repurposing, and/or closure of elementary and middle schools around the district. The Glenwood and Oakwood buildings were turned into middle schools under their old names, while the existing middle schools(Taft & Middlebranch) were added to the district's elementary schools.

Prior to the passage of the bond issue in 2003, Plain Local Schools had not passed an operating levy during the previous six times it had been on the ballot for district levies. Recently, Plain Local has had to develop "phases" of cost reduction, involving teaching cutbacks and wage freezes, removal of some extracurricular programs, removal of before and after care in elementary schools, and busing reductions.

Athletics

GlenOak is part of the Federal League, an athletic conference that includes the nearby schools of Austintown Fitch High, Boardman High, Jackson High, Lake High, McKinley High, North Canton Hoover High, and Perry High.

The school mascot is the Golden Eagle. This, too, represents a combination of the former Glenwood and Oakwood high school traditions. Prior to the merger of those schools in 1975, Glenwood's teams were known as the Eagles, with school colors of red and blue, while Oakwood's were the Golden Raiders, with school colors of green and gold. When the schools were merged to form GlenOak, the mascot became the Golden Eagle, while Oakwood's school colors were retained. (Similarly, the district's former junior high school teams were once known as the Taft Senators and the Middlebranch Diamonds. Those names were discontinued when the district applied the "Golden Eagle" nickname and colors to all schools in the 1980s. Taft and Middlebranch -- the latter the original high school in the district -- became elementary schools in 2006.) The boys basketball team qualified for the OHSAA Final Four in 2007 led by All-American Kosta Koufas and Ohio Coach of the Year Jack Greynolds, Jr. The football team qualified for the 2007 OHSAA Playoffs under first year coach Scott Garcia(Class of 1987).

Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

* Boys Baseball – 1995, 1996 cite web|url=http://www.yappi.com/baseball/StateChamps.html|title=Yappi Sports Baseball|accessdate=2007-02-12|author=Yappi]
* Girls Basketball – 1989 cite web|url=http://www.ohsaa.org/|title=Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site|accessdate=2006-12-31|author=OHSAA]
* Girls Cross Country – 1988 cite web|url=http://www.ohsaa.org/|title=Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site|accessdate=2006-12-31|author=OHSAA]
* Girls Swimming – 1982 cite web|url=http://www.ohssca.org/History/girlsstateteamchamps.htm|title=Ohio High School Swim Coaches' Association-Girls Swimming State Champions|accessdate=2007-03-08|author=OHSSCA]

Other athletic accomplishments

* Boys Water Polo* state champions - 1987 cite web|url=http://www.ohssca.org/Waterpolo/waterpolochamps-boys.htm|title=Ohio High School Swim Coaches' Association-Boys Water Polo State Champions|accessdate=2007-03-08|author=OHSSCA]
* Girls Water Polo state champions - 1985, 1986, 1987 cite web|url=http://www.ohssca.org/Waterpolo/Waterpolochamps-girls.htm|title=Ohio High School Swim Coaches' Association-Girls Water Polo State Champions|accessdate=2007-03-08|author=OHSSCA]

Notes and references