The Warrior
Newsletter for Huber Heights City Schools
Zbinden Joins Board of Education
Steve Zbinden was sworn in January 8 as the newest member of the Huber Heights City Schools Board of Education during the Board's Regular Business Meeting.
Zbinden will continue to serve as a liason between HHCS and the Miami Valley Career Technology Center Board of Education, as he has for the past 6 years. His accomplishments in that role include helping develop sustainable funding for career technical education at Wayne High School and attending Ohio School Board Association events. The 23-year resident of Huber Heights and husband of a teacher is the father of two children, one a senior at Wayne and the other a 2023 graduate of Wayne/MVCTC. He has 20 years of service with the Ohio Air National Guard and is currently employed as an engineering technician at Unison, a GE Aerospace company. He has volunteered with community groups and previously served as part of the HHCS Strategic Planning Committee.
Also sworn in were returning members Kelly Bledsoe and Mark Combs. Like Zbinden, they were elected to those positions last fall. Shannon Weldon will serve as Board president during 2026. Erika-Joy Cassidy will remain vice president.
Contact information for Board of Education members is listed on the Board of Education web page.
Wayne Train Classic Speech and Debate Tournament
Dungan Nominated for Golden Owl Award
Wayne High School/Miami Valley Career Technology Center (MVCTC) satellite agricultural instructor Sara Dungan has been nominated for the Ohio FFA Golden Owl Award, which celebrates exceptional agricultural educators who make a lasting impact on students, programs, and the future of agriculture.
Nominees also have the opportunity to earn the title of Ohio Agricultural Educator of the Year, along with significant financial support for their school’s agricultural program. The winner’s school will receive a $5,000 cash prize and 10 honorees will receive $1,500 each for their school.
Dungan has built a strong, inclusive agriculture program as the satellite instructor for the Wayne/MVCTC ag program. Her commitment to expanding opportunities has helped strengthen participation from all demographics in agricultural pathways and ensured more students feel welcomed and represented in agricultural education.
Award recipients will be announced at the FFA State Convention in May.
Spanish Cultural Day
Katia Jordan and Geone Neria's Spanish classes learned about cultural traditions in Spain. The New Year's tradition included eating 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds of the year while thinking about 12 wishes. The classes also learned about Mexican tradition (Three Kings Day) and ate Rosca de Reyes (sweet bread) while drinking hot chocolate.
Welding Class Restores Horse Trailer
The welding class recently worked on a special project, restoring a horse trailer.
January 16 Pep Assembly
The annual winter sports pep assembly on January 16 included games with student-athletes from different winter sports and performances by the band and cheerleaders.
Mic'd Up at Wayne Podcast
Mic'd Up at Wayne is the official podcast of Wayne High School. The video productions class produces this podcast. Principal Brent Carey will often be the featured guest, but school news, events, and stories will also be presented. Visit the Mic'd Up at Wayne web page to hear the latest episode.
January Students of the Month
January's Students of the Month for Wayne High School are Heavenley Ayson, Mark Johnson, Kai King, Donovin Meyer, Mallak Quendah, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Corielle Rutledge, and Miguel Wade. Students of the Month are nominated by staff, then selected by vote to highlight those who demonstrate the Warrior Way in their daily actions.
January Staff Member of the Month: Amy Zobrist
Intervention specialist Amy Zobrist is January's Staff Member of the Month. "She has dedicated 31 years to teaching at Wayne High School, touching countless lives along the way," Principal Brent Carey said. "Her kindness and compassion shine through in everything she does, and she works tirelessly to support her students’ growth and success. She is a trusted colleague who is always willing to step in and help others, making a lasting difference in both her classroom and the school community."
First-Grade Reading Program Explores Many Subjects
The foundation of our first-grade reading program, Amplify, centers on helping students build content knowledge across subjects like history, science, and the arts through engaging, rich texts. This approach significantly enhances reading comprehension by connecting literacy skills with meaningful learning.
