Four Harding students-athletes are among the preseason contenders for the WKBN Big 22.
They are Rai’twan Hill, Matt Richardson, James Jones and Zay’vion Smith.
This year marks the 20th season for the WKBN Big 22 high school football award.
At the end of the season, 22 of the best high school players from the 57 local teams are recognized. They are chosen by the head coaches and members of the local media.
Learn more about each contender:
A board meeting will take place Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:00p.m. The meeting will be held on the second floor of the Warren G. Harding Student Recreation and Wellness Center, 860 Elm Rd. NE, Warren, OH 44483. This meeting is open to the public. Click the link below to view the live stream.
Closed Captioning is auto generated and not considered official record.
Public participation (via email in advance) will be considered at wcsboard.participation@warrencityschools.org, questions, comments and concerns must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. the day prior to the meeting. Submission must include name and address.
This Year’s Nomination Deadline Is Nov. 15
WARREN – The Board of Directors of the Warren City Schools’ Foundation and the Committee of the Warren High Schools’ Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame is accepting nominations for the Class of 2026.
“Outstanding graduates” will be inducted at the 34th Annual Awards Dinner in Spring 2026 at Warren G. Harding High School. The nomination deadline is Nov. 15.
The honorees will be those graduates who have made significant contributions in their fields, as well as society, the state or on a global scale. Each nominee must be a graduate of one of the three Warren public high schools: Warren High School, Warren G. Harding High School or Warren Western Reserve High School.
Anyone who knows a well-qualified or deserving graduate who has been out of high school for at least 12 years may fill out a nomination form available at the Board of Education Office.
To nominate an outstanding graduate:
Warren City Schools, in collaboration with the United Way of Trumbull County, will host the district’s first Rooftop Rally on Friday, Sept. 26, at the Student Recreation and Wellness Center.
The rootop will give spectators the best seat in the house when the Harding Raiders host Erie McDowell. The $25 ticket includes pre-game tailgate food and beverage provided by AVI Foodsystems starting at 6 p.m., and game entry. All proceeds will go to support Warren’s Raider Pantry Program.
Tickets are limited and may be purchased through Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, via this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/E0_agw?vid=1l975l.
Hundreds of students and their families flocked to the Warren City Schools Student Recreation and Wellness Center on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, to recognize students who met the district’s standards for excellent attendance in the 2024-2025 school year.
Watch the Tailgate Party Video for highlights.
The district hosted its first Attendance H.E.R.O.’s Tailgate Party prior to the
home football game as part of its 2025-2026 attendance campaign, “Attend
Today, Succeed Tomorrow!” The party, which featured bounce houses, DJs, a photo booth, food and various activities, is among several events and activities included in the district’s ongoing effort to encourage daily attendance as a lifestyle, and where needed, encourage improvements.
Every student who meets the district-wide monthly, quarterly, and/or year-long standards for excellent attendance is designated an Attendance H.E.R.O.: Here, Everyday, Ready, and On Time. Students can earn a monthly H.E.R.O. designation by missing no more than one day and by having
no more than one tardy in a month. The district is asking the community to help reinforce this expectation and encourage all students to not only be an Attendance H.E.R.O., but to also support the Attend Today, Succeed Tomorrow! campaign.
“The ‘Attend Today, Succeed Tomorrow’ slogan was selected because we know that success in general, and academic success in particular starts with showing up,” explained Dante Capers, Associate Superintendent, Student Services, Student Wellness and Success.
“We’ve been building on our efforts to improve attendance over the years, and this year we are working to increase awareness and engagement outside of our school buildings. We know that attendance is key to
early reading proficiency, and we must ensure that our families and stakeholders understand that as well.”
To explain it further, nationally, students are 6.7 times more likely to not read at their grade level if they are chronically absent. In contrast, they are 9 times more likely to graduate on time if they have never been chronically absent.
Capers said the school district has realized the positive impacts of encouraging family and community involvement. He added that higher rates of chronic absenteeism has been an issue among many school districts nationally since the pandemic.
Last year, more than 900 Warren City Schools students met the district’s excellent attendance milestone.
