Author: shankv

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Berk Enterprises Inc. and Wheatland Tube each gave Warren City Schools a corporate boost to start the 2026-2027 school year.

A team from the school district received school supply donations from the two Warren companies that were large enough to pack a conference room at the Warren City Schools Board of Education Office. The donations included notebooks, pencils, back packs and other school supplies.

The Warren City School District kicked off the 2026-2027 school year on Monday, Aug. 24, with what has now become a longstanding tradition: Greeting students at the door.

District staff – including teachers and administrators – and community leaders and volunteers met students at the school doors to encourage them, with some saying, “Have a great first day and a great year!”

Students were greeted with handshakes and high fives as community members rallied to show WCS students their support.

WARREN – In preparation for the 2026 Raider Football Season, the Warren City School District has put several protocols into place to ensure the safety and well being of all students, families, staff and community members attending games at Mollenkopf Stadium.

New this year is the district’s bag policy:

• Clear bags are permitted.
• No book bags or large purses are permitted into events. Small clutches/wristlets smaller than 4.5” x 6.5” are permitted.
• Diaper bags are permitted when carried by an adult with an infant. All items brought into the facility are subject to search and inspection. Athletic balls, toys, or other items that can be thrown or compromise safety are prohibited.

Per Athletic Director Tim Porter, “the goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. These protocols are designed to help us create a secure environment while ensuring that students, families, staff and community members can enjoy Raider football games. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and support as we work together to make Mollenkopf Stadium a safe and welcoming place for all.”

For a complete list of protocols, refer to Athletic Director Tim Porter’s Aug. 20, 2026, letter to Warren families.

Here are some key points:

• Tickets must be purchased either at the cash gate or through Hometown Ticketing prior to entering Mollenkopf Stadium.
• Students in grades 9–12 who attend an event without their families should sit in the designated student section, marked with gold paint and appropriate signage.
• Only WCS students will be permitted to enter the stadium on the Home Side and sit in the studentsection. Visiting students must enter at the Atlan
• Only WCS students will be permitted to enter the stadium on the Home Side and sit in the student section. Visiting students must enter at the Atlantic Street Visitors’ Gate and sit in the Visitors’ Stands.

Students in grades PK-8 must:

• Be accompanied by an adult;
• Report to the tent by the Paul Warfield Statue, located at the home side of the stadium, along with their accompanying adult;
• Go to the student’s school table where they must provide the student’s name and the adult’s contact information. Each person will receive a wrist band that must be worn to enter the stadium;
• Sit throughout the game with the adult(s) with whom they entered the game. If any students are repeatedly unsupervised at the game a school administrator will contact the accompanying adult and both the student and adult will be asked to leave the stadium.
• Students removed from a game will not be permitted to attend any other 2026 home football games.

Attendance was at an all-time high on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, for Warren City Schools annual Back to School Celebration at Courthouse Square in Downtown Warren.

The event, in its 14th year, drew students and families from each of the district’s five school buildings. The celebration featured games, refreshments, raffles, and performances by the Raider Marching Band and Cheerleaders.

Here are some highlights:

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Warren City Schools will once again host the district’s annual Back to School Celebration in Downtown Warren at Courthouse Square on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Students, parents, teachers and school administrators will gather to celebrate the start of another successful school year in Warren City Schools. Refreshments will be provided and the event will feature games, raffles and entertainment.

The Warren City School District’s 11th Annual Student Art Show drew at least 500 community members, students and school leaders to Warren G. Harding High School on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The event featured student artwork representing grades Kindergarten through 12, with preschool classes also participating by showcasing student artwork and offering hands‑on art activities for attendees.

In addition to the district’s visual arts programs, works from several Warren G. Harding programs were also highlighted, including:

• WSCN
• Robotics Classes
• Wood Shop
• Metal Shop
• Music Production Seniors

Warren City Mayor Doug Franklin, was in attendance and selected a piece by Aw’Unique May, a student from Lincoln,  for the Mayor’s Award. 

Warren City Schools Superintendent/CEO Steve Chiaro selected a piece by Penny Benner, a student from Willard, for the Superintendent’s Award. 

Amariah Carter, a WGH senior, was selected for the SMARTS Award, which is presented to an outstanding artist rather than for a specific piece of artwork. 

Ataylia Allen, a WGH student, received Best in Show for a ceramic sculptural piece she created. 

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WARREN – Two Warren schools – Jefferson PK-8 and McGuffey PK-8 – are being recognized by the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce as recipients of the Governor’s Momentum Award.

The award marks the first time Jefferson has received the award and the third consecutive year McGuffey is being recognized. The award is based on last year’s state report card data. Out of approximately 3,600 schools in the state of Ohio, only 238 earned a Momentum Award
this year.

Last year, McGuffey earned recognition alongside 192 other schools, and the year before that, along with 309 buildings. Meaning, only about 8 to 9 percent of schools in Ohio earn the

Momentum Award in a given year, explained McGuffey Principal (Grades 6-8)/Campus Leader James Joseph. Principal Joseph provided an overview of the award during the Warren City School Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

“Even fewer schools earn it two years in a row and less than 1 percent of schools have earned it
three years,” he noted.