What we've explored this year:
- Classic fables like The Boy Who Cried Wolf
- Human body systems and how they work
- Global storytelling traditions, including different versions of Cinderella
- Ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt
- The Aztec civilization and their culture
- Astronomy and our solar system
Our students have been absolutely captivated by these diverse and fascinating topics!
School-Wide Assembly Highlights
On January 16, Monticello Elementary gathered for a school-wide awards assembly with special guest Doug Wampler as our host. With our Ring Of Growth theme in mind, students were reminded that each award doesn’t mean the journey is finished; it means they’re getting started on the next level of growth, learning, and achievement.
SWAG Awards
We proudly recognized 61 students for earning the SWAG Award. This honor celebrates students who demonstrate remarkable effort, determination, and progress, truly embodying the spirit of growth and achievement.
Perfect Attendance
35 students were recognized for maintaining perfect attendance.
Warrior Awards
198 students received the Warrior Award, honoring students who exemplify our Portrait of a Warrior traits—collaboration, communication, empathy, perseverance, and critical thinking, both academically and behaviorally.
Academic Excellence
190 students were recognized for outstanding academic performance during the first semester.
i-Ready Growth Recognition
- 205 students demonstrated growth in both reading and math
- 69 students showed excellent growth in only reading
- 93 students showed excellent growth in only math
We are incredibly proud of our students and the hard work they continue to show each day. Celebrations like these highlight the commitment of our students, staff, and families to academic growth and positive school culture.
Third-Grade Parent Meeting
On January 20, we held our first third-grade parent meeting at Monticello Elementary, led by our third-grade team in collaboration with families. During the meeting, we reviewed student data, discussed benchmark results, and shared ways families and the school can work together to better support student learning. The focus of this meeting was to strengthen our partnership and improve early literacy outcomes for our students.
This QR code is for the Ohio State Test Family Website, where families can access practice resources to support learning at home. These practice tools are available for students in grades 3–12. You can also access these tools via the website link.
First-Graders Celebrate Winter, Attendance
Rushmore would like to spotlight first-grade students this month. Before winter break, students wore their pajamas for a Polar Express pajama day and had hot chocolate for a class treat. During these snowy and cold months, students can be found drawing baby snowmen and discussing whether snowmen started as tinier snowmen or if they were snowflakes. Our first-grade classes are currently studying early American civilizations and fact and opinion writing. Some first-graders are practicing their addition and subtraction facts with fast fact folders. We are so proud of our mathematicians.
We are also celebrating attendance at Rushmore and recognizing a grade level each week that shines in this area.
Professional Development
On our professional development day, teachers participated in a connection exercise, recognizing strong relationships in the building. Later in the month, students completed a climate survey highlighting teachers with whom they have a bond.
Celebrating Artists in Fourth Grade
In preparation for World Art Day on April 15, fourth-grade students participated in a creative project in Kathryn Nugent’s art class. Students designed cupcakes to celebrate artists and their contributions, learning how art reflects history, culture, and the human experience.
Through this activity, students explored artists’ achievements and considered how art impacts them personally. The project encouraged creativity, critical thinking through research and design as well as a deeper appreciation for artists.
Kindergarteners Pop Into 2026
Kindergarteners are popping into 2026. Students started the day with their own balloon drop, changing the year to 2026 in Number Corner, then popping the balloons to read the tricky words inside.
During first-semester art, kindergarten artists first focused on learning the names of the colors, then explored the primary colors. Students continued exploring colors when using line, shape, and design to decorate snakes, and also focused on cutting skills. They explored texture by using rubbing plates to create scaly monsters in the fall, then created ornaments from paper plates at the end of the semester.
Walking the Red Carpet
Students in Katie Jaynes' class proudly walked the red carpet, celebrating their remarkable growth at the end of the semester. Those who showed progress in MClass and i-Ready were honored for their hard work and dedication. Our Red Carpet event, which takes place each semester, is a vibrant celebration designed to recognize and inspire continued achievement.
