News: Teaching International Students in Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley - Aug 21, 2020
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Friday, August 21, 2020School Spotlights

Teaching International Students in Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley

Founded in 1826, Western Reserve Academy (WRA) is an independent, coed, boarding and day school for Grades 9–12. Located in historic Hudson, Ohio, WRA provides students with a transformative, top-ranked, college preparatory education. WRA students are immersed in a supportive community where they gain a global perspective with classmates and teachers from all over the world while also enjoying opportunities for growth outside of the classroom.

Accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, WRA delivers the U.S. Common Core curriculum. Currently enrolled are 392 students representing 34 nationalities, with 70% from the U.S. and 1% from the U.K. Most of the 65 staff members are from the U.S.

WRA’s lush, green campus features a 10-court tennis complex, baseball and softball fields for both varsity and junior varsity teams, a 3.1-mile cross country trail, and eight full-size fields for football, soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. The WRA Game Stadium comprises a turf field for football, soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse as well as Longstreth Track.

WRA’s Murdough Athletic Center (MAC) houses a 45,000-square-foot field house with a 200-meter indoor track around a rubber-surfaced practice area, available for use by all sports. In addition to locker rooms for students and visiting teams, the complex also includes two wooden-floored basketball courts, a six-lane swimming pool, a wrestling/multi-purpose room, a state-of-the-art fitness center, an athletic trainers’ room, a riflery/multi-purpose room, and snack bar/multi-purpose area.

Students in the ice hockey program have access to the Kent State University ice arena, and the golf program holds some practices and competitions at nearby country clubs.

WRA offers its students over 20 fine and performing arts courses, some of which are ceramic wheel throwing, photography, woodworking, architectural design and engineering drawing, digital design, sculpture, Academy Choir, Symphonic Winds, Prep Band, Academy String Orchestra, Stagecraft, and dance. The school’s theater program is exciting for both performers and audiences. Along with acting and movement, WRA thespians study contemporary theater and dramatic history. Students who study dramatic technology learn to support every aspect of performance, including the fundamentals of lighting, sound, and set design. Three major productions are mounted each year in the theater, which has a capacity for 400 seats as well as costume, prop, and dressing rooms. The technical booth with state-of-the-art lighting and sound consoles and a full-height fly system with 20, line sets allow for professional training and great effects!

WRA prefers to hire singles and couples, including those with a non-teaching partner. They will consider outstanding newly-certified teachers as well as experienced teachers lacking certification. Additionally, WRA has relationships with a handful of K–8 schools in the region, allowing them to hire teaching couples who may not both teach at the high school level. Candidates need not possess their academic degree in the subject they will be teaching. While certification is necessary to obtain a work visa, there is no age limit to obtain one.

Benefits include faculty housing on campus in single-family homes or apartments in the dorms. WRA contributes 10% to a retirement fund. Tuition and dining hall fees are free for the children of faculty. Also fully covered is local health insurance, which includes life, dental, and long-term disability. WRA provides professional development. Because of the low cost of living in Ohio, this benefits package amounts to some fine savings or the chance for a family of four to live on one salary. There are local employment opportunities for non-teaching partners.

To gain access to Western Reserve Academy's full profile on the Search Associates database, including a list of any vacancies, candidates can apply for membership by clicking here. Candidates already registered can easily access the school profile directly through their dashboards.

Please note: The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information may change, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the school profile.


Did You Know…?

Senior Associate Bill Turner’s international teaching career has taken him to Sudan, Italy, Qatar and the UAE as well as his home country of England. His very first teaching position was in rural Sudan.