By: Hannah Sprouse 10/14/25
For most students, the first quarter is the most intense part of the school year. The freshmen are just starting high school, excited for their next four years, while the seniors are finishing their last year, excited just to be done. Hunter Ford says, “It is going by very fast, I am excited to see what the future will hold for me”. New routines, subjects, teachers, and classmates are applied. At the end of this quarter, students set goals for themselves and reflect on their accomplishments.
Beyond students' grades, the end of the nine weeks offers teachers and students opportunities to improve, whether through new sports or a new way of teaching. Students seem to better understand their strengths and weaknesses as the quarter progresses, which gives them time to set realistic goals for the next three quarters.
With the seasons changing and the quarter ending, mental health is just as important as academic success. The first quarter can be an emotional rollercoaster for some; recognizing that it is okay to ask for help is key. All of our students should know they are not alone; there are teachers, counselors, family members, and friends who care and support them.
Always remember that no one has to face challenges alone, with the combined support of school staff, family, and friends. Make sure to have hope, keep your head up, and have confidence in yourself. It is also important to have mental and emotional check-ins. Teachers and staff work hard to create a safe, comfortable environment where students feel free to express their struggles and successes. Remember, you are seen and heard.
By: Hannah Sprouse 10/09/25
Readiness assessments are convenient for teachers and school administrators to see how well-prepared students are for upcoming courses, lessons, or tests. This ensures that learning starts at the right level for each student. These assessments also help identify each student's strengths and weaknesses that require improvement before moving on to new topics.
We conduct readiness assessments because they help build strong knowledge for learning. These assessments also give students a chance to reflect on their own understanding and prepare mentally for what is ahead. Instead of teaching the same way to every student, teachers can use readiness assessment results to provide extra support where needed or to offer challenges for those who are ready to move ahead. Reagan Smith says, “I thought that they were very challenging for me, and I believe that it does help the teachers know what they should teach me”.
By: Logan Sturgeon
Jr LCC had its first meeting on Wednesday, October 8. You might be wondering what Jr LCC is and what it does. Jr LCC stands for Junior Leadership Columbiana County. It is a program that takes high school sophomores and juniors and teaches them to become better leaders in and out of the classroom by identifying their strengths and weaknesses and showing them how to surround themselves with people with whom they can work well.
The program first met at the CCTC for a guest speaker who used an activity and a slideshow to help participants identify their strengths, how those strengths could help others, and how they could help them. From there, they took a bus to Baker's Golden Dairy Farm, where they learned about the process for making products such as milk, ice cream, and butter. While at the farm, they had another guest speaker from OSU's agriculture department teach them about how important Columbiana County and Ohio are to the U.S. agricultural system. To top it all off, everyone who went to the dairy farm got a little sweet treat at the end, made in-house.
Bridgett Newbold was one of the attendants at Lisbon High School. Newbold was asked, "What did you find most interesting about the dairy farm?" Newbold responded, “I thought it was very interesting how much technology is used in the farm. I didn’t realize it helped them make decisions on healthcare and breeding. I also thought it was so smart to use the technology to track their health and where they are.” The following question was asked: What did you learn about Ohio's agriculture industry, and how important is it to not only Columbiana County but also Ohio as a state? Newbold said, “I learned that Ohio is ranked top 10 nationally for eggs, milk, soybeans, and corn (if I remember correctly.) Everything the farmers produce contributes a lot to our local economy and to Ohio as a whole. I also learned that the agricultural industry provides a lot of different jobs that you may have never heard of before.” The Jr LCC plans to meet next month.
By: Sara Mayer & Sydney Trimnel Sept. 23, 2025
On September 25, 2025, Lisbon David Anderson Jr. Sr. High School will be holding parent-teacher conferences from 3 pm to 9 pm. To attend the conferences, parents had to call ahead and speak with the secretary, Mrs. McCoy, so she could schedule the conference. The reason for calling to schedule and not just showing up is so that the teachers know which students' parents are coming and at what time they will arrive. It would be quite challenging for teachers if parents showed up all at once and then had to wait for the teacher to be available, as there was no schedule.
All of the administrators we interviewed agreed that parent-teacher conferences are a valuable resource and are very important. We asked Mr. Edenfeild why he feels parent teacher conferences are important he stated, “I think parent teacher conferences are important because as an educator you’re always trying to engage the families so it’s a night dedicated to opening the building up, making the families feel welcome, and letting them come and talk in person with the people who are educating their children.” Here are some of the things that the teachers had to say about the conferences; Mr. Haulady believes “First and foremost it’s a chance for the teacher to meet the students parent and vise versa” we followed up with asking why that is important and he responded by saying “ It’s one thing for a student to be like this is what it’s like to be in Mr. Haulady’s class but another to put a name to a face.” Mrs. Lane states how she feels about parent teacher conferences by saying “ Parent teacher conferences are one of my favorite times of the year because I get to meet all the parents of the beautiful children I have in my class, I really enjoy talking with them about the things their kids are enjoying about school, maybe what they are struggling with, I also like how they tell me stuff about their kids I need to know that the child is to shy to tell me.” Mr Joy was also asked about his opinion on parent-teacher conferences, and he said, “ I think they're a good opportunity for parents and teachers to communicate effectively with each other.”
There will also be a Spaghetti dinner fundraiser from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm during the conferences to help attract more parents. This is for anyone who attends and would like to make a donation to the Lisbon cheerleaders. Lou Pezzano made her famous spaghetti, and her birthday coincided with both the parent-teacher conferences and the spaghetti dinner. Mrs. Marshalek said, “Also, my birthday is that day, so if you don’t have time for spaghetti, at least stop in and say happy birthday.” The cost $12 for adults and $8 for kids, so hopefully everyone stopped out to get some spaghetti.
During the conferences, we interviewed some parents who came to talk to their students' teachers, and they had some things to say about them. Ashley said, “I like to interact, and it keeps me up to date because I feel like my kids lie to me.” Kyle Bing also shares some of his thoughts about parent-teacher conferences, stating, “Parent-teacher conferences are great to offer; it’s a time when community members and parents can come into the building and meet the teachers.” Alice Davis also shared her opinion on parent-teacher conferences, saying, “I feel parent-teacher conferences are important so you can communicate with the teachers and your student, to make sure everybody is on the same track.” Ashley Mills also had a similar answer to Alice’s. Mills said, “It’s good to know what’s going on in the world of school because it’s very different now.” The parents had some positive experiences by being able to talk to their students' teachers and learning more about what was happening with their children while they were at school.