News

Harding biology students recently spent some lab time solving the hypothesis of which foods contain the following macromolecules: lipids, carbohydrates and proteins. 

Students were using indicators specific to each organic molecule. They worked with specific foods such as oatmeal, juice, peanut butter, triscuit crackers, apple sauce, milk and oil. 

The students also used water as a control to see what a negative test looked like in each scenario.  This helped to show that the structure of each macromolecule (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids) has a different, and detectable, structure that dictates its function in the different foods we eat. 

Families of Warren City Schools students are invited to attend one of the meetings scheduled at their child’s school this month.

Each building will host a morning and an evening session.

Discussions will focus on academic and nonacademic support for each student and ways families can support their student’s development at home, among other topics.

Families will receive various resources and take home materials. Refreshments will be served.

Here are the dates and times for sessions at each Warren City Schools Building:

Students at Willard PK-8 School recently harvested the seeds from sunflower plants they grew over the summer.

During the 2021-2022 school year, the 5th-graders did a unit study through reading and writing on bees.

In the process, they discovered the dangers of losing bees in our world. They came up with a concept to help support the bees by planting flowers that the bees enjoyed. 

The students, with support and help from the school district’s custodial and Director of Business Operations John Lacy, planted 15 feet of sunflower on the back playground and several in the front yard.

Along with the sunflowers, they planted petunias, hibiscus and then lilies for spring. 

The students were able to take their reading, and comprehend and synthesize the issue, into hands-on, real-world problem solving for the bees, while creating an environment around our school that they could take pride in. 

The students will continue to work with application in real-world problem solving through the new science club that will be starting up at Willard this fall. 

Here are some highlights in picture form:

A’Nayasia Moore and Khalil Williams were named  Homecoming Queen and King, respectively, at the Harding Homecoming on September 24, 2022.

Members of this year’s Homecoming Court are:

• 9th Grade:  Za’Ryiah Gore and Amiere Cobb
• 10th Grade: Aundrea Cooper, Se’Anna Williams and Jacob Borsic
• 11th Grade: Del’Jaya Moore
• 12th Grade King Candidates: Tray Crowder, Isaiah Feuerwerker and Ethan O’Malley 
• 12th Grade Queen Candidates: Isabella Brant, Khyre Clinkscale, Kerrigan Riley and Sydni Strother

Here are some Homecoming Highlights in Pictures

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.

Dozens of men from across the community were on hand Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, to greet Warren City Schools students on their first day of school.

The men, and in some cases a few women, waited outside the entrances of the district’s five school buildings for students to arrive Monday morning. They clapped for the students, cheered them on, shook their hands and high fived them.

The goal is to get students excited about the school year and show a positive influence through community support.

This year’s theme was “Dress for Success” as the group asked participants to arrive at the schools “Suited & Booted” to welcome WCS scholars to school for a year of scholastic success.

The question of the morning was, “What is your why?”

Superintendent Steve Chiaro challenged the school staff gathered for the 2022 Convocation on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, to ask themselves why they “are here,” as in, why they work where they work and why they do what they do.

“For me, I am here for the students,” he said. “I believe we are all here for the students.”

Dante Capers, Associate Superintendent of Student Services, Student Wellness & Success, cited the progress the district has made while aggressively moving in the direction to meet the needs of the whole child.

He said the district has been embedded in the work of social emotional learning for a decade, but not because the state says to do so.

“But because we have long recognized a need to cultivate the skills that will help adults and students deepen their relationships with each other and the school community,” he said.

Mr. Capers reminded the staff that believing in their own abilities to have a positive impact on their students and colleagues “every single day” is crucial.

“All the resources in the world will not change the fact that what we bring to the table each and every day will be the ultimate difference maker in the experiences of our school community and our students,” he said.