Hamilton Local Schools

It’s that time of year again. Band Car Wash time!

One of their favorite fundraisers of the year is right around the corner, and they’d love your support. Stop by, get your vehicle sparkling clean, and help support our student musicians at the same time.

They’re also accepting donations to help keep oit students fueled and hydrated throughout the day. Cold water, sports drinks, snacks, and lunch donations are all greatly appreciated, especially during the summer heat.

If you’d like to contribute or learn more about how you can help, please reach out to a Band Booster Board member.

Thank you for always supporting our band family. Your generosity and encouragement make opportunities like this possible for our students, and we are grateful for this amazing community.

Congratulations to our 2026 OHSAA Track & Field State Qualifiers!

Lucas King - High Jump

Zyheir Coles - 400 Meter Dash

JB Ogunlana - 300 Meter Hurdles

These student athletes have dedicated countless hours to their craft and have earned the opportunity to compete at the OHSAA State Track & Field Championships on June 7 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Please join us in wishing Lucas, Zyheir, and JB the very best as they represent Hamilton Township High School.

Follow all of the action and state meet coverage here: https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Track-Field/2026-Track-and-Field/2026-Track-Field-State-Coverage

Due to the current course conditions and flooding on the cart paths, the Hamilton Township Football Fundraiser Golf Outing has been canceled.

Coach Varney is currently working on securing a rain date and will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.

Tonight’s the Night!

Join us as we celebrate the Hamilton Township High School Class of 2026 at this evening’s graduation ceremony beginning at 6:30 PM.

If you can’t attend in person, you can watch the ceremony live on our YouTube livestream here:

https://youtube.com/live/aOWFxcIorBo?feature=share

Congratulations to the Class of 2026! We can’t wait to celebrate this special milestone with you all tonight!

HTHS Graduation 2026 HTHS Graduation 2026 at World Harvest Church

Our 5th graders got a sneak peek into the future at Career Discovery Day hosted by Eastland-Fairfield Career Center!

Students explored dozens of interactive, hands-on career stations and filled their “passports” along the way as they discovered exciting opportunities in engineering, firefighting, coding, electrical work, and so much more.

Experiences like these help spark curiosity, build confidence, and inspire our students to dream big about their futures. Thank you to Eastland-Fairfield Career Center for providing such an engaging and memorable day for our Rangers!

Hamilton Local School District is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Shackleford as the new Head Coach of the Hamilton Township High School Girls Basketball program. Shackleford brings decades of playing, coaching, training, and leadership experience to the Rangers, along with a passion for building strong relationships with student-athletes and communities.

Born and raised in Newark, Ohio, Shackleford is a graduate of Newark High School, where he played four years of basketball under High School Hall of Fame Coach Gary Walters. During his playing career, Newark captured three Central District Division II titles and won Buckeye Central Conference championships in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

Following high school, Shackleford continued his basketball career at Ohio State University-Newark/Central Ohio Technical College, where he played under NAIA Hall of Fame Coach John Kaminsky during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Shackleford’s coaching career spans nearly two decades across boys and girls basketball, football, and AAU athletics. He began coaching in 2007 as a Girls Varsity Assistant Coach at World Harvest Prep before serving as the Newark Boys Junior Cats Director and Coach from 2009-2014. He later held coaching positions at Newark High School as Freshman Boys Head Coach (2015-2016) and Junior Varsity Head Coach (2016-2019).

Most recently, he served as the Head Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at Lakewood High School from 2022-2026.

Beyond school athletics, Shackleford has made a major impact on girls basketball throughout Central Ohio through AAU competition and player development. In 2012, he co-founded Ohio Impact alongside former Ohio State basketball and volleyball standout and current University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Head Coach D’wan Vickroy-Shackleford. Under his leadership, Ohio Impact has become one of the most recognized girls AAU basketball programs in Central Ohio and has helped more than 32 student-athletes earn college basketball scholarships.

Professionally, Shackleford owns and operates a family solid waste and logistics company and opened Shack ‘U’ LLC Basketball Training Academy in Newark in 2017. His daughter, Jenna Shackleford, currently plays collegiate basketball at Ohio Dominican University.

Shackleford shared his excitement about joining the Ranger community, saying, “Hamilton Township has many great things happening within the school district. There are educators, coaches, administrators, school board members, and staff who have dedicated years to this district because they truly care about the students, the community, and each other. You can see the pride and investment throughout the campus and athletic facilities. Upon witnessing that commitment, I learned what the Hamilton Township represents for me, people who stayed home and watered their own grass. That loyalty and commitment to the school and community is why I know Hamilton Township is the place for me.”

Hamilton Local School District is excited to welcome Coach Shackleford to Ranger Nation and looks forward to the leadership, experience, and passion he will bring to the girls basketball program.

We are proud to recognize five outstanding Hamilton Local School District educators who were honored today at the Ohio Statehouse by State Representative Lawson-Rowe for their dedication, leadership, and impact on students across our district.

Congratulations to:

Natalie Moore – Hamilton Preschool (not pictured)
Sheena Turner – Hamilton Elementary School
Kathi Brown – Hamilton Intermediate School
Susan Rinaldi – Hamilton Middle School
Joe Farfsing – Hamilton Township High School

Ranger Nation is proud of you!

Our Hamilton Intermediate Lighthouse Team and a group of teacher-nominated 4th-grade leaders traveled to the Ohio Statehouse!

These incredible students spent the day diving into state history, learning firsthand how our government operates, and discovering what it truly means to lead.

We are so proud of our young leaders representing Hamilton Local with pride!