The Warrior
Newsletter for Huber Heights City Schools
Ohio's First Lady Visits Studebaker Preschool
Fran DeWine, wife of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, read to Studebaker Preschool students Wednesday, May 13, in recognition of the Purple Star military family school district and as part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.
Ohio's First Lady read Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar to more than 100 preschoolers who gathered at the Studebaker gym. She then visited classrooms and interacted with students, teachers, and other district personnel.
Studebaker was selected as one of the sites for Fran DeWine to visit due to it being the country's first Purple Star preschool. Preschool teacher Jenn Davis is the district's liaison to military families. DeWine visited Davis' and Lori Lovelass' preschool classrooms.
DeWine is a long-time champion for early literacy. In 2019, she helped establish Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Ohio, which mails one free, high-quality book every month to children from birth until age 5. The program has mailed out more than 26 million books in Ohio and will mail out more than 425,000 this year alone. Ohio parents can now sign up for the program as part of the birth certificate process. A study by the Dollywood Foundation indicated that children who receive these books are 15 times more likely to respond to and join in reading compared with children who are not enrolled in the program.
The DeWines have 8 children, 28 grandchildren. and one great-grandchild.
See video highlights of Fran DeWine's visit
Sixth-Graders Gather for Band Concert
The sixth-grade band concert on May 11 featured band students from all five elementary schools. Students have been bussed to Wayne High School after school twice a week since January. The concert included several pieces and features from every section.
Top 10 Wayne Graduates Recognized
The Class of 2026 Top Ten included Madison Wynkoop, valedictorian; Carissa Johnson, salutatorian; Zarina Akhmedova, David Alexander, Aeriana McCaffrey-Parks, Eli Nelson, Sophie Robles, David Sisco, Lance Smith, and Shari Taylor. (Photos by Kristen Amburgey)
Senior Awards
Seniors who earned specific awards for their academic and leadership achievements were recognized during a May 12 ceremony. The awards included scholarships, department awards, PBIS committee, and other special recognition, including honors diploma, honors cord, President's Award, military cord, blood cord (for blood donors), and academic award. (Photos by Kristen Amburgey)
Seniors Sent Back to Elementary School
An annual rite of passage for Wayne seniors is to return to their elementary schools and walk the halls one last time. Many are greeted by the teachers who guided them through those early years. This event allows the soon-to-be graduates to reflect on their time in HHCS. (Photos by Kristen Amburgey)
May Students of the Month
May Students of the Month for Wayne High School are Lily Closson, Angel Garcia, Kaitlyn Gleason, and Alexander Nguyen. Students of the Month are nominated by staff, then selected by vote to highlight those who demonstrate the Warrior Way in their daily actions.
May Staff Member of the Month: Jennifer Ostendorf
Jennifer Ostendorf, who teaches speech and English, has been named Staff Member of the Month for May. Ostendorf has been instrumental in helping implement EOC testing, an end-of-course assessment that measures mastery of content in a particular course. She is also co-advisor for Wayne's National Honor Society chapter.
End of School Year Science Wars
Staff Appreciation Week
Weisenborn recognized its MVPs with a sports theme during Staff Appreciation Week. This included pop-a-shot contests on Free Throw Thursday, a principal-prepared pancake breakfast for Stacking Wins Wednesday, and a ballpark lunch during Take Me Out to the Ballgame Tuesday. Students also found other ways to say thank you to staff, including cards and snacks delivered to teachers. We appreciate all our staff does every day, and we thank them for being the real MVPs.
Charles Huber Students of the Month
Charles Huber Elementary School loves celebrating the positive character and leadership qualities students demonstrate throughout the school year! Each month, teachers select a Student of the Month who exemplifies an important character trait, such as being respectful, honest, creative, responsible, and kind—just to name a few.
Students are chosen by their teachers for consistently showing these outstanding qualities, both inside and outside the classroom. Our Students of the Month are recognized in several special ways.Their names are proudly announced during morning announcements, they receive a certificate to honor their achievement, and, best of all, they get to celebrate with a special Pizza with the Principals luncheon!
Charles Huber Elementary is incredibly proud of these students and the positive example they set for others each and every day.
Art Show, Chorus Concert, PTO Event May Highlights
Charles Huber Elementary School was filled with excitement May 8 as families gathered at the school art show for a very special evening celebrating the incredible talents of its students.
