Alexander County Schools

10/30/2026

Reminder: Daylight Savings Time ends November 1! Enjoy the extra hour in your day after a very full month of October!

10/30/2026

Our Baby Cougars came to trick-or-treat, and it was quite possibly the best way to wrap up a work week!

Have a wonderful, fun, and safe weekend, students!

10/29/2026

10/28/2026

10/28/2026

Happy to our own Dr. Daigle! 🎷🎶

Our Jazz Band and Advanced Chorus pulled off the ultimate surprise performance to show their appreciation—and believe it or not, they learned this entire piece in just two days!

Watch Dr. Daigle’s reaction to this tribute below. Thank you, Dr. Daigle, for your dedication, leadership, and support for our students and school community every day!

https://youtu.be/Mr4nef_CXaA

10/28/2026

We think our Principals are amazing, but don't just take our word for it! We caught up with a few students across our district who had precious words to say to encourage their Principals!

A few more will be shared to our stories today!

10/27/2026

Happy National Mentoring Day to the Educators who pour into the Beginning Teachers across our District! "We rise by lifting others!"

10/27/2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: East Alexander Middle School achieves Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools

Hiddenite, NC, 10/23/26 — East Alexander Middle School is pleased to announce the achievement of Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools. Level 1 certification means East Alexander Middle School has created a “Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture,” which is the foundation for every level that follows. Without such a culture, student achievement will be compromised. Day-to-day school operations are addressed and evaluated in Level 1.

The high reliability school (HRS) program was created by Marzano Resources to help transform schools into organizations that take proactive steps to ensure student success. Using a research-based five-level hierarchy, along with leading and lagging indicators, educators learn to assess, monitor, and confirm the effectiveness of their schools.

This framework, based on 50 years of educational research, defines five progressive levels of performance that a school must master to become an HRS—where all students learn the content and skills they need for success in college, careers, and beyond.

"As you move through the levels, it represents a complete transformation in how schools are run,” says co-founder and chief academic officer, Dr. Robert J. Marzano.

Schools must collect data and validate their performance to climb each level of the hierarchy. Certification is determined by Marzano Resources analysts in cooperation with school data teams.
Using the HRS framework and indicators, schools can drive sustained, positive, and significant impacts on student achievement by synthesizing multiple complex initiatives into one harmonious system.

About Marzano Resources: Built on the foundation of Dr. Robert J. Marzano’s 50 years of education research, Marzano Resources supports teachers and administrators through customizable on-site professional development, educator events, virtual coaching, books, videos and online courses. Our associates and authors are thought leaders in the field of education and deliver research-backed guidance for all major areas of schooling, including curriculum development, instruction, assessment, student engagement and personalized competency-based education.

Congratulations, Mr. Swanson and your team at East Alexander Middle School (Falcons)!

10/27/2026

Collaboration across the district with student leaders and student learners=SUCCESS!

Great work, ACS students!!

10/23/2026