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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.

Students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders gathered Downtown at Courthouse Square on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, for Warren City Schools Back to School Celebration.

The WGH Raider Marching Band played and Harding Football made a grand entrance as the Harding Cheering Squad greeted the 2022 lineup along with others at the square.

“This has been wonderful for the kids, whole families,” said Amanda Masula, whose sons attend Williard PK-8 School. “We really appreciate the schools and all of the effort that has gone into doing this for the kids, all of us really.”

Each of the district’s five schools was represented along with the school board and various school departments. Children received books and other gifts, participated in a variety of activities including face painting and enjoyed refreshments.

Warren City Schools had added an additional layer of security to the district’s daily operations as part of the ongoing efforts to keep students and staff as safe as possible.

District administrators and staff spent part of an afternoon recently learning how the district’s new weapon detector technology works.

“Our goal is to provide our students and staff with the safest learning environment we possibly can,” explained Chief Academic Officer Wendy Hartzell.

The district has installed the new technology that is designed to detect weapons such as guns and knives in district buildings in time for the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Tom McDermott from CEIA USA show district leaders how the technology works and what they, as well as students, can expect upon entering district buildings.

WCS Families and School Community:

We are about one week away from the start of the 2022-2023 academic year in the Warren City Schools and everything is coming together well for us to celebrate another successful start to the school year. Spending time around the WGH campus with students participating in the freshman academy experience, marching band members perfecting their routines and our athletic programs practicing are all signs that school is about to begin.

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