St. Clairsville Elementary School

My daughter is currently a sophomore in college. Let me assure the parent who worried that their child may not be able to excel due to the 'lack of funding' and the perceived 'suffering of the children down the line' that she or he does not have to worry. St C. Class of 2008 is doing quite well at various colleges- Ohio State, Ohio University, Pitt, West Virginia, Miami, etc. Although new buildings, and all of the bells and whistles that accompany them are nice, it is the excellent staff in our district that make the difference. I recently spoke with a graduate of The Linsly School ($10,000-$11,000 to attend each year), and she said that she wished she could've attended a school like St C. where you are able to take, and receive credit for, so many college level classes. I am happy with St. C. Schools.
--Submitted by a parent

The entire faculty is wonderful. Well suited and trained to handle children with ADHD. Very personable.
--Submitted by a parent

As an educator myself (not in this district though), I have been extremely pleased with the school overall. The Kindergarten Readiness 'Camp' that they have for two weeks before school starts was OUTSTANDING! It really helped the children get excited about starting school and it gave the parents a look into the working of the school. My child had an awesome year with a dynamic teacher. They did great units and went on several field trips that reinforced what they had learned in the units. I had plenty of opportunity to get involved with the school from being a volunteer one day to helping with parties. One minor complaint I do have is that I would like to see a school newsletter sent out from the office monthly. That would really help in letting me know what activities and events are coming up at the school.
--Submitted by a parent

St. Clairsville Elementary School excels in the two areas that every successful school does - an EXCELLENT teaching staff and OUTSTANDING parental involvement. People complain about the lack of funding (which admittedly is an outrage) but I would not send my children to any other nearby school. What they lack in funding, they more than make up for in the skills and dedication of their employees and the excellent community that the school is located in. Just take a look at the school/distrtict report card on the Department of Education web site and compare it to other schools. This is far and away the best elementary school in this area, public or private.
--Submitted by a parent

This is the only elementary school in this 'town' not counting the Catholic school. Many improvements need to be made, ie; updated textbooks, updated media center (library) inside the school...my child cannot find half of the books he would like to read..we end up going to Waldenbooks to find them! The teachers do their best with what they have but the lack of funding is ridiculous! The kids are the ones who will suffer down the line if they plan on going to college..without a great learning base it will be difficult for them to acheive anything!
--Submitted by a parent

I am very unsatisfied with St. Clairsville elementary school. Due to low funding they could not hire a new librarian. Therefore, they do not have an open library in the school! Although the children are walked to the city library once per week, I think they could have at least made an atempt at finding a volunteer librarian. I'm also concerned that there are not any programs for gifted students at the elementary level. Also, students receive only one recess per day. If your child is mischievious or even forgetful, they can be punished by losing that one break during the day. This means that your child will not have a break during a six hour period! This likely causes some children to become frustrated and unrluly, thus creating a cycle of nonconformity and punishment.
--Submitted by a parent