Northeastern Local School District

🐾 ✈️ NELSD | Celebrating Excellence in Education ✨🏆

❤️💛🤎 On June 2nd, members of the NESLD family were recognized at the 33rd Larry K. Zerkle Excellence in Education Award Dinner.

🏆️ Hosted annually by the Clark County Educational Service Center (ESC), the event celebrates the achievements of graduating valedictorians and salutatorians while providing them with a special opportunity to recognize an educator who made a lasting impact on their educational journey.📚🍎

🐾 Kenton Ridge High School
KRHS Valedictorian Addi Hibbs selected Spanish teacher Viangie Gibson as the educator she wished to honor. Addi and Salutatorian Kenzie Stacy proudly represented Kenton Ridge at the event.

✈️ Northeastern High School
NEHS Valedictorian Clara Wiant selected English teacher Becky Chapman as the educator she wished to honor. Clara proudly represented Northeastern at the event.

The evening served as a powerful reminder that behind every successful student is a network of educators who encourage, inspire, and help them reach their full potential.

Congratulations to our students and educators on this well-deserved honor! 👏🎉

💬 Help us celebrate these outstanding Jets and Cougars in the comments! ❤️💛🐾✈️

Go Jets ✈️ and Cougars 🐾!

Write-up ✒️ by Communications Intern Aimee Naah (KRHS '27)

🐾 KRHS | Artist Wins Congressional Art Competition! 🎨🏆️

🎉 Huge congratulations to Etta Springhetti, a junior at Kenton Ridge who placed first in the 2026 Congressional Art Competition in District 15! 🎉

If you have ever shared an art class with her, you would know that Etta is an incredibly talented artist! 👩‍🎨 She is passionate about creating art with colored pencils 🖍️, acrylic paint 🖌️, and graphite ✏️. Through the guidance of KRHS Art teacher Mrs. Sherrock, she submitted one of her beautiful works to the Congressional Art Competition this year. Etta was thrilled when she learned she had not only placed in the contest, but won it outright! 🤩

As shown in the photos below, Etta's winning piece was a self-portrait in Prismacolor colored pencils, depicting her when she was 18 months old. 🍼 Her artwork will be representing District 15 at the Capitol Building, displayed in the Cannon Tunnel for 11 months. Etta was not only honored for her accomplishments at the Rep. Mike Carey Congressional Art Competition Award Ceremony on May 7th, but she will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for another celebration that will take place on June 25th. 🗓️

We are so proud of Etta and her amazing achievements! 🥳 Make sure to leave her a congratulatory message in the comments below. ⬇️

Post ✒️ by Communications Intern Mila Trulock (KRHS '26).

🐾 KRES | Kindergarten Graduation

Our Cougar Cubs are growing up! 🐣

On May 21st, our 2026 Kindergarten 👣 class had their graduation! 🥺

The Cubs put on a concert 🎶, singing songs about their Kindergarten experience. 🎙️

Our Kindergarten teachers 👨‍👧‍👦: Mrs. Thompson 🔢, Mrs. Jones 🎨, Mrs. Thornton 🔠 , Mrs. Howard 💕, Mrs. Nelson 🖍️, and Mrs. Roberts 🕝️ are proud of our ROARing Cougar Cubs.

Help us congratulate 🎉🥳 our Kenton Ridge 🐾 Cubs in the comments! 📝

Write-up ✒️ and photos 📸 by Communications Intern Aimee Naah (KRHS '27)

✈️ NEES | 📚 Summer Scrollback 🌞

Yes, it’s June. 😅

The end of the school year is a beautiful, chaotic blur — and some amazing moments didn’t make it to the feed before summer break hit. We’re spending some time catching up on stories that deserved a spotlight but never got one, and this one deserves a shoutout. 📬

🏀 Back in the spring, Mrs. Kress' 3rd graders ran a four-week Reading March Madness tournament. Students picked teams, designed jerseys, set reading goals, and competed by logging extra minutes at home each week to stay in the bracket. 📖

🏆 When the final buzzer sounded, the Angry Cobras were crowned this year's champions!

🌟 The MVPs earned their titles by reading the most minutes throughout the tournament, while the Coach's Awards celebrated students who kept SOARing by rallying for their classmates, even after their own teams had been eliminated.

🌞📖 Summer reading is in full swing! What books can't your child put down right now? Tell us in the comments! 💬 👇

✈️🎭 NEHS | Award-Winning Performances 🏆✨

The Northeastern Drama Club took center stage earlier this month at the Miami Valley High School Theater Awards (MVHSTA) Showcase at the Schuster Center in Dayton, and they came back with some hardware!🌟

Here's what our Jets brought home:
🏆 Outstanding Play — 12 Angry Jurors
🏆 Outstanding Ensemble in a Play — 12 Angry Jurors
🎶 Merit for Ensemble in a Musical — Frozen ❄️

👏🎭 From intense courtroom drama to magical musical moments—our cast, crew, directors, and everyone who helped bring these productions to life deserve their curtain call!

