Classes begin Monday with a staggered start, meaning students with last names beginning with A-K will go for the first two days of the week, and those who have L-Z names will go Wednesday and Thursday. Everyone comes together Aug. 18, except Pre-Kindergarteners, and thus the new school year begins.
That date is big in the Hamilton community: The district’s varsity football team, for the first time in 20 years, will play Badin High School at 7 p.m. that evening in the “Showdown at the Schwarm” (Virgil Schwarm Stadium at Hamilton High School). The two schools have only ever met four previous times on a football field — 1980, 1981, 1999 and 2000, according to the HHS athletic department.
The city is so pumped about the gridiron matchup there will be a community pep rally 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 12 at Marcum Park.
Holbrook says while there is excitement to get things going for this new school year, there is a need for support staff in the HCSD.
“The continual concerns include providing students and staff with the necessary academic and support services,” he said when asked by the Journal-News. “The support needed to properly service students and staff academically, emotionally and physically has been a continual challenge and moving target.”
While the height of the COVID-19 pandemic proved challenging, it accelerated the learning and use of technology.
“Hamilton City Schools is a 1:1 district, meaning every student has a Chromebook,” Holbrook said. “Pre-COVID, the district was using technology with students. Still, during COVID and post-COVID, the refinement of meaningful lessons, the ability to meet virtually when in-person meetings are not possible, and how we approach using classroom technology in our classrooms is far superior.
“The acceleration of how our students and parents use technology was benefited (and necessary) due to COVID,” he said.
The high school has seen an improvement in its graduation rate, with more than 97% successfully completing school in the district. And internship interest is on the rise.
“Participation in student internship programs is at an all-time with over 500 students interning in more than 100 companies,” Holbrook told the Journal-News.
Staff Writer Michael D. Pitman contributed to this report.
HCSD buildings
Hamilton City Schools serves nearly 9,000 students. The district has eight elementary schools (PK-6th grade), two middle schools (7th-8th grade) one high school freshman campus (9th grade) and one high school main campus (10th-12th grade). Hamilton City Schools is one of the Top 25 largest school districts in Ohio (Ohio has more than 600 total school districts).
Source: Michael Holbrook, Hamilton Schools superintendent
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