The Raider Review

Dear South Range Community,

Spring 2026 is already blooming with Raider pride, student achievement, and community celebration. As we move into this vibrant season, I am excited to share the many ways our students and staff continue to embody our vision to Get Better Every Day (GBED). Their accomplishments—across academics, the arts, athletics, and service—reflect the strength of our district and the unwavering support of our families and community. It is the Raider Way!

The Raider Way: Our District’s Goals & Foundation for Success

Our work remains grounded in the four pillars of The Raider Way:

• High Expectations – Encouraging student involvement in academics, athletics, and the arts

• Communication & Collaboration – Strengthening partnerships, teamwork, and transparency

• Student Performance – Using data‑driven processes to support academic growth

• Safety & Resources – Prioritizing student well‑being and a supportive environment

These pillars guide our mission to ensure every student is supported, challenged, and empowered.

Celebrating the Raider Way In Action

High Expectations

Our campus has been buzzing with activity this spring. The SRHS Drama Team delivered an unforgettable set of performances of "Into the Woods". Please join me in congratulating this talented group of Raiders and their director, Nicole Fryfogle, for their outstanding work and countless hours of preparation. Their dedication brought this production to life in remarkable ways.

Next, we also applaud our NE8 All‑Conference wrestlers for earning conference recognition. Their hard work and competitive spirit continue to make our community proud.

Also, recently, South Range proudly co‑hosted the Ohio Speech and Debate Association State Tournament with Canfield Local Schools, welcoming 1,000 students from 84 schools across the state. The Raider Way was on full display as our staff, administrators, and partners worked together to host this large‑scale event.

We congratulate our state semifinalists—JJ Kennedy (IX), Solena DeJesus (POI), Addie Sell (POI), and Quincy Bailey (Humor)—for finishing in the top 12 in Ohio.

Finally, our performing arts programs continue to shine as well. The Pride of SR Marching Band traveled to Disney to perform for Disney’s Imagination Campus—an unforgettable opportunity that strengthened our students’ love of music and the bond shared across our Raider community. Thank you to our music educators—Mrs. Kimberly Hvizdos (SRES), Ms. Sarah Komsa (SRMS), and Mr. Roger Lewis (SRHS)—for inspiring our students every day, and to the families and chaperones who made this experience possible.

Communication & Collaboration

Please join me in celebrating our staff! We proudly recognize three exceptional staff members for their upcoming retirements:

• Kim Massucci, Kindergarten Teacher

• Cindy Maynard, Elementary School Counselor

• Wayne Allegretto, High School Science Teacher

Their decades of service and impact on students exemplify the heart of South Range!

Next, congratulations to South Range Elementary School for being recognized as a State of Ohio’s Purple Star School Designation! In January, we learned that the State of Ohio approved our elementary school’s application to become a Purple Star school! A special thank you to Lisa Fullerton for her hard work to complete and submit the application! Award notifications will be announced in April, the Month of the Military Child.

Student Performance

In our elementary and middle grades, students combined learning and fun through Language Arts and Science‑themed egg hunts across our beautiful campus. Third grade also showcased teamwork and creativity during their annual egg‑drop experiment.

🥚 Special thanks to our egg‑cellent PTO for supporting these hands‑on experiences.

🌸 A huge shout‑out to our egg‑traordinary teachers for planning engaging lessons leading into spring break.

We are also proud to recognize our March and April Board of Education Students of the Month, who lead The Raider Way inside and outside the classroom:

• March South Range Middle School Students:

• Fifth Grade: Clara Barrett

• Sixth Grade: Eliza Liebig

• Seventh Grade: Daniel Stack

• Eighth Grade: Dillon Kusky

• April South Range High School Students:

• Freshman: Levi Morrison

• Sophomore: Juliana Swiskoski

• Sophomore: Ralph Stellato, State Wrestling Placer

• Junior: David Echard

• Junior: JJ Kennedy-IX, Top 12 in State of Ohio for Speech & Debate

• Junior: Adalyn Sell-POI, Top 12 in State of Ohio for Speech & Debate

• Senior: Olivia Leskey

• Senior: Tyson Seesholtz, State Runner Up & State Wrestling Placer

• Senior: Solena DeJesus-POI, Top 12 in State of Ohio for Speech & Debate

• Senior: Quincy Bailey-Humor, Top 12 in State of Ohio for Speech & Debate

Finally, SRHS Calculus students also represented South Range with distinction at YSU’s Mathfest. Congratulations to Michael Nicholson and Ava Regule for placing third in the Mixed Team Competition. We also commend the full group of participants for their hard work and professionalism: Adam Albaugh, Keira Brogan, Katie Dance, Novia Fee, Mya Markulin, Reese McNee, Michael Nicholson, Ava Regule, and Dillan Walker. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Fishel for organizing this enriching experience.