Based on the district’s research, administrators believe that McGuffey PK-8 is the only building in the state of Ohio to earn this award three consecutive years since 2017, he added.

Data provided through the Ohio School Report Cards each year allows the state to identify schools and districts that are consistently going above and beyond both inside and outside of the classroom. These accomplishments highlight a commitment to advancing academic achievement and supporting student success, according to information from the state.

The Momentum Award recognizes districts and individual school buildings that have demonstrated outstanding improvement in achievement while also continuing to show growth.

The award is for districts and buildings that have improved their performance index by three or more points from the 2023-2024 report card to the 2024-2025 report card AND received a value-added progress rating of four or more stars.

“Jefferson and McGuffey PK-8 Schools receiving the Momentum Awards and with the consistent gains we have in both our academic and attendance data, we believe our academic plan, focus and attention to detail is making a positive impact on student learning and overall success,” Said Superintendent/CEO Steve Chiaro.  

Jefferson garnered four stars for progress during the 2024-2025 state report card period. Carrie Boyer, Jefferson Campus Leader/Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, explained her school focused on students having a growth mindset and staff using common strategies across grade levels and content areas.

“The teachers focused on encouraging students and providing feedback to students consistently during instruction,” she added.

WARREN – The Warren City School Board of Education will vote Tuesday (April 21, 2026) on the appointments of a new athletic director and varsity boys basketball coach.

Superintendent/CEO Steve Chiaro is making the official recommendation to name Tim Porter the district’s new athletic director and to hire Dan Bubon as the new varsity boys basketball coach.

Pending board approval, Porter and Bubon are set to begin their new positions July 1, replacing Rick

Shepas and Keelyn Franklin, respectively, who each resigned last month.

“I am excited to take both the basketball program and the athletic department forward under new leadership as we build upon the prior success in both areas, creating what we believe will be an outstanding experience for our student-athletes in our feeder programs, middle school and high school levels, preparing them to pursue any goals they have for the future,” Chiaro said.

Porter, who is currently the athletic director at Orange City School District, is a certified athletic administrator through the National Interscholastic Athletic Association. He formerly taught history and financial literacy at Weathersfield Local Schools from 2012 to 2021. He also worked as an
owner/operator of Porter Distributing from 2003 to 2004, and has experience in marketing and as an account representative.

He earned a Master’s Degree in athletic administration from Ohio University in 2020. He graduated from Youngstown State University with Bachelor’s Degrees in education/integrated social studies in 2011, and
business administration advertising and public relations in 1997.

“I’m incredibly honored and excited to be named the next athletic director at the Warren City School District,” Porter stated. “This opportunity is deeply personal to me. Growing up, I spent countless evenings attending Warren Harding or Western Reserve events with my grandfather, experiences that helped shape my love for athletics and the community of Warren. To now return in this role is truly special, and I look forward to building on that tradition while supporting our student-athletes, coaches,
and school with pride.”

Bubon has been Howland’s head boys basketball coach since 2016. Prior to that, he was in that same capacity at Liberty, from 2011 to 2016, and Champion from 2003 to 2011. He was also JV boys basketball coach at Warren. G. Harding High School from 1999 to 2003, and varsity assistant girls basketball coach at Harding from 1995 to 1999. He is a 1991 Harding graduate with a Master of Education Degree in curriculum and instruction from Ashland University in 1999; and a Bachelor of Science Degree in secondary social studies, grade 7-12, from Duquesne University in 1995.

He has been a social studies teacher at Harding for the past 31 years and will continue in that position.

“I am very excited to return to my home school as head boys basketball coach,” Bubon stated. “Since the job came open, I have received a tremendous amount of encouragement from the community to pursue
this job and I would like to thank everyone for their support. I thank Mr. Chiaro and the rest of the administration for their confidence in me, and look forward to getting started.”

The regular meeting of the Warren School Board of Education is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the McGuffey PK-8 School.

Representatives of the the United Way of Trumbull County and 7 17 Credit Union spent some time at Warren’s McGuffey PK-8 School on Tuesday reading to preschool students and announcing a new partnership designed to support early literacy efforts in Trumbull County.

The effort centers on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails a free age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children from birth until age 5. The United Way of Trumbull County serves as the local affiliate for the program in the county.

As part of the partnership, the 717 Credit Union introduced an Affinity credit card linked to the United Way. A portion of each purchase made with the card, 7.17 cents, will help fund the Imagination Library by promoting the program and supporting its operations.

Lincoln 8th-grader Genevieve Ramey successfully spelled her way to the No. 1 spot at the annual 21 WFMJ Regional Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Stambaugh Auditorium.

As grand champion, Genevieve secured a $2,000 scholarship from Kent State University at Trumbull and the opportunity to represent her school at the 101st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., over Memorial Day weekend. She also walked away with a 1st Place Trophy.

More than 60 spellers in grades 5 to 8 represented schools in Trumbull and Mahoning counties at the spelling competition that is in its 93rd year.

Genevieve claimed her win by correctly spelling “comminatory”.

Last year, Genevieve won the Trumbull County Educational Service Center’s Annual Spelling Bee. She was among 34 students from schools across Trumbull County to compete in the event that was co-sponsored by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.