The evening was led by our talented art teacher, Patrick Moore. Students proudly showcased multiple pieces of artwork they created throughout the year, and families enjoyed walking through the displays while admiring the creativity and hard work of our young artists.
Charles Huber also celebrated the end of a wonderful chorus season with an end-of-the-year chorus concert, directed by music teacher Karli Christ. Chorus students performed five songs they have been practicing all semester, and they truly sounded amazing! Their hard work, confidence, and enthusiasm made for a memorable performance that families greatly enjoyed.
In addition to the performances and artwork, Charles Huber's PTO hosted a fun-filled family event for everyone to enjoy. Families spent the evening playing games, enjoying hotdogs, cotton candy, and slushies, and spending quality time together as a school community. Many lucky families also won raffle baskets filled with exciting prizes and goodies. It was a wonderful evening filled with celebration, creativity, music, and family fun. Thank you to all staff and PTO members, students, and families who helped make the event such a success.
Literacy Fair Brings Families, Community Together
On the evening of May 14, Charles Huber Elementary School hosted a wonderful Family Literacy Fair that brought students, families, and staff together to celebrate learning and literacy!
Throughout the evening, families had the opportunity to visit each grade level’s displays and view the many projects students completed as part of their English Language Arts learning. The event provided a meaningful look at ELA curriculum in action and highlighted the creativity, hard work, and student growth throughout the year.
Students were excited and proud to share their projects and accomplishments with their families, making the evening especially memorable. In addition to exploring the displays, families enjoyed pizza and spent time connecting and collaborating as part of our strong school community. Thank you to all students, staff, and families who helped make the Literacy Fair such a successful and enjoyable event.
Summer Learning and Family Engagement
As Monticello wraps up another wonderful school year, we encourage all families to continue learning throughout the summer. The next 90 days provide great opportunities to read together, have meaningful conversations, practice math facts, explore new experiences, and continue building on the growth students made this year. Small moments each day can make a big difference as the students prepare for another successful school year ahead.
We also want to thank our incredible Monticello staff for the energy, care, and commitment they pour into our students every single day. Your work continues to make Monticello a special place where students grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Together We Win!
Over 50 From Rushmore Display Talent at Art Show
More than 50 talented Rushmore artists participated in the HHCS district-wide art show on May 6–7. Works of art included abstract cardboard faces, printmaking, and metal tooling made by sixth-graders, fourth-grade clay dragon eyes, baskets woven by fifth-graders, third-grade folk art designs, and much more! It was great to see Rushmore’s amazing artists come to the show with their families to see their fantastic work.
Busy Year for Rushmore Library
Rushmore's library was busy this year! K-2 learned about America in preparation for our country's 250-year celebration. Grades 3–6 began the year reading plays. They enjoyed this so much that we continued in fourth grade, reading Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1 as a play. Fifth grade read Escape from Lemoncello’s Library as a play as well. Third grade read Wild Robot. Sixth grade published a book that they created content for, cover to cover! Inspired by Joseph Coelho’s Ten Word Tiny Tales book, Rushmore students wrote their own 10-word tales. The students used a comb binding machine to punch the holes, creating their personal book.
Fourth-Graders Learn About Jets ... and Kites
Fourth-graders at Valley Forge recently took a field trip to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. During the visit, students took a sled kite class provided by the Air Force Museum Foundation. Students applied knowledge from social studies and science during the class to answer questions from the volunteer. After returning to school, students took their kites out for a test.
VF Students Compete in Environment Arts Contest
Valley Forge fifth-graders Rachel and Shayla recently participated in the Montgomery County Environment Arts Contest. The piece was made from recycled cardboard, paper, and plastic. It portrays a dragon resting under a cherry blossom tree. Valley Forge and art teacher Kathryn Nugent are proud of the countless hours they spent on the artwork.
Trolls and T-Shirts for Sixth-Graders
Sixth-grade students at Valley Forge recently took a field trip to visit and learn about the Aullwood Trolls and the animals of Aullwood. Upon their return to school, the students designed their own tie-dye shirts, a sixth-grade tradition at Valley Forge.
Studebaker Celebrates More Than 120 Graduates
Studebaker Preschool ended the school year by celebrating more than 120 graduates. Studebaker hosted four separate ceremonies to honor the Class of 2026, which was also recognized as the future high school graduating class of 2039. Students performed a few musical selections to the delight of their parents/guardians, grandparents, other family members, and friends. Their performances showcased just snippets of what they’ve learned during their foundational years. We wish our graduates the very best as they transition to kindergarten!
