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Detroit Public Schools is proud to announce the opening of COMPUTEC! Golightly Career And Technical Center's full service copy and graphic design business.
Detroit Public Schools students have been participants in contests and competitions and have represented Detroit and their schools, very well. The following are just a few of the many awards that our youngsters have won or honors they have received in the past few months.
From now through May 31st, you and your children just might be inspired by what you can see-the hundreds of pieces of art in the 72nd annual, Detroit Public Schools Student Exhibition. After five years in the Main Branch of the Detroit Public Library, the show returned to the Detroit Institute of Arts. It is housed in the gallery space in the new Gibbs Learning Center which is part of the Wayne and Joan Webber Learning and Interpretation Center. The drawings, sculptures, ceramic pieces, paintings and jewelry were produced by DPS students in grades kindergarten through 12. The exhibit can be viewed during normal Museum hours.
At Howe Elementary, the staff and students understand that if anyone needs to do something to combat drug use and violence around the school, they are the ones to do it. Howe students in the second through fifth grades have participated in the District’s Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Program (Second Step) throughout the 2008-09 school year. Now that the year is coming to an end and there are more opportunities for encounters during the longer days, the staff at Howe want to give the students another ‘shot in the arm’ to help remind them about what they’ve learned. They want to leave a lasting impression to strengthen their ability to stay on the right path while school is closed. That’s where the Peace Rally comes in. On Friday, May 29, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., Howe students will be busy taking part in activities focused on keeping them drug free, violence free and ready to have a good summer doing good things at the school located at 2600 Garland. To really show the children the fun side of being a child the event will feature several speakers about the dangers of drugs and how to avoid violence, free pencils, pens, highlighters and Drug Free Pledge cards along with the Howe Cheerleaders with a drug-free cheer, the Howe choir with their drug-free song and the winners of the Howe Drug –Free Poetry Contest.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School family invites you to their grand Open House on Thursday, May 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the school located at 3200 E. Lafayette. There will be many activities in progress that will give you a glimpse of what goes on in the school everyday. You can tour King, meet the staff, visit an athletic practice, join a game of Chess, hear the band perform, view pictures of their historic trip to the China Olympics and sit in on the New Band Parent meeting at 6 p.m. in Room 175. You can also register your child for fall admission. The school features Advanced Placement Courses, Honor’s Classes, award-winning band programs, college and career prep curriculums, foreign languages, student government, award-winning business programs, tutoring, International studies, dress code, travel and enrichment experiences, plus access to academic and athletic scholarships and more. Just bring a copy of your child’s transcript, a resume and one recommendation from a current teacher. Both you and your child must be present for the interview.
‘Curriculum Night’ at Pasteur Elementary School is a very busy and most unique annual event. It’s coordinated by the Curriculum Fair Committee and is open to all Pasteur students, their families and the surrounding community. Certainly, everyone who attends will enjoy the clowns, art projects, face painting, games for all ages, prizes, refreshments and even cotton candy. But along with the fun the evening will include academic games that cover all of the subjects and the goals in the curriculum. The staff has turned the lessons into games and students can win prizes by just showing how much they’ve learned in their classes. Curriculum Night will be a perfect time for families, friends and community residents to really see what the students at Pasteur are involved in and for parents, a great opportunity for quality education time. Curriculum Night will take place on Friday, May 15 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Pasteur, 19811 Stoepel. For more details, call 313-494-7314. Pasteur is a Skillman Foundation School.
That is the slogan to be healthy by at the Clara W. Rutherford Academy. They’re kicking off a new fitness thrust with a full program that focuses on health. Key in their presentations will be ‘Living the 5-2-1-0.’ It’s the code for:
So far, to help further the focus on health, the school has received a fitness center donated by the Beaumont Foundation which is open to parents and students; held a health fair; provided all staff and students with asthma education; begun healthy cooking classes for students; prepared nutrition information handouts for parents and more. They are planning to implement a daily physical fitness time for all classes; serve healthier snacks and water at functions; hold a Family Bike Night; provide cooking classes for parents; start an After School Running Club; hold a Brain Gym for staff and more. The staff is sold on doing everything they can do to make healthy living and good nutrition a reachable goal for all of the Rutherford family. To help reach that goal, the school staff works closely with Rutherford’s community partners, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Beaumont Hospitals, Exercise Warehouse, Oakland University, University of Detroit Mercy and Wayne State University. To be there for the Rutherford health and fitness kick-off celebration, come to the school at 16411 Curtis on Wednesday, May 13 at 2:00 p.m. Get committed to Health and Fitness. For more details call 313-852-0709.
