Blog

Feb

09

2026

Phlebotomist Turned Teacher

Around the School, People

By: Mikyai Scott English teacher Valerie Forrider is the newest addition to Federal Hocking High School staff, and she is making an outstanding first impression. Before her teaching career, Forrider was a STNA and a phlebotomist. Forrider decided she wanted to be a teacher so she majored in AYA English Launguage Arts. Forrider attended school at Marshal University for one year after high school, and then got her college credit at Rio Grande for four years. Before she became a teacher, Forrider started substitute teaching at schools in West Virginia, Southern, and Meigs for a year. Forrider enjoys being a…

Jan

14

2026

Rooted in FFA Tradition; Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders

FFA

By: Elizabeth Boyd Apple Orchards, Hobart Welding School, Warner Seed Company, keynote speakers highlighting how to be confident in one's own skin, BBQ dinners, hotel rooms, watching FH alumni earn American degrees, and more! In early November, some Federal Hocking FFA members attended the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. Athens and Alexander members also attended and bonds were strengthened. They watched keynote speakers present and learned about leadership and how to be confident in your own body. Junior Taylor Snedden was one of the two Federal Hocking students that went to the convention and she reflected on her favorite…

Jan

09

2026

Awesome Amber

About Us

By: Raelynn Ward Have you ever wondered what bus drivers' lives are like outside of picking and dropping students off? Here is a little bit of behind-the-scenes for Amber Tabler, who drives a bus for Federal Hocking Local Schools. Tabler grew up in Marietta, Ohio. It was a bigger city than what she is used to now and there was a lot more to do than where she lives now. Tabler has been a bus driver for nine years and she wanted to become a bus driver because the job position became available and it allows her to spend more…

Jan

07

2026

Phones Out; Focus In

Around the School

By: Hailey Young-Stewart Halfway through the school year, schools across Ohio are adjusting to a new state cell phone ban that limits student phone use during the school day. Teachers and administrators say the policy is meant to reduce distractions, improve focus, and encourage better behavior. Students, however, have mixed reactions about the change. Nationwide, more than half of U.S. school leaders report that cell phones negatively affect academic performance and attention spans, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Schools that have implemented phone restrictions have seen improvements in classroom engagement and a reduction in disruptions caused by…

Dec

08

2025

Game, Set, Graduate

People

By Rilo Wilkes The transition from high school to life after has no “normal”; it’s always weird and convoluted. And while this experience is unique to each individual, the things that connect all soon-to-be alumni are the memories we share. With that said, no one will be more connected than the people who have shared a sport or an after-school activity. Elizabeth Boyd is a senior who has been a member of the girls' golf team for all four years of high school. Boyd loves how golf has let her meet several people outside of her home school district, and…

Nov

21

2025

Girls Driving Forward on the Green

Golf

By: Raelynn Ward Hole in one, Eagle, Birdie, Fore, Bogie. If you know these terms, you’re definitely a golfer. If you do not, then there is an opportunity to learn about the girls golf team at Federal Hocking High School. This year's girls golf team included: Senior Elizabeth Boyd #1, Senior Maggie Kneier #2, Sophomore Estelle Ripple #3, and Sophomore Cora Kneier #4. Ripple said being on the golf team means having a strong team with a very good bond and getting to experience new things with golf. “It’s like we are sisters.” Ripple and Cora would describe the bond…

Nov

03

2025

Barbie takes a Plunge

News

By: Hailey Young-Stewart With nothing but a handful of rubber bands, a Barbie doll, and their understanding of mathematical modeling, students in Kelly Roberts’ Advanced Quantitative Reasoning class turned an ordinary math lesson into an extraordinary experiment in precision and problem-solving. The annual Barbie Bungee Jumping Project challenged students to use linear regression to predict how many rubber bands Barbie would need to make the perfect bungee jump, one that brought her as close to the ground as possible without touching it. What began as a silly classroom activity quickly became a sophisticated application of data analysis, prediction, and mathematical…

Oct

29

2025

Branching Out: New Coach Takes Root to FH

People

By: William Morgan Have you ever gotten a chance to sit down and talk with teacher and new football coach Dominic Branch? Branch grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and always had a firm passion for the sport of football. His favorite team is the Alabama Crimson Tide and Branch is very passionate about both of his teams the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Federal Hocking Lancers. One of Branch’s goals is to bring the Lancers out of the slumps that they have been in the last few years. He wishes to bring the lancers to success and to great heights…

Oct

23

2025

Superintendent by Day, Rockstar at Night

About Us, People

By: Mikyai Scott Have you met the famous Dr. George Wood? Well if so, you should know he’s a pretty cool guy. Wood has been at Federal Hocking for 28 years before he retired for six years, he missed the environment and staff so decided to come back and doesn’t regret a moment of it. Wood claims that he enjoyed building the four period schedule with staff and has some other good memories from Federal Hocking to look back on. When asked about the hardest part of being a superintendent, he claims it is balancing the budget. “When I was…

Oct

21

2025

The Briles Files

Around the School, People

By: Hailey Young-Stewart Sometimes you might not actually think about who’s working around the school until you actually need help. There’s a new person sitting front and center, whether to help you plan for your future, need someone to talk to, or simply need to change a class. The new Guidance Counselor, Savannah Briles, at Federal Hocking High School is here to help. Briles has come to fill in the role quickly and quite well after the departure of FH’s old Guidance Counselor Emma Wright. For Briles, the path to becoming a guidance counselor has been years in the making.…