Safety & Resources

South Range Local School District secures grant funding!

Spring brings new opportunities for our students to shine—on stage, in the classroom, in competition, and throughout our community. We are also proud to share that South Range has been awarded over $148,000 in grant funding so far this year, with nearly $252,000 submitted. These resources help us expand opportunities and strengthen programs across the district.

Raptor Visitor Management & Safety Program

Speaking of grants, the district will purchase a new safety program with funds from safety grants! We are happy to announce that our Peace and Safety team secured an enhanced visitor management system and school safety program, called Raptor! This system will increase safety and security and will ensure clear communication and reunification of students with families. This state-of-the-art technology will also allow staff to communicate with increased efficiency using a Raptor badge. Special thanks to the dedicated efforts of our Peace and Safety team as we continually improve safety measures in our schools.

Looking Ahead: Changes with our Master Facilities & High School Curriculum!

Visitors to our campus will see many master facilities enhancements this spring into summer. From our District drilling a new water well to provide the K-12 campus with sustainable water and beginning our campus-wide paving project, our district is implementing our Board-approved Master Facilities Plan!

Deepening curriculum offerings to our Raiders: Honors, College Credit Plus (CCP), and Workforce Development classes

This spring, the South Range Local School District collaborated and implemented its plan for Five Star Rating by revamping and/or developing new courses (FY 2024, 2025, 2026). These efforts led to the following pathways beginning next September:

1. Acceptance into MCCTC for credentialing & courses

2. SRHS Carpentry pre-apprenticeship [Two-year program]

3. SRHS Drones pre-apprenticeship

4. SRHS Entrepreneurship & Rise Up * Six industry credential points apiece: Retail Industry Fundamentals and Customer Service and Sales. **In addition, these students would earn ESC Pre-apprenticeship with five (5) work-based experiences

5. SRHS Criminal Justice *This is also a CCP course through Youngstown State University.

6. SRHS Honors diploma

7. SRHS College Credit Plus classes

8. SRHS College Readiness Seal with ACT [21 or higher on three ACT areas]

9. SRHS Career Connections Ohio Means Job seal + 250 work-based hours

10. Military Enlistment

11. SRHS Adobe Certified Professional certification

12. SRHS National Incident Management System

Engaging Our Community & Planning Ahead

This year, we continued our commitment to community engagement through Second Cups of Coffee meetings and Raider Ambassadors meetings. Your feedback remains essential to our decision‑making processes, including the development of our school calendar. As we move through spring, we will continue these collaborative efforts.

As always, stay informed by visiting our district’s website: South Range Local Schools.

With great enthusiasm for the months ahead,

Jarred

Dr. Jarred Zapolnik

Superintendent

From our award-winning wrestlers to our nationally ranked Speech and Debate team, to our incredible student performers, our Raiders are on the move and making SR proud!

South Range Elementary School: A Purple Star Designated School

The South Range Local School District serves approximately 1,220 students and is committed to providing a high-quality education in a fiscally responsible manner. Based on our current financial data for 2026, the district’s general fund daily operating cost is approximately $65 per student.

This daily cost reflects the essential expenses required to educate each student, including teacher and staff salaries and benefits, classroom instruction, educational resources, utilities, transportation, and other day-to-day operational costs. It represents the investment made each day to ensure students receive a well-rounded education in a safe and supportive learning environment.

By managing resources efficiently, the district strives to maximize the value of every dollar spent while continuing to meet the academic and extracurricular needs of our students.

Terri Lally, President

Liz Johnson, Vice President

Tyler Bates, Member

Laura Chismar, Member

Dr. Jack Dawson, Member

South Range Schools works each month to revise, update, and adopt several NEOLA policies.

Community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these policies, as they play a critical role in guiding the district's operations and decision-making. All board policies are available for review on our website at BoardDocs.

Welcome to Spring, Raiders!

We are proud of the strides our youngest Raiders have made as we approach the last half of the year. We look forward to a busy spring at SRES.

At the Board of Education meeting in February, our staff celebrated five of our elementary students who demonstrated the qualities and characteristics of our K-4 Raider Profile. These students were selected by their teachers as our Raiders of the Month for demonstrating outstanding leadership skills and answering the question, “What does it mean to be a Raider at South Range Elementary?” Congratulations to the following students for going above and beyond and receiving the South Range Elementary Raider Profile recognition in February: Kindergarten - Emerson Stanko; First Grade - Carsyn McAtee; Second Grade - Hans Gruber; Third Grade - Siena Speziale; Fourth Grade - Taryn McPhee.

