The purpose of this email is to share information regarding Harding Middle School. It is a monthly newsletter featuring HMS news and current events.

                                                                                                           In This Issue:

 A Message From Mr. Mills

What's Happening In March

A Look Into April

Winter Sports Recap

SpringSports Schedules

Message from our Principal:

Dear HMS Families, 

Spring is in the air and the month of March also brings the beginning of the 4th eight weeks. Our students are gearing up for testing, and the teachers are working hard to ensure they are ready for their spring assessments. We are excited about the progress we are making in the classrooms and are confident that we will achieve all of our goals during testing.

As a parent, it is important to talk with your child about staying focused on the test without stressing out. Your child prepares every day for these assessments and therefore should approach the test feeling ready and confident. Helpful tips include getting plenty of sleep and eating a well-balanced breakfast. Also, it is important for students not to be absent during testing.

Our winter sports teams finished out in February with very successful seasons. You will find the winter sports recap at the bottom of this newsletter. Don't forget, track season is in session and it’s very important for these student-athletes to stay focused in the classroom in order to remain eligible. We can't wait to see what our fantastic athletes have in store for us this spring! Also, we want to wish the best of luck to those students participating in Destination Imagination, the Regional Spelling Bee, the high school musical Les Miserables, and the District Solo & Ensemble competition. I'd personally like to thank all the students and their coaches for the efforts and sacrifices they make daily for the extracurriculars at HMS. Also, a huge shout out to the parents, fans, and friends of all programs for their continued support.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact a teacher or me directly. We are here to work together to provide the best possible education for your student! My e-mail address is bmills@rollred.org or you can reach me by phone at Harding Middle School, (740) 282-3481. 

Sincerely,

Principal Bryan Mills

Daylight Savings

Come and support three of our HMS Drama Club students in the Steubenville High School Drama Club's production of Les Miserables on March 16th, 17th, and 18th in the SHS Auditorium. Isaiah Ramsey is playing the role of Gavroche, Lydia Battistel is playing the role of Little Cosette, and Lucy Collaros is playing the role of Little Eponine. 

2022-2023 HMS Winter Sports Recap

8th Grade Boys’ Basketball

The 8th grade basketball team finished their season with a 14-2 record and a 2nd place finish at the St. Clairsville Al Glitch Tournament. They defeated several tough teams that included Indian Valley, Dover (2), Beaver Local (2), Austintown Fitch (2), and St Clairsville (2). The team members included Orlando Anderson, Nyzir Birden, Braidyn Edwards, Santino Haney, Tajon Hython, Ty Kalinowski, Leo Kugler, Rocco Nocera, Ziare Scurry, and Nolan Suarez. Their combined record for 7th and 8th grade was 32-3. We look forward to big things out of this group in the years to come at SHS.

7th Grade Boys’ Basketball

The 7th grade basketball team finished their season with an 11-3 record and a 2nd place finish at the Al Glitch St. Clairsville Tournament. They defeated several tough teams that included Indian Valley, Dover, Austintown Fitch (2), Beaver Local (2) and St Clairsville. The team members included AJ Borsch, Landon Bowers, Colton Henderson, Xzavier Lawrence, Lawrence Luke, Travelle McGhee, Kyon Minniefield, Rhy’Shuan Parrish, DaMyus Rambsel, and James Turner. The coaches look forward to seeing these young men grow and get better for the 2023-2024 HMS season. 

7th/8th Grade Boys’ JV Basketball

The Harding Boys’ Reserve Basketball team finished the season with a .500 record. The whole purpose of having this Reserve team is to keep kids involved in basketball and to get better every day. Every student/athlete improved drastically from the beginning of the season until the end. Every student/athlete’s grades were also great during the season. Hopefully, they all keep working on their skills and we see them playing for Big Red in the near future.

8th Grade Girls’ Basketball

The 8th Grade finished the season with a 7-9 record. The team had a nice revenge road win against Bellaire and two quality wins over St. Clairsville this season. The Lady Stallions battled to the buzzer in many tight games against a tough schedule. The coaches would like to thank the girls for representing the program in a positive way and to keep working in the classroom as well as in their sports at the high school. Best of luck at SHS next year.

7th Grade Girls’ Basketball

The 7th grade girls' basketball team captured the Bellaire Tournament title with a convincing 34-15 win over top-seeded Barnesville. The team finished the season with a 14-4 record which included a win over BMC champion Beaver Local and they also defeated Harrison Central in the tournament 32-15. It was the first time the girls program has faced Harrison Central since the 2010 season. The coaches want to wish the girls the best of luck for the remainder of the 2023 school year and hope they continue to work hard to defend their title next year. 

HMS Wrestling

The Harding Wrestling team put on a stellar year with a combined dual record of 22-1. This year was the first year we were able to run two separate dual teams both performing well. Harding Black went undefeated in PAC8 duals this year besting Oak Glen, Bridgestreet, Triadelphia, Wheeling Middle, Warwood, Cameron, Brooke, Paden City, Sherrard, Moundsville, and New Martinsville. Harding Red suffered one loss to Triadelphia.