💬 Help us congratulate our award-winning Jets in the comments! ✈️🏆

🐾✈️ Supporting the journey. Inspiring the future. ✨

Join our team!

NELSD is and seeking dedicated individuals who are ready to make a difference. Be part of a district committed to supporting students throughout their educational journey while helping inspire the future they envision for themselves.

Current Openings:
📚 Kenton Ridge Middle School Teacher
🍎 Intervention Specialists at Kenton Ridge

Your work here empowers learners and transforms lives.

Visit nelsd.org/career-opportunities to learn more and apply today!

UPDATE:
As of 5:22 p.m.: team is en route from South Vienna with police es**rt.

UPDATE:

Welcome Home, Champs! 🎉

TONIGHT, let’s give our Cougars the welcome they deserve! 🚌🐾

📍 Old KRHS Lot – Arrival 5:37 p.m.

Parade Route: starting on Middle Urbana @ Old KR lot —> Montego —> Derr —> Moorefield Rd —> Ridgewood Rd E —> Sierra

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🐾 KRHS Athletics | 🏆🤎💛 Back-to-Back State Champions! 💛🤎🏆

𝑯𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆. 𝑳𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅. 64 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒔. 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌.

The Kenton Ridge Cougars are Division IV State Champions once again! 🥎🔥

Down 6-0 in the top of the third inning, the Cougars refused to back down. With grit, determination, and unwavering belief in one another, they battled all the way back to defeat Licking Valley Panthers 7-6 and bring home a second consecutive state championship.

This team didn’t just win a title—they made history.

To our players, coaches, families, alumni, and Cougar Nation: thank you for believing, supporting, and cheering every step of the way.

The mighty Cougars reign on. 🤎💛🐾

UPDATE: The team’s infield practice will start at 10:23 AM. Let’s get there early to cheer them on as they take the field!

🐾KRHS Athletics | 🥎 STATE FINALS BOUND! 🥎

The Kenton Ridge Cougar Softball Team is headed to the OHSAA State Championship Game after a thrilling 5-3 victory over Mogadore Field in the state semifinals! 💛🤎

This team continues to make history, and now there’s just one game left.

📅 Sunday, June 7
⏰ 11:00 AM
📍 Firestone Stadium

Let’s pack the stands and turn Akron brown and gold! Bring the energy, bring the noise, and help cheer on the Kenton Ridge Softball team as they compete for another state title! 🐾🥎

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets

See you in Akron. Let’s finish the job! 💛🤎

✈️ NEHS Athletics | Annalee Williams Soars to a Top-5 Finish at State 🏅

✈️🏅 Congratulations to Northeastern freshman Annalee Williams on an incredible performance at the Division IV State Track & Field Championships!

In her first trip to the state meet, Annalee soared to a 5th-place finish in the high jump, clearing 5’4” to earn a spot on the podium among Ohio’s best.

As if a top-five finish in the state wasn’t impressive enough, her jump also tied the Northeastern High School record of 5’4”, matching the mark set by Lynette Dickerson in 1984.

From takeoff to landing, Annalee put together a remarkable season, and this state finish was the perfect way to cap it off. The future is bright for this Jet, and we can’t wait to see how high she’ll fly over the next three years.

Congratulations, Annalee! ❤️💛✈️

🐾💛🤎 GO COUGARS! 🤎💛🐾

Can’t make it to today’s Division IV State Semifinal game in person? You can still be part of the action and cheer on the Cougars from wherever you are!

Today’s game will be streamed live through the NFHS Network. By purchasing a subscription, you’ll be able to watch every pitch, hit, and big moment as Kenton Ridge takes the state stage at 3 p.m.

Whether you’re at work, at home, or on the road, Cougar Nation can still come together to support this special team as they continue their postseason journey.

🎥 Watch live: https://www.nfhsnetwork.com

🥎🐾 NELSD Community, Let's Pack the Stands! 🤎💛❤️

On Friday, the Kenton Ridge Lady Cougars will take the field at Firestone Stadium in the OHSAA State Semifinals, and we'd love to see our NELSD community there cheering them on! 👏🥎

Opportunities like this don't come around every day. For our student-athletes, running onto the field at Firestone Stadium is a moment they'll remember for the rest of their lives. For our families, students, staff, alumni, and community members, it's a chance to be part of something truly special. 🐾🤎💛❤️

The team will take the field for infield practice at 2:23 p.m., and it would mean the world to our players to see a sea of Cougar fans there to welcome them onto the field. 📣

📅 Friday, June 5
⏰ 3:00 p.m.
📍 Firestone Stadium | Akron

Whether you've followed this team all season or you're simply looking to support Kenton Ridge Softball, grab your brown and gold and make the trip to Akron!

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets

Let's show these young ladies how proud we are of everything they've accomplished. 🐾🥎💛

💬 Tag a friend, make your plans, and we'll see you at Firestone!