The elementary PTO sponsored several events in February and March for our students. First, on Friday, February 6th, the PTO organized our K-4 Valentine’s Day classroom parties for our students. The boys and girls exchanged their Valentine’s Day cards, while they enjoyed a healthy snack and played games. Next, on Saturday, February 7th, the PTO held our 3rd annual Father/Child Dance for our 3rd and 4th grade students. If a father could not be present, any other male role model was invited to attend the dance as a chaperone with our students. The boys and girls danced in the cafeteria to the tunes of Mr. Sobota, took pictures in the photo booth, had their faces painted and enjoyed refreshments from the PTO. Over half of our 3rd and 4th grade students attended the dance and we look forward to more events like this in the future. Also, our PTO has been busy as their spring fundraiser took place in March and the enrichment committee is preparing several activities for the end of the year. Finally, on Saturday, March 21st, our PTO held the first annual “Bunny Brunch” at the K-12 Complex. This was a very well attended event for our elementary students and families that included a food & coffee truck, petting zoo, coloring contest, scavenger hunt, raffle baskets, bounce house, crafts and prizes.

Our Building Leadership Team (BLT) has continued to meet this year to discuss how we can improve our students’ reading fluency and writing skills in the elementary school. These goals were created in the fall when our BLT initially discussed common areas in our K-4 classrooms where we consistently see a need for improvement. Our teachers have been working on creating writing rubrics to track their students’ writing progress as we look to improve in various ways at each grade. For reading fluency, each grade level has different benchmarks they are trying to reach in the fall, winter and spring. Our staff tracks their students’ reading fluency by recording how many words they are able to fluently read in one minute. By tracking this information and collecting various types of data, our staff is able to adjust their instruction and provide interventions to meet all of our students’ needs. This has been a two-year process of developing and adjusting our writing rubrics and seeing how skills that are developed at one grade level build to support what is needed as the students move throughout the elementary school and eventually over to the middle school.

Our elementary students have been working hard and demonstrating their skills in both math and art. This spring, Mrs. Stewart has continued the second session of our third-grade Art Club. With the help of our PTO, the Art Club has been a huge success as over half of our third-grade students participated in the six-week after-school program. Also, in March, the Butler Art Museum held its Annual Butler Institute of American Art Celebrates Young Artists Exhibition. This was our second time participating as a school, and we are very proud of all the students! Not only was their artwork outstanding, but it was quite the honor to be chosen out of our entire K-Four building since Mrs. Stewart could only select six pieces of artwork! Each of the students received honorable mention, and one placed 2nd in her grade level! The artwork could be from any medium and the students could be from any grade in the elementary. All of the students received a certificate for their hard work and creativity. Congratulations to the following students for their excellence in art: Gia Pidgeon (Kindergarten), Leo Key (First Grade), Luna Mercalde (Second Grade), Carmen Fishel (Third Grade), McKenna Day (Third Grade), and Siena Speziale (Third Grade). Gia Pidgeon in kindergarten won 2nd place overall.

Also, this year our fourth-grade students continued to learn the math game called the “24 Game.” Students who were interested in the “24 Game” had the opportunity to join The Challenge 24 Math Club. Students in the club learned more about the game as they met after school and played the 24 Game with other club members. Then, several times this spring, students from the Challenge 24 Math Club traveled to other local schools to compete against other fourth-grade students in the Challenge 24 competitions. Our students showed great sportsmanship and represented South Range well. At the final competition of the year, Kaelina Gorcheff finished in 2nd place overall and Christopher Turner brought home a First place finish for South Range! We are proud of the hard work and determination from all of our Raiders!

As we enter the final stretch of the school year, I want to commend our students for their continued hard work and growth. Classrooms remain focused and engaging, and it has been great to see so many students demonstrating our motto: Be Respectful. Be Responsible. Be Safe.

April is an important month as we begin state testing. We encourage all students to come to school well-rested, prepared, and ready to give their best effort. These assessments are an opportunity for students to show what they have learned and how much they have grown this year.

In addition to testing, spring brings many exciting activities, events, and opportunities for our students to get involved. We look forward to celebrating their accomplishments both inside and outside the classroom.

Thank you for your continued support of South Range Middle School. Together, we will finish the school year strong!

Congratulations to the following students for being recognized at the March Board Meeting!

