GALION – GOAL Digital Academy made the decision to expand its reach to Crawford County in December 2005. When the lab opened up in Galion at 120 Harding Way East in January 2006, the purpose was to become not only a place of flexible learning, but go beyond academics and engage students and their families through intervention and counseling with the staff and getting connected with local resources when needed.
Currently, the Galion Learning Lab is located at 366 Portland Way and has 152 students enrolled in grades ranging from Kindergarten to 12th being served by 14 staff members. GOAL offers a blended model of online and in-person learning where students receive face-to-face adult support to help them learn, set goals and prepare for their futures.
GOAL is also a dropout prevention school that serves not just Galion, but all of Crawford County and surrounding areas for grades K-12. When a student is credit deficient, they may enroll at GOAL any time during the school year to help them get back on track.
LeRoy Smith, Assistant Principal, said GOAL’s partnerships with local organizations allows the Galion GOAL lab to be a place for resources for students and their families. “We recognize the importance families and outside support systems play in our students’ success. We currently have 13 students enrolled in the Bucyrus Backpack Program.
The program assists families with food inadequacies to help create a better learning environment for students by providing adequate, nutritious, and balanced meals for school-aged children on the weekends.” GOAL Digital Academy also works with Crawford County Job and Family Services to help meet the basic needs of students and families in order to create a better learning environment for students. K & B Laundromat provides laundry services for the homeless student population, but has gone beyond simple collaboration and has matched GOAL Digital Academy’s financial contribution to provide washing and drying services at both locations in Galion. Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation (SCAT) works with GOAL Digital Academy to help families overcome transportation barriers by providing transportation for students to come into the lab to meet with teachers and tutors, complete assignments, and complete state testing.
When there are truancy concerns, Crawford County Juvenile Courts and Probation work with GOAL Digital Academy to assist students and families by helping to provide a flexible learning schedule that meets the needs of students and families.
With the large number of students enrolled with the Galion Lab, two local churches, Grace Point Church and Saint Paul United Methodist Church, have generously allowed for the use of their space to hold orientation and state testing for students. They have also agreed for the space to be used for community engagement events for GOAL students and families.
Galion’s GOAL Digital Academy hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Parents or guardians interested in knowing more about GOAL can call 419-468-5805. Enrollment can be done online at https://www.goaldigital.org/. The Galion GOAL lab is located at 366 Portland Way, Galion, Ohio 44833.
GOAL Digital Academy serves 12 counties in Central Ohio with its 7 Learning Labs, and celebrates students’ diverse learning styles, interests and talents by going beyond academics and providing students with well-rounded opportunities to meet new people and engage in their passions. GOAL offers regular family education and networking opportunities and continually works to remove family or community barriers that impact student success.
