Congratulations to our GHS Esports Team for competing in the West Virginia Scholastic Esports League Fall Finals at the WVU Mountainlair on Friday, January 23.
Coach Wes Norris manages GHS Esports weekly afterschool. It is a hybrid opportunity for students, with some students playing from the school lab and others playing from home. This year’s state WVSEL event featured semifinal and finals matchups held in person in Marvel Rivals, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Brawlhalla, Rainbow Six Siege, and Overwatch 2. Our GHS team competed in Siege.
GHS Fall Season Siege Team members include Levi Ross, Caleb Benedict, Trenton Stone, Hunter Setler, Tyler Arey, and Johnathan Martin.
https://esports.wvu.edu/wvsel
#wvsel
Coach Wes Norris manages GHS Esports weekly afterschool. It is a hybrid opportunity for students, with some students playing from the school lab and others playing from home. This year’s state WVSEL event featured semifinal and finals matchups held in person in Marvel Rivals, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Rocket League, Apex Legends, Brawlhalla, Rainbow Six Siege, and Overwatch 2. Our GHS team competed in Siege.
GHS Fall Season Siege Team members include Levi Ross, Caleb Benedict, Trenton Stone, Hunter Setler, Tyler Arey, and Johnathan Martin.
https://esports.wvu.edu/wvsel
#wvsel
Reminder: Due to concerns regarding continued poor weather, both the public comment for calendar and regular meeting of the Taylor County Board of Education will be moved to next Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 - same time/same location.
Due to concerns regarding continued poor weather, both the public comment for calendar and regular meeting of the Taylor County Board of Education will be moved to next Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 - same time/same location.
All Taylor County schools will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
⭐ ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT: Jonathan Maier ⭐
The GHS Swim Team competed in a highly competitive meet at FSU this past Thursday, and senior Jonathan Maier delivered an outstanding performance! Jonathan won the 100 Freestyle and shattered his own school record with a time of 55.28 — his second school record of the week!
Congratulations on an incredible accomplishment, Jonathan! We are so proud of this Bearcat’s hard work and dedication! #bearcatpride
The GHS Swim Team competed in a highly competitive meet at FSU this past Thursday, and senior Jonathan Maier delivered an outstanding performance! Jonathan won the 100 Freestyle and shattered his own school record with a time of 55.28 — his second school record of the week!
Congratulations on an incredible accomplishment, Jonathan! We are so proud of this Bearcat’s hard work and dedication! #bearcatpride
📣 Attention GHS Juniors & Seniors! 📣
Invitations to apply for National Honor Society—along with the application materials—have been emailed to all eligible students’ GHS school email accounts.
📧 Please be sure to check your school email so you can review the application process and begin working toward completion.
If you believe your cumulative GPA is 3.5 or higher and did not receive an invitation, please email Mrs. Gainer at dmgainer@k12.wv.us
.
With the current weather conditions, we wanted to ensure all eligible students received their invitations and applications in a timely manner.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Good luck to all applicants!
Invitations to apply for National Honor Society—along with the application materials—have been emailed to all eligible students’ GHS school email accounts.
📧 Please be sure to check your school email so you can review the application process and begin working toward completion.
If you believe your cumulative GPA is 3.5 or higher and did not receive an invitation, please email Mrs. Gainer at dmgainer@k12.wv.us
.
With the current weather conditions, we wanted to ensure all eligible students received their invitations and applications in a timely manner.
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Good luck to all applicants!
We are celebrating our National Board Certified professionals this week, January 26-30.
National Board Certification is the most respected professional certification available in education and provides numerous benefits to teachers, students and schools. It was designed to develop, retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.
https://www.nbpts.org/
@NBPTS #NBCTWeek #NBCTWV
❄️ Snow Day = Shoe Clean-Out Day! 👟
While you’re home today enjoying the snow day, it’s the perfect time to go through your closets and check your shoes! 👢👟
If you find pairs that are gently worn, too small, or no longer used, set them aside and donate them to a great cause.
The National Technical Honor Society at Grafton High School will be collecting shoes throughout January and February, with collection beginning when we return to school. If you are a community member wishing to donate, you are welcome to bring your donation to the main office and please be sure to label the shoes as a "donation for NTHS shoe drive."