During the season, Harding competed in individual tournaments placing at least five at each tournament. The season-opening tournament at Martins Ferry saw 8 Harding wrestlers reach the podium. Three champions were crowned, consisting of Talea Guntrum, Landon Crosier, and Cedric Peckens. Placing second in the tournament were Antonio Hill and Monte Guntrum. Placing third in the tournament were Jacob Christian and Jaggar Rawson. Placing fourth was Bysier Luke. Harding took home the team tournament trophy by 95 points with a score of 274.5 with runner-up Barnesville scoring 207.

In the second tournament of the year at Indian Creek, Harding placed 8 wrestlers in their respective weight classes. Placing second in the tournament were Cedric Peckens, Monte Guntrum, Jacob Christian, and Talea Guntrum. Placing third was Antonio Hill, Chevelle McGee, and Landon Crosier. Placing fourth were Braylon Wilson and Jaggar Rawson. Harding also took the overall team title beating out Barnesville once again 253.0 to 212.5

The third tournament of the year saw Harding with its lowest placing of 7th out of 45 teams. Harding had 5 wrestlers make the podium respectively. They were Monte Guntrum (6th), Talea Guntrum (3rd), Landon Crosier (2nd), Jacob Christian (8th), and Braylon Wilson (3rd). 

To finish out the season Harding came up short in repeating as Junior High OVAC Champions finishing in second place. Harding had an outstanding showing during the tournament placing 9 out of 16 weight classes. Placing first were Talea Guntrum and Landon Crosier. Placing second was Monte Guntrum and Jaggar Rawson, fourth was Cedric Peckens, Antonio Hill, and Chevelle McGee, fifth was Easton Sheeler, while placing sixth was Braylon Wilson.

This group of kids was a special group, never giving up and improving throughout the season day by day. The future of Big Red wrestling looks bright! 

It's not too early to get your 6th grader ready for 7th grade by getting the meningococcal vaccine and the Tdap vaccine. Both are required for entry into 7th grade. Our school-based clinic can schedule these shots, your own doctor can administer them, and the Jefferson County Health Department can administer these shots. Please do not wait until the last minute, supplies sometimes run short or doctor's offices cannot fit you in. These shots are needed by the 2nd week of school in the fall. If your child has a medical condition or religious belief that forbids these vaccines, please stop by the office to fill out an exemption form. Please send proof of vaccination as soon as your child receives them.

March American Diabetes Alert Day* American Diabetes Alert Day is a one-day “wake-up” call to inform the American public about the seriousness of diabetes. It is observed on the fourth Tuesday of every March. The American Diabetes Association encourages people to take the diabetes risk test and determine if they are at risk for developing diabetes. The risk test requires users to answer seven simple questions about weight, age, lifestyle, and family history--all potential risk factors for diabetes. People scoring 10 points, or more are at high risk for type 2 diabetes and are encouraged to see a healthcare professional for further evaluation. Diabetes is a fast-growing public health problem. Over 400,000 Missouri adults, aged 18 or older, have been diagnosed with diabetes. About one-fourth of all Missourians with diabetes are unaware they have it. For many, the diagnosis of diabetes may come seven to ten years after the onset of the disease. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing some of its complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation, and death. Please take the Diabetes risk test and follow up with your doctor.

Thank you,

Amy Neely, RN, BSN, CSN

Congratulations HMS OAC District Placers

Landon Crosier 142lb Champion

Monte Guntrum 92lb 6th Place

Good luck to our 5 Stallions wrestling at States!

Landon Crosier

Monte Guntrum

Talea Guntrum

E'Laysia Christian

Khloe Anderson

The Jr. High State Wrestling Tournament

is March 18th & 19th

@ Covelli Centre

Youngstown, OH

Congrats Landon Crosier 142lb OAC District Wrestling Champion

The 7th Grade girls finished their season as Champions at the Bellaire tournament

7th grade basketball team finished 2nd in the St. Clairsville tournament

8th grade basketball team finished 2nd at the St. Clairsville tournament

Jazmyn Brown was recognized along with other SCS students at the Pathfinders Assembly for their Martin Luther King essays.

PBIS January - 5th/6th grade students

PBIS January - 7th/8th grade students

PBIS February - 5th/6th grade students

PBIS February - 7th/8th grade students

Please see the photo for our am drop-off and pick-up patterns. This must be strictly followed in order to avoid congestion and dangerous situations for our students.

In the am...

• All Students must enter through the cafeteria doors.
• Cars will be signaled to pull all the way down to the personnel on duty.
• Do not stop and drop off students in the middle of traffic flow.

In the pm...

HMS will dismiss in the following manner...

1. 2:30 Bus students will exit the building
2. 2:35 Walkers will exit
3. 2:39 Car riders will exit

• The cars must pull into parking spots while waiting on their student after school.
• Please observe directives from staff on duty.

Your compliance is necessary for the safety of our students. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.