‘Paving the way to a brighter future:’ ACLD hosts special groundbreaking
A new chapter is starting at a local Youngstown school that’s already been helping students for over 150 years.
At ACLD School and Learning Center, students in first through eighth grades who have learning difficulties receive extra one-on-one help.
ACLD hosted a groundbreaking for a special addition to their current building East Wood Street that will allow the school to serve more students.
“We’re at capacity, and we need to expand,” said Erica Fire, executive director of ACLD. “Our kids are corwded and we need more space for not only the kids here, but also to better serve more kids in our community.”
Lauren McNally presented ACLD leaders with a commendation from the House of Representatives to mark the groundbreaking and celebrate their impact on Mahoning Valley students.
“We wish you the best of luck with all of the work you are doing,” said Rep. McNally. “Thank you for believing that our children deserve a chance of success, and that’s what you’re providing them here.”
Sandra Graves is a board member at ACLD and parent of a former student who graduated from ACLD.
Graves said her daughter struggled with completing homework, so she enrolled at ACLD.
“ACLD has been very instrumental in her education and what she’s done,” said Graves. “She started in the fourth grade...helping her learn different skills. Then she went to Mooney, and they said if the kids would come with learning skills and everything like her, they’d have a wonderful school. She was on the National Honors Society there.”
Graves said after graduating from high school, her daughter earned degrees from both Gannon University and Grand Canyon University, where she got her Master’s.
“She graduated cum laude at Grand Canyon, and at the time that she was doing all of this, where did she work? ACLD,” said Graves. “They hired her as one of their teachers.... Everywhere I go, if a student is having a problem, I tell them about ACLD.”
On the walls inside ACLD, there are three original paintings by Patricia Buckley Moss, an artist who is dyslexic.
She’s a major advocate for students like her who needed help learning in school but flourished in her passion: painting.
Moss even taught art classes herself to students at ACLD; she signed and donating the three paintings to the school, according to the school administrator.
Paving the way to a brighter future
To help further fund the expansion project at ACLD, administrators are offering the community the chance to purchase and personalize brick tiles that will be stacked together on one wall of the school.
Bricks are available starting this month through September of 2025. For more information on pricing, contact administrators at (330) 746-0604.
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