Howland Local Schools

Our 7th-grade art students are diving into one-point perspective by designing and drawing their own interior gallery spaces. Students are planning layouts and filling their galleries with at least three artworks that reflect personal objects, places, or experiences, all while identifying and applying characteristics from three major art movements. 🎨

Our junior high Art Club has been busy creating and exploring new techniques!

In December, students painted winter landscapes using acrylics, learning color mixing, layering, and brushwork to capture depth, atmosphere, and the cool beauty of snowy scenes.

In January, the club switched mediums and got hands-on with ceramic tile projects featuring Valentine’s themes. Students used a pointillist technique, carefully applying small dots of glaze to create detailed, vibrant designs.

Our Howland High School Safety, Health & Wellness group is hard at work making a difference. They're adding encouraging messages to the windows in the U and creating posters in support of Teen Dating & Relationship Violence Awareness Month this February.

We’re proud to celebrate our talented junior high artists whose work has been selected for the Area Student Art Exhibit at the Trumbull Art Gallery (TAG) in downtown Warren! This year, 16 students from Ms. Van Gilder’s art classes will represent our school in a professional gallery setting!

🎨Congratulations to our featured artists: Aliona Robinson, Petrina Brant, Paxtyn Cuesta, Kylie Barnes, Nemysys Seamon, Ciarra Kascak, Kaitlyn Rodgers, Lilah Sybelnik, Noah Killingsworth, Brandon Alexi, Peyton Moore, Fiona Perkins, Ava Eastman, Mia Leasure, Connor Fitzpatrick and Madelyn Stein.

🖼 Exhibition Dates: January 17 – February 20, 2026
🎉 Opening Reception: Saturday, January 17 | 4:00–6:00 PM
📍 Location: Trumbull Art Gallery (TAG), 158 North Park Ave., Warren, OH

⏰ Gallery Hours (Public Viewing):
• Thursday & Friday: 12–4 PM
• Saturday: 11 AM–3 PM

Take a look at what happened during last week's Wellness Wednesday at Howland High School!
Our students were passing a ball with their feet while jamming to 80’s music! Movement, music and plenty of laughs made for a great midweek break. 🎶⚽️

Students in Mrs. Whittaker’s math class conducted a hands-on simulation as part of a probability lesson. Through active participation and real-time data collection, students explored how probability works in action! 📊🎲

Students in Janet Castner’s 8th grade Earth Science class explored Alfred Wegener’s theory of Continental Drift by modeling his original thought process. Using fossil evidence and magnetic clues, they worked to reconstruct the supercontinent Pangaea. Through step-by-step directions, matching symbols across continents, and comparing articles to their models, students strengthened their understanding of historical scientific reasoning and built critical thinking skills. 📚

Students in Megan Sullivan’s U.S. History classes brought the Constitution to life through creativity and research! Each student was assigned a constitutional amendment and designed an ornament that told its story. They could highlight when it was passed and ratified, the historical context behind it, and a meaningful quote connected to its significance. The creativity was impressive, and the top ornament from each class was recognized with a special keepsake, an actual ornament awarded by Mrs. Sullivan. 📜

January is School Board Recognition Month in Ohio!

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Howland Local School District Board of Education for their leadership, dedication and service to our students, staff and community.

Jeff Pegg, President
Brianne Perry, Vice President
Julie Altawil
Abbigail Reynolds
Kelly Venniti

We are excited to welcome our newest board members, Abbigail Reynolds and Kelly Venniti, who officially joined us last night for our organizational meeting. We look forward to their contributions and leadership as they begin their service to Howland Local Schools.

#SchoolBoardRecognitionMonth #HowlandLocalSchools #ThankYouSchoolBoard #ServingOurStudents

Snow problem too big? Not for our engineers! Students in Mrs. Heinselman’s 5th Grade Science classes put their engineering skills to the test by building igloos for a snowman using marshmallows and toothpicks. Teamwork, creativity and problem-solving were on full display! 👏⛄

Howland Intermediate School’s 6th grade ELA students explored the origins of the White Elephant tradition, which dates back to India. White elephants were once considered sacred and rare. So, receiving one from a king seemed like an honor… until the high cost of caring for it turned the “gift” into a burden! That’s how the meaning we know today was born.

After learning the history, students put their knowledge into action with a White Elephant gift exchange, and it did not disappoint.

Learning + laughter = a great day in ELA! 😂🎁

Today wraps up two great initiatives at Howland Junior High, the HJHServes Annual Food Drive and Student Senate’s SPIRIT Week fundraiser!

Throughout the week, our 7th and 8th grade students showed incredible generosity and school spirit by:

🥫 Donating non-perishable food items to support the district’s PAW Pantry and local food banks. During SPIRIT Week, students earned the chance to wear the day’s permitted outfit by donating food items to their first-period teacher—one item per day or five items to participate all week.

🧔 “BEARD the Staff” Fundraiser: Students purchased stickers to add beards to staff photos. Stickers were 5 for $1 or 30 for $5, with all proceeds supporting the food drive.

🎯 Fun Fact: Just $1 can help provide up to 10 meals at a food bank!

📦 Final Results:
• $202 raised through BEARD the Staff
• 10 full boxes of non-perishable food items collected

Now for the big question…
➡️ Which staff member had the longest beard?
➡️ The silliest?
➡️ And who managed to escape without one?

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for coming together to support these meaningful causes and make a real impact in our community!

This week, our Student Senate and HJHS Serves students helped ring bells for the Salvation Army at Sam’s Club and Howland Giant Eagle. We’re proud of our seventh and eighth graders for giving their time to support an important cause and make a difference in our community.

Students in Cindy Baer’s class worked together to design and create prototypes for products in preparation for 3rd Grade Market Day. Check out the teamwork and creativity!

As part of Personal Wellness Fabulous Friday, students enjoyed a hands-on creative activity by making homemade cinnamon applesauce ornaments. A fun way to connect and celebrate the season!

Rachel Zimmerman’s classes took readers on an adventure by creating travel articles about destinations of their choice. Our fourth-grade writers became world travelers as they designed colorful travel brochures, highlighting must-see attractions and fun facts. By combining creativity with strong writing skills, our students turned their imaginations into exciting adventures!

Students in Lisa Allison’s Honors Anatomy & Physiology class took a hands-on approach to learning as they worked with the human body skeleton during lab.

Recently, our Howland High School Big Tigers spread kindness and encouragement by writing affirmation postcards to our Little Tigers at H.C. Mines Elementary. Our 9th grade students wrote PAWSITIVE affirmation postcards for 3rd graders, while our 10th grade students shared encouraging notes with 4th graders!

Howland Junior High students shined at Howland Speech & Debate Tournament! Congratulations to our competitors:

Sean Johnson – 4th place, Congressional Debate
Olivia Chuba – 4th place, Declamation
Braxton Ross – 2nd place, Extemp
Connor Fitzpatrick – 3rd place, Interpretation
Chloe Fletcher – 4th place, Oratory