South Range Local Schools
Raider Review Fall 2023-2024
A message from Dr. Jarred Zapolnik, Superintendent of Schools
Hello South Range Local School District community:
Welcome to 2024 and a grateful start to the year! As we step into the promising year of 2024, I want to extend my warmest welcome to each and every one of you. I hope this message finds you in good health and high spirits. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the tremendous effort and dedication students, staff, and the community has shown throughout this first semester of the year.
Reflecting on the first semester, I have witnessed everyone's hard work, which has set a positive tone for the months ahead. I am truly appreciative of the collaborative spirit that defines our district. The Spring 2023 Ohio School Report Card results capture just a small aspect of the district's commitment to the Raider Way, with our students' performing at high levels! Our district earned five-stars for overall achievement, gap closing, and early literacy with an overall rating of 4.5 stars. The fall 2023 third-grade reading scores indicate an impressive 79% of our students scored Proficient or higher. Our current third grade students are currently ranked #1 compared to 17 other districts in the county. Together, we are working to Get Better Every Day (GBED) and it's inspiring to witness the commitment to our shared mission. Your contributions make a meaningful impact on the lives of our students and the success of our district.
As we navigate the challenges and opportunities that 2024 will undoubtedly bring, let's continue to work together, support one another, and strive for excellence in all that we do. I have no doubt that, with our collective efforts, we will achieve remarkable successes in the coming months. Thank you for your ongoing dedication, and here's to a year filled with growth, achievement, and shared triumphs. It is the Raider Way.
As I mentioned in November, the Raider Way allows our team to work to uphold the rich traditions of being "the community centerpiece building on excellence." To ensure our mission and vision are always in the forefront of our work, the amazing staff and administration will continue to focus on the following four key components of the Raider Way:
High Expectations
Communication & Collaboration
Student Performance
Safety & Resources
As always, please check out our district's website for pertinent information: https://www.southrange.k12.oh.us/
With great enthusiasm and excitement, Go Raiders!
Dr. Jarred Zapolnik
Superintendent
Tyler Bates and family
Tyler graduated from West Branch High School and attended Kent State University to Study Construction Management. After college Tyler married Christa (Parks) a South Range graduate. They have two 3rd generation Raiders, Travis (6) and Trevor (5). Today, Tyler is a project manager at Lindy Paving, where he manages large heavy highway construction projects in western Pennsylvania. Tyler and his family enjoy being outdoors, hunting, fishing, and camping. I am honored to serve the great South Range community and will commit to supporting our students and staff in ways that are representative of our communities’ values.
Dr. Jack Dawson
Jack and his wife, Kayla, recently moved back to the Youngstown area to start his practice.They are both South Range graduates. They are blessed to have three wonderful children. They have always cherished the Raider community and are honored to be back in this school district and rejoining the wonderful town they grew up in.
The first half of the school year has been going great thus far in the cafeteria. Student participation among all grade levels has been high and the student’s are really enjoying the meals the kitchen is serving.
We have been doing “Wellness Wednesday” monthly with our elementary students, encouraging them to try a new food or healthy recipe, while receiving a sticker that says, “I tried something new today!” We also do our monthly fun special events with K-4 such as dinosaur day, Mickey Mouse’s birthday, and Grinchmas! We look forward to more Wellness Wednesday recipes and special events like “Fair Week” coming 6 months prior to the Canfield Fair. Food Service Director, Kaitlyn Pierce, also has plans on surveying students at all grade levels to learn more on likes, dislikes, and possible new ideas to bring to the cafeteria for students to enjoy.
The district’s Wellness Committee met in October and December to discuss our school’s current wellness policy, along with any new ideas to incorporate health & wellness throughout our school with students, teachers, and staff. The committee decided to start a school-wide walking challenge between the three buildings, and was interested to see if the community would like to join the walking challenge too. Please complete the survey attached to this newsletter if you are interested in participating in a community walking challenge.
Lastly, a reminder that we encourage all families to complete a free & reduced meal application. The meal applications can be completed online after setting up a Payschools account. Please see attachments for further directions. You can also fill out the application on paper and send it in to your student’s building office. The application can be completed at ANY time during the school year, not just at the beginning. If your financial situation changes at all during the year we recommend you complete and submit the form to the school.