Fifth Grade: Clara Barrett

Sixth Grade: Eliza Liebig

Seventh Grade: Daniel Stack

Eighth Grade: Dillon Kusky

Fifth & Sixth Grade students enjoyed a night of games, activities, and dancing. They were surprised by a visit from Jacob Latessa. Fun was had by all! Thank you to our families and PTO for making this night a success for our students.

Congratulations to our SRMS Challenge 24 Team who competed in the Canfield Tournament on March 12 and the Lowellville Tournament on March 19.

SRMS Challenge 24 5th grade Competitors:

Ellie Arundel

Josie Ervin

CiCi Rhoades

Marie Colatrugio

Brady Ridge

Ava Usis

Clara Barrett

Derek Yankle

Eli Hudak

Owen Jones

Boston Susany

Santino Speziale

Ethan Wharry

Jameson Kutchel

Special Recognition

Special recognition goes to Ava Usis for scoring in the top 16 at the Canfield Tournament, and Clara Barrett for winning First place in the fifth-grade division in the Canfield Tournament and Third place in the fifth-grade division for the Lowellville Tournament.

Congratulations to Dallas Dispenza, who earned a superior rating on his trumpet solo at the OMEA District 5 junior high solo and ensemble event! The event took place on Saturday, March 28th at Champion HS.

Spring is a special time at SRHS as we assess student growth, celebrate student achievements, and prepare to send off our next class of Raiders into their futures. We are looking forward to a great spring at SRHS and thank our parents and community for their continued support!

On Saturday, March 28th, South Range senior Gia Guerrieri was recognized at the YWCA Mahoning Valley’s Young Women With Bright Futures Awards ceremony. In order to receive this honor, Gia participated in three leadership seminars and completed a community service project with the other honorees. The food drive service project collected over 20,000 food items.

In early March, South Range Local Schools had the privilege of hosting this year’s Ohio Speech and Debate Association state tournament. Congratulations to the following students who qualified for the National Speech and Debate Association’s national competition:

• Solena DeJesus - Program Oral Interpretation

• Quincy Bailey - Humorous Interpretation

• Addie Sell - Duo Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation (preferenced Duo Interpretation)

• Harper Bailey - Duo Interpretation

• Lilah Angus - Public Forum

• Steven Dimuzio - Public Forum

• JJ Kennedy - International Extemporaneous (alternate)

• Ashley - Informative Speaking (alternate)

The national competition will be held from June 14th - 19th in Richmond, Virginia.

South Range High School recognized four students at the April Board of Education meeting. Raider Profile students demonstrate the characteristics that define a Raider! The students were chosen by teachers and/or staff members who go above and beyond in and outside of the classroom. April’s Raider Profile students are:

• Ninth Grade - Levi Morrison

• Tenth Grade - Julianna Swiskoski

• Eleventh Grade - David Echard

• Twelfth Grade - Olivia Leskey

These students were introduced at the April Board of Education meeting and will receive a certificate and t-shirt to recognize their successes. Congratulations!

Congratulations to our state qualifiers and place winners!

• Tyson Seesholtz (Second)

• Ralph Stellato (Eighth)

• Eddie Stachowicz (Qualifier)

• Michael Uplinger (Alternate)

It was a great season on the mat for our NE8 Champion wrestling team!

As we approach the end of the school year, there are a number of important dates at the high school. Here are several items you may wish to add to your calendar:

April 22, 2026 - Raider Student/Athlete Signing Day (10:00 am - HS Gym)

April 28, 2026 - End of Course Testing - Algebra I (Grade 9) and Biology (Grade 10)

• Remote instruction for grades 11 and 12

April 29, 2026 - End of Course Testing - American History (Grade 10)

• Remote instruction for grades 9, 11 and 12

April 30, 2026 - End of Course Testing - Geometry (Grade 10, some Grade 9) and American Government (Grade 11)

• Remote Instruction for grades 9 (unless testing) and 12

May 2, 2026 - Junior/Senior Prom - Drake’s Landing

May 7, 2026 - Greenford Ruritan Senior Dinner - 6:30 pm - HS Cafeteria

May 12, 2026 - MCCTC Seniors - Cap and Gown distribution

May 13, 2026 - SRHS Senior - Cap and Gown distribution

May 14, 2026 - Spring Band Concert

May 15, 2026 - Senior Class Trip - Cedar Point

May 17, 2026 - Senior Scholarship Awards Ceremony - Invitation Only - 5:00 pm - HS Auditorium

