IN North Allegheny Spring 2016 | Page 73

For more information please visit: athletictrainers.org. About NATA:  National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) – Health Care for Life & Sport Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association represents and supports 39,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit nata.org. NASD Tops Multiple Lists in the 2016 Niche Rankings The North Allegheny School District was ranked as the 7th Best School District in America by the 2016 Niche K-12 National Rankings- up from #9 in last year’s rankings. Niche is a company founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University students and was originally known as College Prowler. It is dedicated to gathering data and insights from millions of experts for the purpose of providing students, families and professionals with best-in-class information to help them make significant life decisions. Niche’s annual K-12 national rankings provide a comprehensive assessment of the overall experience of a school district, taking into account key factors such as the strength of academics, quality of teachers, school resources, the quality of student life, and reviews from students and parents. At the time of calculation, Niche’s database contained records for 12,153 school districts. North Allegheny was the only school district in Western Pennsylvania to be ranked in the top 45 of the national Best School Districts list. The District also ranked in the top 10 nationally in subcategories for Best Sports (#6) and Best Teachers (#7). When evaluating the approximately 140 districts in the Pittsburgh metro area, North Allegheny secured the #1 ranking in the following categories: Best School Districts, Best Places to Teach, Best Academics, Best Teachers, Best Extracurriculars, College Readiness, Best Sports and Best Food. NA Senior High School Selected as a 2016 GRAMMY Signature School Semifinalist North Allegheny Senior High School has been selected as a 2016 GRAMMY Signature School semifinalist.  High schools from across the country were polled for the selection process and only 119 (less than 1%) were chosen for this honor. Created in 1998, the GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top U.S. public high schools that are making an outstanding commitment to music education during an academic school year. The selection process for GRAMMY Signature Schools begins each year in August when the GRAMMY Foundation mails notification to public high schools from districts large and small, urban, suburban and rural, requesting information about each school’s music program. Applications are completed and submitted online in October. In mid-March 2016, the GRAMMY Foundation will announce the finalists for the GRAMMY Signature Schools program. These schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant ranging from $1,000 up to $6,000 to benefit their music program. More information about the GRAMMY Signature Schools program can be found at the following website: grammyintheschools.com. North Allegheny | Spring 2016 | icmags.com 71 N OR TH AL L E GHE NY SC HOOL DI STRI C T NE WS Criteria to achieve Safe Sport School status includes: • Creating a positive athletic health care administrative system • Providing or coordinating pre-participation physical examinations • Promoting safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities • Planning for selection, fit function and proper maintenance of athletic equipment • Providing a permanent, appropriately equipped area to evaluate and treat injured athletes • Developing injury and illness prevention strategies, including protocols for environmental conditions • Providing or facilitating injury intervention • Creating and rehearsing a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan • Providing or facilitating psychosocial consultation and nutritional counseling/education • Ensuring that athletes and parents are educated about the potential benefits and risks in sports as well as their responsibilities North Allegheny Ranks as 7th Best District in the Nation Nor th Allegheny recognizes secondary schools that provide safe enviro