Author: shankv

Three Harding seniors were recognized Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021, at the Tribune Chronicle’s Twenty Under 20 Awards Dinner.

Casey Owsley, Anthony Payiavlas and Camryn Stewart, all 17-years-old, each lit up the platform as they accepted their awards.

Guidance Counselor Sue Mizik says that Casey “understands the value of service to others and has maintained that outlook through great personal loss.” Her family has been hit hard by COVID-19, and experienced the loss of her grandmother and cousin due to the virus. Even so, Casey has maintained a 4.2 GPA, and continues to participate in the WGH marching band and symphonic bands and several extracurricular activities.

Anthony says he likes “helping out the less fortunate, giving them hope.” He likes “being there for someone,” and feels it’s his job to help. Anthony has been captain of the boys golf and tennis teams since 2019. He is active with the Greek Orthodox Youth Association and has been a member of the National Honor Society since 8th grade. He maintains a 4.1 GPA. Harding counselor Erin Kampf-Melillo says of Anthony that he “has engaged himself in our school environment in a way that makes a difference.”

Camryn says it’s her “passion to help others who need it.” She has maintained a 3.9 GPA while taking difficult advanced placement classes and college-credit plus courses. She is active on her school’s volleyball and softball teams, and serves as manager of the girls basketball team. She has added participating with National honor Society’s Big Brother/Big Sister mentor program to her long list of commitments. WGH Englisher teacher Melissa Rentz describes Camryn as someone who “wants to see her peers succeed by helping them with their skills.”

This is the second consecutive year Warren’s Jefferson PK-8 School served as the location of Berk Enterprises clothing distribution site.

Warren-based berk donated dozens of coats, socks and other clothing items to the community. The items were distributed to various organizations, including the Warren Family Mission, on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021.

The groups arrived at Jefferson where members of the school’s staff, including Campus Leader/Principal Carrie Boyer; Mesa Morlan, special education coordinator; Heidi Cope-Barker, school improvement supervisor; and Dante Campbell, community liaison at Jefferson.

Through the past several years the Warren City Schools has partnered with Any Given Child and the Kennedy Center to bring more arts experiences for students in Kindergarten through eighth grades.  This year through Any Given Child and working with the SMARTS organization (Students Motivated by the Arts) we will continue to provide these art opportunities throughout the district.

In four classrooms students experience Beats and Empowers programming.  This allows students with special needs the opportunity to build social-emotional and fine motor skills through the arts and to make core content learning tangible through a creative process in collaboration with the teachers.

We will pilot a program called Early SMARTS  in two classrooms in Warren City School’s early childhood programs to provide a Reggio Emilia approach to learning that engages students in open-ended creative play that is supported by research on brain development in children.

The goal of bringing artists from SMARTS in to work with the teachers in order to collaborate with Warren City School teachers to adapt lessons in the WCS curriculum from a traditional instructional approach to an arts integrated instructional approach. Two PK-8 buildings will receive a visual art teaching artist, one building will receive a theater teaching artist and one a music teaching artist. 

As a district we are also utilizing a percussion-based learning program for students with developmental and behavioral challenges. This program uses hand drums and other percussion instruments to engage students by promoting academic learning, increasing musical knowledge, fostering a sense of community, and developing pride, confidence and satisfaction. Originally developed as a pilot project in 2011, SMARTS Beats centers on four goals:                 

1. Promote academic learning through unconventional/alternative techniques.
2. Increase musical knowledge, understanding, and appreciation.
3. Foster a sense of teamwork and community.
4. Develop students’ sense of pride, confidence and satisfaction.    

Warren City Schools preschool teachers will work along side Early SMARTS teachers with lessons that will engage students in visual art, music, dance, or theater, depending on the teaching artist present at the Warren City School site for Arts Integration. This aligns with our current curriculum being used in each of our Warren City Schools preschool classrooms.

In addition to our traditional programs like Art, Cooking, Yoga and Fitness, the 21^st Century After Hours program has added a few STEM-based options for students. 

Stem is Us is a program that explores Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  Dr. Sheri Cameron (formerly of Youngstown State University) uses engaging lessons to introduce students to the Scientific Method of completing tasks and solving problems. 

