Standing up and giving back to the community takes a big heart with a strong will. Someone like Nicholas Allison knows this all too well. Serving Valparaiso Community Schools as the Director of Secondary Education, Allison has a history of paying it forward and working with others to create a brighter future.
“The thing I love most about my job is that I work with high-level professionals who all have specific skills that complement each other,” Allison said. “With the partnerships I have established with the talented people I work with and around the City of Valparaiso, it truly feels like everybody is working together for the good of the community.”
Allison primarily works on student curriculum and instruction, and assessment practices and technology. Prior to his current role, Allison was a math teacher at Valparaiso High School for eight years before becoming the Assistant Principal. Shortly after, he was given the opportunity to move into the District office and into his current position.
Allison graduated from Ball State University with bachelor’s degrees in architecture and science, with a minor in landscape architecture. Before entering the field of education, he worked as an architect for Calvary Church of Valparaiso. He obtained a Transition to Teaching license through Indiana Wesleyan University, and then pursued a master’s degree in curriculum. He is finishing up his Education Specialist degree.
“I’ve been blessed with the skills and opportunities given to me,” Allison said. “I’ve also had several people throughout the years who supported and encouraged me to pursue my aspirations, and I am grateful for all of the mentors I have had in every phase of my life.”
Allison’s desire to serve communities has even taken him outside of the country. Working for a nonprofit organization called Engineering Ministries International, he traveled to the southern tip of Lake Victoria to the city of Mwanza in the East African country of Tanzania to help build an orphanage and school.
“That project combined a lot of what I knew about education as well as my passion to serve others,” Allison said. “It was an interesting experience that really demonstrated the strength of cooperation. It was an intricate and complicated process but we had many different kinds of architects, engineers, and teachers working together.”
According to Allison, this experience reminded me of the importance of teamwork, and he has carried this mentality since. This sense of strong communication skills and cooperation has permeated both his professional and personal life.
Allison’s time working with young people and various youth groups propelled him into the realm of teaching, and ultimately laid the groundwork for who he is today. Even after all of these years, he is still compelled to help those in the community, much like how he did in Africa years ago.
“What I celebrate the most about my position is that we do everything together and in service for the good of our students and our community,” Allison said. “All of my life experiences have taught me that teamwork is essential. You’ll get a richer and more satisfying result when working through the lens of a team filled with wonderful people.”
Allison has been married to the love of his life Serena, a local nurse, for 15 years. They have four children: Lena, Josiah, Analiese, and Elijah.