Any questions, please feel free to contact food service director Kaitlyn Pierce. Kpierce@southrange.org
On behalf of the entire High School staff, we would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. In this new year our goal is to continue and add to the strong academic, social and extra-curricular foundation that have become synonymous with our school district. 🍎 All the HS staff members that have value added data for their classes met with the county consultants in December to review their results, plan a course of action for next steps and familiarize themselves with tools to improve our student’s learning and monitor progress.
Staffing
We are all sending thoughts and prayers to Mrs. Diane Krumpak as she recovers from a surgical procedure. As she feels better each day, we anticipate her return to school in the beginning of February. At the same time, we welcome Mr. David DiGiacomo, as her long term sub. Dave is a recently retired science teacher from Poland and we are grateful he is here working with our students.
Student Performance
👍The following individuals obtained the highest rank in Scout - The Eagle Scout Award;
Nick Usis- Project included materials, design and construction of new bridge in Coy Park.
Nathan Engle- Project included materials, design and construction of benches for On Target.
We had 3 students get selected for the OMEA District 5 Honors Jazz Band for Mahoning County.
Cameron Ward - trumpet
Alaina Dupont - trombone
Olivia Leskey - piano
They had to learn music on their own and submit an audition video, and we are very proud of their hard work to get picked over students from the whole county. They will perform at an afternoon concert on January 27 at Powers Auditorium.
News from our Speech and Debate Team: Members earn recognition through points and degrees in the NSDA Honor Society. Each new degree represents hours of learning, practice, and improvement by your students thanks to dedicated coaching.
Congratulations to:
Solena DeJesus - Special Distinction
Peyton Hines - Superior Distinction
PTO
Thanks to the High School PTO and all those that helped out with this years Santa’s workshop. All of our elementary students were able to successfully shop for Christmas gifts for their friends and family members. Also, thanks to the several high school student helpers for their assistance in setting up the workshop and helping out with the shopping.
SRHS Winter Sports
🏀🏆Winter sports seasons are well on their way as we quickly approach the midway point of the respective schedules. As always, please check the school’s website for up to date schedules and events.
Students In The Spotlight
Our South Range Middle School students continue to perform beyond expectations both in and out of the classroom!
Spelling Bee 🐝
The annual spelling bee was held on January 5th. This year’s school champion, who will represent SRMS at The Vindicator Spelling Bee, was 8th grader Brooke Gilbey. Finishing as the runner-up was Molly Bagwell (Grade 5), while Reese Brogan (5th grade) finished in 3rd place. A special thank you to our 6th grade team of teachers for organizing the Spelling Bee. We would also like to thank our Middle School PTO for providing the prizes. Congratulations to all of the following grade level representatives:
- 5th Grade: Reese Brogan, Zoey Stepuk, Karaline Scott, Molly Bagwell, Lili Wanee
- Alternates: Alyse Tyson, Zach Nicholhoff
- 6th Grade: Daisy Burns, Jacob Erskine, Mason Shaw, Lexi Sheador, Weston Ramps
- Alternates: Dominic Lordi and Trever Thompson
- 7th Grade: Levi Moff, Skylar Kinney, Jack Martinez, Adele Stansbury, Sarah Weems
- Alternates:Giorgio Mariano and Matthew Tomanio
- 8th Grade: Brooke Gilbey, Justin Dawson, Cooper Hicks, Nic Thomas, Juliana Swiskoski
- Alternates: Lacie Greier and Hannah Uplinger
🌟 Raider Spotlight🌟
Our “Raider Spotlight” students are recommended by our teachers for going above and beyond in the areas of stewardship, friendship, mentorship, leadership or scholarship. Congratulations to our November “Raider Spotlight” students:
- Grade 5 - Colton Burns
- Grade 6 - Liam Powell
- Grade 7 - Miles Wilfong
- Grade 8 - Sydney Slagle
Athletics🤼
On the wrestling mat, our middle school team fared extremely well in the “Best of the Midwest,” the largest, most prestigious tournament ever attended by our wrestlers. Special congratulations are extended to the following individuals who placed in the top 10: Drew Starkey (3rd), Matthew Tomaino (5th), Scott Leach (6th), Ralph Stellato (6th) and Ryan Nicholson (10th).