✅ We accept:
• Gently worn, used, or new shoes
• Sneakers
• Cleats
🚫 We cannot accept:
• Single shoes or mismatched pairs
• Ice skates or rollerblades/roller skates
• Wet or moldy shoes
• Shoes with holes or tears
🎯 Our goal: 2,500 pairs of shoes!
Thank you for supporting this effort and helping us make a difference!
— GHS National Technical Honor Society
While you’re home today enjoying the snow day, it’s the perfect time to go through your closets and check your shoes! 👢👟
If you find pairs that are gently worn, too small, or no longer used, set them aside and donate them to a great cause.
The National Technical Honor Society at Grafton High School will be collecting shoes throughout January and February, with collection beginning when we return to school. If you are a community member wishing to donate, you are welcome to bring your donation to the main office and please be sure to label the shoes as a "donation for NTHS shoe drive."
✅ We accept:
• Gently worn, used, or new shoes
• Sneakers
• Cleats
🚫 We cannot accept:
• Single shoes or mismatched pairs
• Ice skates or rollerblades/roller skates
• Wet or moldy shoes
• Shoes with holes or tears
🎯 Our goal: 2,500 pairs of shoes!
Thank you for supporting this effort and helping us make a difference!
— GHS National Technical Honor Society
This year’s Grafton High School Chili Cookoff will be on Wednesday, February 4 in the Mary Battle Studio during the GHS Boys’ basketball game versus RCB. There is a $5 entry fee. You will need to cook at least 5 quarts of chili. Electrical outlets, cups, and serving spoons will be provided. You will need to bring a meat thermometer to ensure a temperature of 165 degrees. There will be two awards given: People's Choice and Judge's Choice. Good luck!
Chefs entering will be serving their delightful chili to guests from 5:30 to approximately 7:30. This event will coincide with the GHS/RCB boys’ basketball game.
We hope to see you there if you cook up chili or to taste many examples of chili.
There will be several teams vying for the chili cookoff championship! The public is invited to taste test and judge for the best chili in town! Taste testing will cost $2 to taste all the chili and then choose the best chili!
The Grafton High School chili cookoff is sponsored by the GHS Youth Leadership Association. Proceeds from the events will benefit students attending Youth in Government program this spring.
For more information, please contact Richard Zukowski at 304-265—3046 (ext. 3201) or email rzukowsk@k12.wv.us.
Chefs entering will be serving their delightful chili to guests from 5:30 to approximately 7:30. This event will coincide with the GHS/RCB boys’ basketball game.
We hope to see you there if you cook up chili or to taste many examples of chili.
There will be several teams vying for the chili cookoff championship! The public is invited to taste test and judge for the best chili in town! Taste testing will cost $2 to taste all the chili and then choose the best chili!
The Grafton High School chili cookoff is sponsored by the GHS Youth Leadership Association. Proceeds from the events will benefit students attending Youth in Government program this spring.
For more information, please contact Richard Zukowski at 304-265—3046 (ext. 3201) or email rzukowsk@k12.wv.us.
All Taylor County schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, January,26th, 2026.
From Coach England: The Bridge Invitational on Monday was a great meet for our team. Jonathan Maier beat his previous school record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.03.
Then, in the 100 freestyle, Jonathan outlasts a great effort by teammate Patrick Foley, (who swam a time of 55.88) Jonathan said “hold my Gatorade” and swam 55.37 to lead the Bearcats today. Freshman Dylan Stead was right on his heels pushing him in both events!!
Our girls turned in some personal best times as well!
💙💛
Great work, Bearcats! Keep on making us proud!
Communities In Schools will host another Backyard Brawl on February 11th! It’s GHS staff vs. TCMS staff in an epic Dodgeball showdown.
Admission is $1 per student, with concessions and additional fundraisers available throughout the event.
This fundraiser benefits both schools and helps support fun student activities and more.
