MOUNT VERNON – Goal Digital Academy’s Mount Vernon lab was opened in August 2011 through a partnership with Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates and Knox County Job and Family Services (JFS). The original lab was manned by only one teacher, Gregg Snouffer, in a tiny room at the Mount Vernon Salvation Armory. Snouffer enrolled the youth and worked in the lab tutoring all students. In 2015, Goal had outgrown the Salvation Armory and began talking with Knox County JFS and community member Mark Ramser, who assisted in Goal’s move to the Escape Zone in 2016.
The Escape Zone was created out of the old vacant armory at 1 Mansfield Ave., which had stood vacant for years. Goal Digital Academy offered K-12 classes at the Escape Zone, as well as partnering with many different agencies in the building. Goal offered live tutoring and state-mandated testing in the building but ran into difficulty maintaining a secure internet connection for state testing in the Escape Zone. So, again, Ramser set out to help Goal Digital Academy to find a new space.
The end result of the search brought the Mount Vernon lab to its current location as a full-service live learning lab. This location, at 781 Fairgrounds Road, Mount Vernon, opened in 2017. Goal has grown over the years, and now employs four full-time staff as well as other staff who work several days on-site. In fact, Snouffer still teaches US History at the learning lab.
Mount Vernon’s learning lab staff members:
● Director of partnership and family engagement: Jessica Caughlan
● Three teachers: Stephanie Frisch, Gregg Snouffer and Matthew Alexander
● One intervention specialist: Wes Stauffer
● One school counselor: Heather Allen
● Enrollment specialist: Mendy Chard
● Educational advocate: Ryan Hontz
Mount Vernon’s Goal Digital Academy hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Parents or guardians interested in knowing more about Goal can call 419-823-9117. Enrollment can be done online at https://www.goaldigital.org/.
Goal Digital Academy serves 12 counties in Central Ohio with its seven learning labs and celebrates students’ diverse learning styles, interests and talents by going beyond academics and providing students with well-rounded opportunities to meet new people and engage in their passions. Goal offers regular family education and networking opportunities and continually works to remove family or community barriers that impact student success.