Fine and Performing Arts
District 5 Honors Band
This group is made up of the best musicians from Mahoning Trumbull and Ashtabula counties. Over 600 students auditioned for this prestigious group and we had 4 students chosen from South Range Middle School. They performed at Stambaugh Auditorium on November 18th, 2023 and did an excellent job! The students who participated were:
- Callie Roller (Flute)
- Mia Quinlin (French Horn)
- Keith Williams (Trombone)
- Katlyn Durch (Trumpet)
YSU Honor's Band
This is a new honors band hosted by the Dana School of Music. Students from Mahoning, Trumbull and Ashtabula county were nominated by their directors. We had 4 students selected to participate in this unique opportunity. Students will rehearse challenging music and work alongside the BEST middle school musicians in our area. They will also attend seminars led by college music professors about their perspective instruments. Their concert took place on January 13th at Ford Theatre-Bliss Hall, starting at 12PM. The students participating were:
- Harper Bailey (Bass Clarinet)
- Mia Quinlin (French Horn)
- Sydney Slagle (Clarinet)
- Keith Williams (Trombone)
Drama 🎭
The middle school drama team wowed both the student body and the community with their performance of “The Lion King.” The school play was wonderfully entertaining and showcased our students who might have a future in acting and/or singing! Mrs. Fryfogle, in her first year as drama team director, did a fantastic job and we would like to thank her for committing the time and energy to our drama program. Also, thank you to Mrs. Durch for the hard work she put into the set, costumes and make up. Finally, the biggest shout out of all goes to this year’s cast and crew. “The Lion King” cast members were: Faith Adams, Anaya Alvarez, Atiana Alvarez, Evie Ashman, Molly Bagwell, Harper Bailey, Hunter Biddle, Autumn Blackburn, Isaak Blackburn, Ava Burnett, Daisy Burns, Aaliyah Catania, Addie Conti, Felix D’uva, Justin Dawson, Dallas Dispenza, Savannah Duncan, Taylor Dustman, Kaitlyn Edwards, Jacob Erskine, Owen Fowler, Danica Gaal, Blake Greier, Lacie Greier, Gemma Groves, Ava Heaven, Alexis Jesko, Isabella Keyes, Ava Livesay, Will Lowery, Addison Malysa, Devon May, Lauren Meyers, Ella Monroe, Lilly Mook, Avery Munson, Gianna Nagy, Zach Nicoloff, Claire Perry, Andrew Phelps, Callie Roller, Lyla Sam, Adele Stansbury, Brady Stratton, Vanessa Stratton, Hannah Strupkus, Elle Thomas, Nick Thomas, Olivia Tranovich, Abigail Tringhese, Jace Tuchek, EvaLine Vaughn, Lili Wanee, Helena Webber, Nick Wellington, Satia White, Kenzie Williams and Elora Windsor. This year’s crew members, providing the behind-the-scenes work, were: Grace Humphrey, Lilliana Alvarez, Corey Angus, Braden DuPont, Evan Mansour, Olivia Munson, Colsen Maxwell, Hannah Tringhese and Keith Williams. Assisting our middle school crew members, from the high school, were Mackenzie Mariotti, Julian Dispenza and Brooke Neilsen.
🍪 Bake for Good Project 🍪
The 6th grade students took part in the Bake for Good project from the King Arthur Baking Company. The students were joined by a rep from the company, on December 6th for a presentation. During this presentation, they learned the process of making bread from scratch while incorporating math and science skills and content.
The students were asked to bake the product with their family in order to spend some quality time together. The recipe made two batches. One batch for the family to enjoy together, and another batch which was given to someone the student had chosen that has influenced them. The students wrote a letter to their special person based on the language arts standards. The students delivered the bread and the letter to their special person over the past three weeks.
The students were excited to spread kindness throughout the community! Here are some pictures from the time spent with family and delivering to their special person!
👩👩👧👦👨👨👦👦👨👦👦👩👧👧👩👧👧👩👦👦🚸
Kindergarten registration for students who live in the South Range Local School District will be taken the week of March 4 - 8, 2024. Parents/Guardians of children who will be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2024 may register online and make an appointment for screening by going to our school’s website during the designated week. The kindergarten screening dates are set for Thursday, May 2 and Friday, May 3. Time slots will be from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Students to be registered must be residents of the South Range School District.
