Howland Jr. High School

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.

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

On Friday, our students were part of the nearly 3,000 students in grades 1–7 from 5 counties in Ohio and PA who visited and enjoyed incredible performances at the W.D. Packard Family Christmas Spectacular. Some of our talented students also performed at Friday’s show and throughout the weekend!

Students from HHS, HJHS, HIS, H.C. Mines and Glen represented Howland with pride. Special shoutout to our National Honor Society students who served as ushers, helping the event run smoothly.

🎶 Featured soloists and performers included:
Naomi Aston (HJHS) – featured baton twirler
Dominic Morataya (HHS) – featured trumpet soloist
Talented dancers from HHS, HJHS, HIS and H.C. Mines
Vocal soloists from HHS, HJHS, HIS, H.C. Mines and Glen

We are so proud of all of our students and their amazing talents! Check out the photos from Friday!

#HowlandSchools #StudentTalents #FamilyChristmasSpectacular #MusicAndArts

HJHS students recently enjoyed a well-deserved morning of fun and relaxation as a reward for earning their PBIS incentives. Decked out in cozy pajama pants and wrapped in blankets, students kicked off the day on Thursday and Friday with a special screening of Home Alone, complete with hot chocolate and donuts. Congratulations to our student body for consistently demonstrating Responsibility, Ownership, Acceptance, and Respect. Your hard work truly shines!

Due to this week’s snow day, we’ve had to make a few adjustments to our concert schedule. Please note the updated date below!

Please join us in celebrating the outstanding students who were recognized by the Howland Board of Education for their hard work, character and dedication. We are so proud of each of you!

7th Grade Honorees:
• Emma Yuengert
• Krosbie Shipman
• Mason Tyran
• Caleb May

8th Grade Honorees:
• Alexa Summers
• Rocco Wilson
• Ethan Vansuch
• Lucy Shaffer (unable to attend the meeting but proudly selected)

Keep up the great work, Tigers! 🐾

Our 7th graders took their career exploration to the next level today! Students in Mr. Lantz’s classes used VR headsets to experience different careers firsthand. We’re grateful to Megan Preston from the Mahoning Valley Regional Council of Governments for making this hands-on learning opportunity possible.

We need substitutes!

Howland Schools is looking for subs in:
Bus Drivers
Custodians
Cafeteria Workers
Lunch Monitors
Educational Aides
Nurses
Secretaries

Apply today!

Reminder: There is no school for students tomorrow, Friday, October 31, 2025. Staff will be participating in professional development.

Thank you, Apostolakis Honda! 💙

We’re incredibly grateful for their generous $2,500 donation to our school lunch program. Apostolakis Honda has supported Howland Local Schools many, many times over the years, helping ensure students have access to school meals. Your continued generosity makes a real difference for our students and families!

#HowlandPride #ThankYou #CommunitySupport #ApostolakisHonda

💰 Fiscal Friday💰

Rising property taxes aren’t just a local issue. They’re the result of state funding changes that shifted the burden onto communities like ours. Our new graphic breaks down school and community funding, what it means for our services, and how we can move forward together.

#FiscalFriday #HowlandSchools #CommunityFirst #StrongSchools #StrongCommunities

We’re proud to share that Howland Local Schools has earned a 4 out of 5 star rating on the Ohio State Report Card! Our district met or exceeded every marker to achieve this accomplishment.

This recognition highlights the hard work of our students, staff and families—and we know there are many more successes to come as we continue working toward a ROARing future! 🐅

#HowlandLocalSchools #RoaringFuture #TigerPride

ALL Howland Local Schools students will receive a FREE All-Sport Pass for entry to all regular season home athletic events (excludes playoffs & tournaments).

Thanks to the support of the Howland Tiger Booster Club, PAWS, and our business & community partners, every student has the opportunity to cheer on their classmates and celebrate Tiger pride together!

#HowlandTigerPride #AllInForTheTigers

Congratulations to our Track Teams and coaches on an excellent season! Our Girls finished as the Runner - Up at the Trumbull County Championship last weekend while our Boys won the County Meet. Last night, Our Girls won the AAC Championship Meet and our Boys finished as Runners- Up.

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re roaring with gratitude for the educators who lead, care and inspire every day at Howland! Drop a comment about your favorite Howland teacher to show your appreciation! 🧡🖤 #HowlandPride #TigerTeachersRock #TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankYouTeachers

We were honored to welcome Dr. Kate Ferguson from Youngstown State University—Director of Athletic Bands, Director of the YSU Concert Band and Professor of Music Education—for a band clinic with our 7th and 8th grade musicians! Dr. Ferguson provided our students with real-world, college-level feedback to help them prepare for their Spring Concert on May 14. She also shared the many career paths available in music and the arts. #HJHSBand #YSUBands #MusicMatters #ArtsInEducation

📣 Student and Staff Spotlights 📣 Congratulations to Shawn Reynolds, our Staff Member for April at Howland Junior High! Join us in celebrating our Students and Staff for March at H.C. Mines Elementary: Staff Member of the Month: Bonnie Siegal, Student of the Month – 4th Grade: Lillian Church and Student of the Month – 3rd Grade: Autumn Bayley. Please help us congratulate our Howland High School Staff Members for February: Brian Earich, Joe Barrickman and Lisa Morella! Way to go! 🐾 #StudentSuccess #StaffSpotlight #TigerStrong #StaffOfTheMonth #TigerPride #ExcellenceInEducation

Recently, our 8th grade music tech students got a real-world look at careers in audio engineering & music technology with special guest Dr. Dan Keown from YSU! Students explored audio synthesis—creating new sounds using filters, samples, synthesizers, and even a Theremin (yes, like from Star Trek). #HowlandJuniorHigh #STEMintheArts #MusicTech #CareerConnections

Howland Junior High School students recently attended the 47th Annual YSU English Festival, where they celebrated a year of reading with a day full of games, trivia, poetry workshops, and literary fun—all centered around the seven books they read throughout the year! Students attended a special session with author Alan Gratz, who shared insights into his writing process. Some students even got to meet him and have their books personally signed!