Students—come out and support your teachers as they battle for the Backyard Brawl Trophy! 🏆
GNN: Fast News with Flea: 1/23/2026
Fast News with Flea 1 23 2026
Attention seniors planning to attend Fairmont State this Fall- Coming to an area near you, spend an evening with faculty and staff as we celebrate your Falcon journey. All first time freshman students (having no prior college) who attend will receive up to a $2,000 total scholarship, $500 per academic year for four total years.
Attendees will meet with our team and members of the Falcon Family who will answer any questions you have about the admissions process and life at Fairmont State.
Questions? Contact us at Recruit@FairmontState.edu or call 304-367-4855.
The next local event will occur at Fairmont State on 2/28/26 from 10:00 - 12:00. You must register for the event here: https://apply.fairmontstate.edu/portal/soar?id=d1e8ce72-a346-4f87-b2cc-36ab019fd9e1&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=slate
You can visit the SOAR page to see other locations that require some travel, but may work better for you depending on the dates.
We are proud to recognize the following students from Grafton High School for earning county-level wins at the Science Fair! These outstanding students will advance to compete at the State Science Fair in February. 👏👏
🏆 Winners from Mr. Skidmore’s Classes:
• Jordan Watson-Walters & Tyson Lowry
• Reagan Taylor, Gracie Fryer & Makayla White
• Brynley Murphy & Kristiana Cruny
• Ava Hess, Stephanie Williams & Sophia Whitehair
• Micah Barbe & Kinleigh Hutson
🏆 Winners from Ms. Robinson’s Classes:
• Ava Leard & Julie Hall
• Temperance Phillips
• Braelynn Jones & Julia Rossi
• Matthew McCauley & Owen Everett (8th Grade)
• Genevieve Mahon (8th Grade)
We are so proud of your hard work, curiosity, and dedication to science. Best of luck at the state competition! 💡✨
🏆 Winners from Mr. Skidmore’s Classes:
• Jordan Watson-Walters & Tyson Lowry
• Reagan Taylor, Gracie Fryer & Makayla White
• Brynley Murphy & Kristiana Cruny
• Ava Hess, Stephanie Williams & Sophia Whitehair
• Micah Barbe & Kinleigh Hutson
🏆 Winners from Ms. Robinson’s Classes:
• Ava Leard & Julie Hall
• Temperance Phillips
• Braelynn Jones & Julia Rossi
• Matthew McCauley & Owen Everett (8th Grade)
• Genevieve Mahon (8th Grade)
We are so proud of your hard work, curiosity, and dedication to science. Best of luck at the state competition! 💡✨
🐾 We have a new member of the Bearcat Family! 🐾
We are pleased to welcome a familiar face in Taylor County who has joined our staff at Grafton High School! Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Shelly Stead as our newest Assistant Principal at GHS. Mrs. Stead will serve as the assistant principal for grades 9 and 11, and we are excited to have her join us at GHS.
We know she will do great things for our students, staff, and Bearcat family. Welcome, Mrs. Stead! 💙💛
We are pleased to welcome a familiar face in Taylor County who has joined our staff at Grafton High School! Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Shelly Stead as our newest Assistant Principal at GHS. Mrs. Stead will serve as the assistant principal for grades 9 and 11, and we are excited to have her join us at GHS.
We know she will do great things for our students, staff, and Bearcat family. Welcome, Mrs. Stead! 💙💛
YCF Scholarships available to Grafton High School Seniors
Deadline is March 2nd, 2026
Deadline is March 2nd, 2026
📢 Attention Class of 2026!
New scholarships are being posted today in the Class of 2026 Teams. Be sure to check them out and see if you’re eligible for any of these great opportunities!
NEW TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GHS - Grafton Sports Network has created a scholarship that will be awarded to one GHS senior. Be sure to check it out to see what the eligibility requirements are. Thank you to GSN for giving back to our school and helping a Bearcat in their next chapter! We appreciate you.
New scholarships are being posted today in the Class of 2026 Teams. Be sure to check them out and see if you’re eligible for any of these great opportunities!
NEW TO SCHOLARSHIPS FOR GHS - Grafton Sports Network has created a scholarship that will be awarded to one GHS senior. Be sure to check it out to see what the eligibility requirements are. Thank you to GSN for giving back to our school and helping a Bearcat in their next chapter! We appreciate you.
