GlenOak High School

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GlenOak High School

School type	Public
Principal	Mark Hartman
Location	1801 Schneider St. NE Canton, OH 44721
Phone	(330) 491-2800
Enrollment	approx. 2,300
Colors	Green and Gold
Television	Eagle Television
Newspaper	The Eagle
Yearbook	Aurum
Homepage	www.plainlocal.org

GlenOak High School is the high school of the Plain Local School District 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.

1 The School
2 General
3 Athletics
- 3.1 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships
- 3.2 Other athletic accomplishments
4 Notable alumni
5 Notes and references

[edit] 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 are underway 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.

[edit] General

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.

[edit] 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 OHSAA Playoffs under first year coach Scott Garcia(Class of 1987).

[edit] Ohio High School Athletic Association State Championships

Boys Baseball – 1995, 1996 ^[1]
Girls Basketball – 1989 ^[2]
Girls Cross Country – 1988 ^[2]
Girls Swimming – 1982 ^[3]

[edit] Other athletic accomplishments

Boys Water Polo* state champions - 1987 ^[4]
Girls Water Polo state champions - 1985, 1986, 1987 ^[5]

[edit] Notable alumni

Famous alumni include:

Derek Williams - Internationally ranked sprinter (currently 3rd ranked long hurdler in the world)
Dustin Fox, current NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
Dan Dierdorf, former American football player, NFL Hall of Famer, and current television sportscaster
Joshua Jay, World Renowned Magician (Class of 1999)
Marilyn Manson, (born Brian Warner), leader of the band Marilyn Manson (Class of 1987)
Penny Dreadful of the Heavy Metal band Eternal Death Slayer
Kosta Koufos, 2007 McDonald's All-American, Ohio State University. (Class of 2007)
Matt Hoopes, Guitarist and backing vocals for the Christian Rock band Relient K
Brian Pittman, Current bassist for the metal band Inhale Exhale and former bassist for the Christian Rock band Relient K
David Hibbard, Broadway star, Currently staring as "Patsy" in Spamalot on Broadway
Mark Murphy, former American football player (Green Bay Packer Hall of Famer)
Tim Fox, former American football player