Sophie Day was crowned Harlan County High School Basketball Sweetheart recently. Whitney Noe was selected Maid of Honor. Sophie was escorted by Trenton Cole, 14. Noe was escorted by Reggie Cottrell, 1. Cole and Cottrell are team captains.
Harlan County High School's PBIS Student Achievement award recipients are, left to right, Samuel Carr, Joey Hubbard, Carson Clark, Cassie Bargo and Mylei Stewart. "These students show up every day, work hard, and exceed expectations. I am very proud of them," said teacher Cate Mitchell. The students received Dairy Queen gift cards.
Please be aware that the main phone line is down at Harlan County High School. AT&T is aware of the problem and working to correct it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, should you need to reach the school for an urgent matter, please call 606-574-2028.
Please be aware that the main phone line is down at Harlan County High School. AT&T is aware of the problem and working to correct it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, should you need to reach the school for an urgent matter, please call 606-574-2028.
Wallins Elementary School will be in session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
According to information received from BMUD Management, the tank at Daniels Mountain does not currently have sufficient water pressure to provide water for Wallins Elementary School tomorrow. Therefore we have no choice but to cancel Wallins Elementary on Monday, February 9, 2026.
Any Harlan County High School student that is impacted by the water outage needs to contact the school and this will be an excused absence.
Congratulations to the Harlan County High School Academic Team on winning top honors in the District 56 Kentucky Governor's Cup today at Clay County. District teams include Harlan County, Clay County, Leslie County and Harlan. We will share individual placements later. We are #HCProud! #HCFamily
We understand the excitement, the frustrations and all the other emotions you may be experiencing as a result of the continuing school cancellations. We truly understand the issues it causes our families. However, we want to make certain our students and staff are safe on days such as we have experienced over the past two weeks. With that said, due to the anticipation of accumulating snow beginning Friday morning and communities without water, we will cancel classes on Friday, February 6, 2026. This will be a weather (snow) day, not an NTI day.
The Harlan County School District will close for a traditional weather day (not NTI) on Thursday, February 5th, 2026.
The Harlan County School District will close for a traditional weather day (not NTI) on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026.
The Harlan County School District will close for a traditional weather day (not NTI) on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026.
The Harlan County School District will close for a traditional weather day (not NTI) on Monday, February 2nd, 2026.
The Harlan County School District will observe traditional weather days on Thursday, January 29th, and Friday, January 30th. There will be no classes. These are not NTI days. We encourage students to take this opportunity to complete previous NTI assignments. Despite slightly warmer temperatures, side roads, shaded areas and turning spots for our buses, continue to be areas of concern.
Due to continuing icy road conditions across the county and low temperatures, we will be observing NTI Day #9 on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
We will have NTI #8 Tuesday, January 27, 2026 due to snow and ice and the extremely cold temperatures.
Many side roads are still covered and ice will be a factor in the morning. Also AccuWeather is forecasting a temp of 3 degrees at 6 a.m.
The 7th and 8th basketball tournament will be postponed. A new schedule will be announced Monday afternoon.
The Harlan County School District will observe NTI Day 7 on Monday, January 26, 2026. Students should complete NTI assignments for day 7. Teachers will be available to assist students as needed. Please note we are under a cold weather advisory overnight and until noon on Monday. Wind chills are forecast to fall below 0 during this time. Icy road conditions are expected.
Revised Tournament Bracket
The elementary cheer competition is Thursday at 6 p.m. at Harlan County High School. Come out and support your school's cheer squad and Little Dancers.
Robert Simpson has been selected to be the next principal at Wallins Elementary School, beginning his new role on February 2.
Simpson, a lifelong resident of the Wallins Community, said he is thrilled to have been chosen to lead Wallins, a school which has been a major part of his life. He will succeed Stan Nicely who has accepted a position at the school district’s central office.
Harlan County Schools Superintendent Brett Johnson said today that he is pleased to announce the selection.
“With 27 years of experience in education and a strong commitment to serving our community, Mr. Simpson brings enthusiasm, leadership and a genuine passion for education to his new role,” said Johnson. “He has a proven track record of fostering meaningful community partnerships and cultivating a positive, supportive school culture for both students and staff.
Having attended Wallins from kindergarten through the eighth grade, he graduated from James A. Cawood High School in 1991.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1998, his master’s in 2004 and his Rank I in Supervision of Instruction in 2005 from Union Commonwealth University.
He has been an educator at Wallins for 27 years, having a significant impact on the many students he has taught, coached and helped in many other ways. He was a fifth through eighth grade math teacher, assistant principal and coached basketball and football.
“I am thankful for this opportunity and will go above and beyond to build upon the academic successes of Wallins Elementary. We have great students and a tremendous faculty and staff. We truly are a family and strive each day to see students succeed. We will do anything possible to meet the needs of our students as we prepare them for their futures.”
Simpson was inducted into the University of Pikeville’s Distinguished Educators Hall of Fame in 2024, highlighting his success.
While he won’t begin his duties as principal for a couple weeks, Simpson said he is hitting the ground running. He said he has a lot of goals and can’t wait to see these turn to accomplishments.
“My staff and I will continue to work hard to build upon the success that Wallins has had over the years. Personally, I will continue to support the academic growth of our students and support them in all of their endeavors,” he said.
Simpson said he is blessed to have a facility that is “state of the art and one that the students, staff and entire community can be proud of. I am thankful to the Harlan County Board of Education for the facilities upgrade at Wallins. We are state of the art.”
Simpson and his wife, April, have two sons, Evan and Ethan, students at Lincoln Memorial University.
Simpson, a lifelong resident of the Wallins Community, said he is thrilled to have been chosen to lead Wallins, a school which has been a major part of his life. He will succeed Stan Nicely who has accepted a position at the school district’s central office.
Harlan County Schools Superintendent Brett Johnson said today that he is pleased to announce the selection.
“With 27 years of experience in education and a strong commitment to serving our community, Mr. Simpson brings enthusiasm, leadership and a genuine passion for education to his new role,” said Johnson. “He has a proven track record of fostering meaningful community partnerships and cultivating a positive, supportive school culture for both students and staff.
Having attended Wallins from kindergarten through the eighth grade, he graduated from James A. Cawood High School in 1991.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1998, his master’s in 2004 and his Rank I in Supervision of Instruction in 2005 from Union Commonwealth University.
He has been an educator at Wallins for 27 years, having a significant impact on the many students he has taught, coached and helped in many other ways. He was a fifth through eighth grade math teacher, assistant principal and coached basketball and football.
“I am thankful for this opportunity and will go above and beyond to build upon the academic successes of Wallins Elementary. We have great students and a tremendous faculty and staff. We truly are a family and strive each day to see students succeed. We will do anything possible to meet the needs of our students as we prepare them for their futures.”
Simpson was inducted into the University of Pikeville’s Distinguished Educators Hall of Fame in 2024, highlighting his success.
While he won’t begin his duties as principal for a couple weeks, Simpson said he is hitting the ground running. He said he has a lot of goals and can’t wait to see these turn to accomplishments.
“My staff and I will continue to work hard to build upon the success that Wallins has had over the years. Personally, I will continue to support the academic growth of our students and support them in all of their endeavors,” he said.
Simpson said he is blessed to have a facility that is “state of the art and one that the students, staff and entire community can be proud of. I am thankful to the Harlan County Board of Education for the facilities upgrade at Wallins. We are state of the art.”
Simpson and his wife, April, have two sons, Evan and Ethan, students at Lincoln Memorial University.
