Month: September 2022

Warren City Schools students gained first-hand career experience Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, at the Mahoning Valley Skilled Trades Expo.

They joined dozens of their peers from across Trumbull County who had multiple opportunities to explore a variety of trades, including bricklaying, carpentry, pipefitting, sheet metal fabrication, and many others.

The two-day event reaches thousands of students across six counties to showcase the opportunities going into a skilled trade presented to graduates.

Harding senior Devin Richards Jr. said the experience gave him an increased awareness of career choices and opportunities available, along with a better understanding of what is required for working in different trades.

“It really lets you see that you have choices,” he said. “It gives you a chance to to try something and see if you might want to get into it a little more, give it a chance and see if it’s a good fit for you.

Organizers the annual trades fair, held in Mahoning County at the Canfield Fairgrounds each year, gives students a memorable experience while offering them opportunities to consider.

Students ranging from 7th to 12th grade participated this year.

Visits Warren City Schools

Leading social-emotional learning expert and nationally recognized veteran teacher, author and speaker R. Keeth Matheny spent some time inside Warren City Schools on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, meeting with teachers and administrators as  part of the district’s long standing commitment to addressing the social, emotional and academic needs of all students.

Matheny, who spoke during morning and afternoons sessions, emphasized using SEL skills to increase engagement in teaching practices and relationship building strategies.

Matheny is the author of the new book “ExSELent Teaching” released earlier this year. He was the 2021 CASEL SELLY award winner as the Mary Utne O’Brien Award Recipient for excellence in advancing research and evidence-based SEL practices. He was also a 2015 winner of the Crystal Star Award for Excellence in supporting student success from the National Dropout Prevention Center. He was a member of the Aspen Institute’s Social Emotional and Academic Development (SEAD) Council of Distinguished Educators and contributed to their A Nation at Hope report.

A passionate and dedicated former classroom teacher with over 25 years of experience, Matheny created and taught an innovative social and emotional learning freshman seminar that had more than 400 educator visits from across the U.S. and abroad. The seminar was featured in an article in The Atlantic and has now spread to many more schools and districts. One of his former students, who went from “at risk” to Ivy League, recently did a Ted talk and referenced the class he teaches.

Matheny is a co-author of School-Connect, a research and evidence-based social and emotional learning curriculum now in more than 2,000 secondary schools. He is a frequent and engaging public speaker and keynote on SEL, emotional intelligence, and multi-tiered systems of student and staff supports. He was the keynote for 12 educational conferences in the past five years. His work and the schools he worked with have been frequently featured in national webinars, magazine articles, and journals of best practices.

Warren G. Harding High School’s Zyaire Bush has been named a College Board National Recognition Program awardee.

Zyaire, a senior at Harding, earned the College Board National African American Recognition Award based on his academic achievements and excellence, along with his outstanding performance on his college-board assessments.

The National Recognition Program grants students with academic honors that can be included on college and scholarship applications and connect students with universities across the country, helping them meaningfully connect to colleges and stand out during the admissions process.

Students who receive this award are required to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT or PSAT. Zyaire maintains a 3.889 GPA, while also working at a local eatery every afternoon.

“I have tremendous support at school and at home,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to any of this without my family. They’re behind me all the way.”

Zyaire had no idea whether he would receive an award when he applied. He knew he qualified based on his GPA.

“But I had no idea how many people would apply or anything,” he said. “I’m just really glad and grateful I got this.” He is hoping it will give him an edge on his college applications. Zyaire plans to attend a state college and study server administration, working in IT infrastructure.

There will be no school for students on Wednesday, September 21, 2022. WCS employees will be participating in ongoing professional development and training essential to supporting student learning and success.

School will resume Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, and all students and staff will follow their regular schedules.