Alan Swank is a highly qualified candidate for the Athens City School Board.
He has lived in Athens for more than 30 years. He attended graduate school at Ohio University, was a dorm RA and is a longtime loyal Bulldog and Bobcat supporter.
Both of Alan’s children attended and graduated from Athens City Schools. We first came to know Alan as an Ohio University College of Education intern in educational administration at Athens High School where he demonstrated competence in administrative skills.
This internship led Alan to a teaching position as an AHS vocational work coordinator, where he provided excellent instruction and mentoring to students.
Instead of continuing to teach, Alan chose a career in yearbook sales, leading to his current executive position with Taylor Publishing/Balfour Yearbooks. The significance of his current position is that Alan has been able to observe and work with school personnel in hundreds of schools throughout Ohio and the Midwest. He has worked with high school personnel and students as they address significant curricular and co-curricular activities.
His personal qualifications, training, teaching and coaching, in addition to being a successful business person, provide him with unique and necessary insights needed to move Athens City Schools forward in this complex and ever-changing educational world. Although the future of education is undefined, we know that it will require increased individualized training for students in technology, communication and socialization skills to survive and thrive at local, national and international levels. We know that this individualized training can only occur with increased cooperation among all educational communities to ensure that each student has opportunities to reach his/her academic potential.
Alan can provide the leadership for this institutional cooperation and as a strong supporter of career and technical education, he will represent this critical and integral component of our educational systems.
If elected to the Board, we have no doubt that Alan will continue to support programs that meet the needs of all students.
In summary, Athens City Schools needs a person like Alan Swank who has the analytical skills to identify the current and future needs of the district for all students, who has a broad perspective and innovative mindset and the energy necessary to find solutions and make needed changes. Our thanks to Alan for all of his past and current efforts related to the Athens City Schools.
In this election, we encourage you to show your support for Alan at the ballot box!
Linda Fife and Dave Liggitt are residents in The Plains.