May 18, 2026 - HS Show Choir Concert - Auditorium

May 19 - 20, 2026 - Senior Exams

May 21, 2026 - Senior Breakfast (students only) - 9:00 am - Cafeteria

May 21, 2026 - Senior Recognition Ceremony (students and family) - 10:30 am - Auditorium

May 22, 2026 - Commencement Practice - MUST attend to walk at commencement - 8:30 am

May 24, 2026 - Commencement - 5:00 pm - HS Gymnasium

May 28, 2026 - MCCTC Awards Day

May 29, 2026 - Raider Regatta - TBA - “Old School” - North Lima

Congratulations to our South Range Challenge 24 Team who competed in the Canfield Tournament on March 12 and the Lowellville Tournament on March 19.

National Honor Society: Congratulations to the 2026 NHS Inductees!

Speech and Debate students are heading to nationals:

🔗South Range Speech and Debate team members headed for Nationals - WFMJ.com

South Range Hosts State Speech Competition:

🔗https://www.wfmj.com/story/53469192/south-range-canfield-host-state-speech-competition-weekend

🔗https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/students-shine-at-state-speech-and-debate-competition-this-weekend/ar-AA1XGN8L?ocid=BingNewsVerp

🔗https://www.wkbn.com/news/local-news/speech-competition-kicks-off-with-hall-of-fame-inductee/

👩‍👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👨‍👦‍👦👨‍👦‍👦👩‍👧‍👧👩‍👧‍👧👩‍👦‍👦🚸

We are ready for our next round of Raiders! Raider residents may register online and make an appointment for screening by going to our school’s website. The kindergarten screening dates are Monday, April 27, 2026 and Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Time slots will be from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

NE8 Honors Recognition

We are proud to recognize our outstanding student-athletes who earned NE8 honors this season! Your hard work, dedication, and Raider pride truly shine.

Boys Basketball

First Team: Nick Toy, Tommy Titus

Second Team: Gavin Hiscox

Girls Basketball

First Team: Gwen Lowry

Second Team: Sophia Lucente

Swimming

First Team: Avery McGrath

Second Team: Adrianna Ware, Willow Mungai, Gianna Swiskoski

Wrestling

Team Champion(s): South Range

Player(s) of the Year: Tyson Seesholtz

First Team:

106- Ralph Stellato

175- Eddie Stachowicz

Second Team

132- Sam Vivo

Congratulations to all of our athletes on this well-deserved recognition!

Spring Break 2026 South Range Raider Baseball

Spring Break 2026 South Range Raider Softball

Thank you, Raider Nation! Spring 2026 Dan & Kelli Yeagley Fieldhouse

As we welcomed the spring season, our cafeteria team brought a variety of exciting and engaging experiences to students across all grade levels. Over the past few months, students had the opportunity to explore foods from different cultures and regions, making lunchtime both fun and educational.

To highlight Asian cuisine, the cafeteria hosted a live stir-fry station during lunch. The Nutrition Group’s corporate chef prepared fresh vegetables right in front of students, which they then enjoyed alongside their chicken and rice meals. Italian flavors were also featured, with a delicious cheese tortellini lunch offered to students in grades K–12.

In January, younger students received a special visit from Molly the Cow, The Nutrition Group’s mascot, in celebration of National Milk Day. The visit added a fun and memorable touch to lunchtime for students in grades K–4.

Nutrition education was also a focus during February and March. Food Service Director Kaitlyn Pierce led interactive lessons with elementary students, teaching them about protein, food groups, and how nutrition helps our bodies grow strong and healthy.

To round out the month of March, middle and high school students participated in a “Freaky Foods” tasting event. Students spun a wheel for the chance to try unique items like colored cauliflower and rainbow carrots—an activity that was both adventurous and well received.

We are proud to offer these engaging opportunities that encourage students to explore new foods while learning about healthy eating habits.

1. Important Dates 📆

We are list 'em here! Events, parent conferences, special programs, etc. https://www.southrange.k12.oh.us/view-all-events

2. Superintendent One Calls 📣

Review the weekly all-calls here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k4aM4E9nO77_GALKZPIKzHrRNDjcjJ2AYYBw87Uk1P4/edit

3. District Text Messages 💬

Review the district text messages here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k4aM4E9nO77_GALKZPIKzHrRNDjcjJ2AYYBw87Uk1P4/edit

4. Parent Resources 🤗

Is your child struggling with coming to school or with homework? Here's how we can help:

• Call our school staff!
• Review our community resources document 👉https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_K0Oqdc9IGNbPutFvd7yCHHIR55Gnru1/view