Parents/Guardians of students that live outside the district can check the district website for the most up-to-date information about when open enrollment for new students will take place. This information will be available following the February 28, 2024 board meeting.
Interactive Flat Panels to Meeting Educational Needs
South Range Local Schools is developing a Technology Committee to provide a vision and mission for the next three years. Our committee considers what technologies can best assist with learning in the classroom. It is also a plan to align the use of technology to curriculum and educational standards. Since we have built our K-12, we have used our current computer-to-projector-to-Smartboard technology. Though it serves its purpose, we have tasked our committee, selected teachers, and students to demonstrate, interact, and engage with a number of Interactive Flat Panels (IFP).
Moving forward we are hopeful to replace our current systems with new interactive displays. The cost for this replacement is less expensive than a projector replacement that is currently in all of our classrooms. We have been provided non-charge demos of many products thus far: BenQ, Promethean, Samsung, Smart Technology, Cleartouch, Boxlight Mimio Pro4
Teacher’s are able to weigh the pros and cons of each IFP as they are placed into their classroom. Students are actively engaged in using the technology as well.
Some of the pros we discovered – this new technology limits the number of devices between the teacher and the student. The IFPs all turn on and are ready to go! There are less points of failure. This also reduces the total cost of ownership. It is a good time to get into the IFP market, costs are down and education content continues to grow. Another pro, teachers and students can share an inactive experience. Many products we have reviewed can enable a teacher to invite students or other teachers to collaborate on lessons. There are also remote capabilities. If students are remote or unable to physically attend class, they can join sessions from anywhere with a computer and internet connection. In fact, every IFP is a computer, you can store content and have information readily available. Many IFPs we reviewed will also save your profile, which allows shared use without losing settings. Finally, updates make it future proof, devices get software updates so you always get emerging education content and technology.
Professional development and best warranty will be very important considerations in our decision making process. Compatibility is key as well, moving teachers from one platform to another should not be a difficult task. We are taking our time with this process, evaluating and making sure we collect as much information as possible. We are also looking into other sources of finance to limit the cost to the school district.
Mr. Bill Beaver, SRHS
Bill is an excellent Inclusion teacher that works with all sophomore students. He is our Middle School Cross Country coach and the Head Coach of our Girl's Varsity Track and Field Teams. He and his wife Bre, a 2012 SR grad, are expecting their first child in late January/ early February. Congratulations to Mr. Beaver and God Bless him and his family!
Ms. Sierra Bradley, SRMS
We would like to welcome Mrs. Sierra Bradley to our Middle School family! Sierra graduated from South Range in 2014 and returns to "The Range" as one of our 5th and 6th grade Intervention Specialists. In her short time here, Sierra has already had a positive impact on the academic and social/emotional growth of our students. Her expertise in the classroom and effective implementation of intervention strategies have proven her to be a valuable team member and we look forward to having her at South Range Middle School for many years to come!
Mrs. Bradley and her husband, Tyler, also welcomed a new baby girl, Parker, on May 18th of 2023. Their son, Thaddeus, will turn 2 on January 24th.
Sierra stated that she "loves being back at South Range and feels welcomed by those teachers that were once her role models."
Mrs. Brooke Stewart., SRES
Brooke has been a teacher at South Range Elementary for 21 years. Her first 4 years she was a long-term substitute and a part-time tutor. Her next 16 years were in kindergarten and this year, Brooke is our K-3 art teacher. We created the new art special as part of our daily rotation and as we searched for a part-time art teacher, Mrs. Stewart was looking to make a change. This was necessary because Brooke and her husband Chris were expecting a new baby in September! Brooke took on the challenge of creating our new K-3 art program from the ground up. This included everything from designing a visually stunning art room and researching Ohio’s art curriculum to creating exciting lessons and projects for her students. Feedback from our students and parents has been extremely positive and we look forward to the future of our elementary art program. In addition to her new position, Brooke and her husband Chris of 20 years purchased Burbick Farms in Columbiana at the end of 2020. Chris works the farm and runs his concrete business, while Brooke runs the store after school. They have 4 children, Ezra (19), Gwenna (17), Silas (11) and Elim (4 months).