Addison Scott is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover American Leadership Academy Gilbert-North for AZPreps365.com

PHOENIX – American Leadership Academy Gilbert-North is striving to build a strong culture built around its core values. 

ALA Gilbert-North prides itself on its leadership and RAISE values. The acronym stands for: respect, accountability, integrity, service and excellence. 

These principles are actively integrated within the classroom and within its athletic departments according to the schools website. These principles are the standards for what their students should be meeting. 

“Our values build into our culture,” athletic director Matt Coleman said. “Our culture is really what we are ultimately creating. We don’t want it to be a thing on the wall for them. We want them to live it.”

 ALA Gilbert-North prepares its students for the real world by applying the RAISE acronyms into their everyday lives. It teaches students to hold themselves accountable, how to serve others in their community and how to be excellent as a human being. 

“When they graduate from high school, they go to college or if they go into something where they don’t go to college and it’s just a full-time job,”Coleman said. “ That part of the DNA of who they are as a human being was formulated not only at home with their family, but at their school and specifically in their athletic program.”

New boys volleyball head coach Troy Kates has picked up on and implements RAISE values within his coaching techniques. 

“I think we do things the right way in terms of sportsmanship,” Kates said. “I think we approach the game properly. We respect our opponents and we play hard. We also follow the rules accordingly.” 

During a match between the Eagles and Canyon View, the head referee missed a play and gave the point to ALA. However, the team made sure Canyon View got their point despite what the ref said. 

“Our integrity, to make the right call like we did today,” senior outside hitter Tate Willis said. “We called it out of the antenna and the refs called it in. We could have gotten the point easily but we had integrity and chose to do the right thing.” 

However, off of the court, coaches are able to keep their athlete accountable when it comes to the classroom and grades. Athletes are required to maintain a specific GPA as well as not be actively failing a class. 

Coaches have the ability to also look at tardies students may have gotten throughout the weeks and have conversations with the student to help keep them on track. 

Other groups on campus have done several service projects on and off campus. 

One team took a weekend to help a community member who needed help with refreshing their home on the outside and painting on the inside, Coleman said. The coaches at ALA will also find opportunities outside of their practice times to serve members in their community. 

“When I got to ALA, it was not just something that they put up on their website or their walls,”Coleman said. “They actually live it.”