C.O.D.E. Warriors is a computer coding program too by computer engineer and district graduate Mr. Jeff Butts.  This program introduces students to the computer codes that enable cell phones, video games and many everyday electronic devices to operate successfully.   

Brite Energy Innovators is a company based in downtown Warren dedicated to finding safe, clean and effective ways to create and store energy.  They are teaching our students how to build batteries as well as simple machines (like mini robots) that are powered by alternative energy sources. 

The Warren G. Harding A Capella Choir has been busy preparing to carry on the tradition of spreading cheer this holiday season. 

The choir has been rehearsing just in time for holiday events and festivities.

Be sure to tune in for upcoming performances.  

The A Capella Choir will join the Concert Choir and the Madrigals during the Dec. 15 Choir Concert.

Tickets for the in-person concert will be limited due to COVID-19 social distancing protocols. However, the district is planning to livestream the concert.

Thanks to the generosity of the Nick Frankos Memorial Scholarship Fund, Warren City Schools is able to provide turkeys to families of students at each of our five schools. 

On Friday, Nov. 19, the district received 160 turkeys from the Nick Frankos Memorial Scholarship Fund to benefit our families. Each of the buildings distributed these turkeys to families in different ways. 

Warren City Schools will be offering breakfast and lunch pick up from 11 a.m. to noon at the following locations:

• Warren G. Harding H.S. (Harding Front Entrance “M”) – 860 Elm Rd.
• Jefferson School (Library Door) – 1543 Tod Ave.
• Lincoln School – (Middle School Entrance) – 2253 Atlantic St.
• McGuffey School (Delivery Entrance Side of School) – 3465 Tod Ave.
• Willard School (Rear Café Door) – 2020 Willard Ave.

Look for the yellow school bus 11 a.m. to noon at the following remote sites:

• Highland Terrace Apts. – 377 Lane Ave.
• Packard Park – 1703 Mahoning Ave.
• Renaissance Center – 1948 Palmyra Rd.
• Stone Gate Apts. – 1210 Roberts Ave.
• Warren Heights Apts. – 504 Douglas St.

Warren City Schools would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

The complete list of may be found here.

To support the mental health and well-being of the dedicated staff members who have been working through the pandemic in support of the children in the City of Warren, the Warren City School District is cancelling in-person instruction for students on Monday, Nov. 22 and Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Instead, students will engage in remote learning both days. This will allow the school district to focus on wellness-based activities and allow time for staff.

Read Superintendent Chiaro’s Full Message Here.

Students who participate in Warren City Schools’ Transition to Work program are garnering additional real world job experience while working with the district’s community partner at Goodwill.

Our Students with Disabilities are being coached by two staff members from Warren G. Harding High School.

While the district already has a variety of jobs to complete at Goodwill, this year we have expanded to provide our students the opportunity to shadow the cashiers in order to make connections with the customers. They get to experience and practice the social skills needed to work in a merchandise setting, while witnessing the complexities of the payment process as well. 

The best way to ensure that students with disabilities will be competitively employed upon graduation is to provide them with job readiness and self advocacy skills while still in high school.

We are proud of our students’ hard work and dedication to both their education as well as their commitment to their transition goals.  We look forward to the continued success of our students in our Transition to Work program for years to come!

During the 2020-2021 school year, school districts in Ohio began receiving additional state set-aside Title I funds through the Expanding Opportunities for Each Child (EOEC) grant.

The EOEC grant’s four focus areas include advanced coursework, career pathways, personalized learning, and credit recovery and academic acceleration services, providing a unique opportunity to create and expand programming for students.

At Warren G. Harding High School, EOEC grant funds have both expanded and added career pathways and services for high school students earning industry recognized credentials (IRC), including credentialing programming and assessments for students such as OSHA and RISE Up, the Career Connections Pre-Apprenticeship Program designed by the Carpenters International Training Fund (shown above), Student Leadership Excellence at grade 9, welding simulators for expanded program access, and soon-to-be CPR credential training for students. 

These opportunities are driven by the graduation requirements for the Class of 2023 and beyond that give students more flexibility in determining a pathway that best aligns to their future goals of being enrolled, employed, or enlisted.