Congratulations to Peggy Collrin. She received "Art Teacher of the Year" award at the annual DPS Art show at the DIA on Sunday, April 26, 2009. The award was placed in the office at the Detroit Day School for the Deaf by Jan Goike, Assistant Principal In Charge. Goike said "I knew she would never tell a single soul. Peggy, We have always known that you are wonderful, but it is always nice to get recognition from your peers."
Also, 8 of students from the Detroit Day School for the Deaf have their art displayed in the show. Karen Worthy won 2nd place for sculpture and Roderick Foster won Honorable Mention for his abstract oil painting. You can see Karen's , Roderick's, DeJuan's, Attiya's, Treveon's , Earle's, DeAngelo's and Alexis Barber's art work on display on Friday, May 8th. They leave DPS at 9:45 a.m. and arrive back at 1:30 p.m.
Ten student members of Business Professionals of America at Denby High School are competitors on the State level to showcase their business acumen and to try to win awards for their skills. They emerged victorious from the Regionals that were held in January. At the competition they will demonstrate the knowledge, skills and occupational competencies that they have developed in the classroom and in the workplace through the Office Cooperative Education aspect of the program. Another important part of BPA is the focus on community service-an integral component for the development of good character. Denby students give their time to a number of community service projects on the school, City, State and National levels such as Forgotten Harvest, the American Cancer Society, the Motor City Makeover, donating blankets and singing Christmas Carols to seniors and more. For more information about BPA at Denby, call DeCheena Tillman at 313-866-7200.
Bill Faad, the president, and Brian Mifsud, vice president of Michigan Fuels recently got more than they bargained for at a recent check presentation at MacDowell school. The staff and students under the direction of Principal Mildred Davis really floored these generous gentlemen who were at the school to present $1,000 to representatives from each of 10 Detroit Public Schools. Before the presentation there was entertainment of the level that is seldom seen. Keyboard artist extraordinaire, John Darryl Winston, II (13 years old) was so good some visitors thought they were listening to recorded music. Ms. Davis can’t claim him because he attends Spain but he shared his talents willingly. When it was time for the presentation, everyone was in a great mood, even the men whose pockets were $10,000 thinner. After the warm welcome extended by every student and staffer they met and the floor show, they had no doubt that their $10,000 was going to the right places…to Detroit Public Schools.
$15,000 will go a long way towards supporting the Crary Connection Community Health Initiative. That donation from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan helps the school pay for more gym and playground equipment, and to repair the existing equipment so that the school community can more easily fit physical activity into each day. The donation will also help on the education side by providing information about making healthy food choices and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Lowe’s has joined in the effort to improve health at Crary by funding the school’s greenhouse project. When it is complete, they will plant vegetables and fruits that they plan to sell to the community. The greenhouse will be named after two Crary employees who passed away last year.
In their latest Advanced Placement Report to the Nation, the College Board had and announcement to make about Renaissance High School. In a review of the class of 2008, of the public schools in the country with large African American populations, Renaissance had the largest number of African American students who scored in the high range on the Advanced Placement English Literature exam. The achievement made national news.
Simone Perry, a middle school science teacher at Pulaski was named Teacher of the Year by the Engineering Society of Detroit. She was honored for her work with 12 students who developed a City of the Future. They named the city Tikyo and created museums, gallerias, schools, parks, renewing and water centers and under a dome. Mrs. Perry’s dedication was obvious. She worked with students during her lunch break and Christmas vacation, sometimes meeting with the parents and students at the library. The students participated in a Future City Competition for such projects. Although they did not win a prize, the project and Mrs. Perry’s hard work and dedication caught the attention of Society members who were very impressed. They decided to honor Mrs. Perry with the Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award and to give the mentor that she worked with the Outstanding Mentor of the Year award. Her team of students were invited to the awards banquet where they presented their model of a future city and explained the features.
When Maurice Hunt, Jr., a 12th grade student at Cass Technical High School, sent his essay about the Presidential election to the Congressional Black Caucus, like everyone else, he hoped that he would be a winner. He was. For his insight and writing skills, Maurice received a $1,500 scholarship, and an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. The judges described his essay as ‘phenomenal.’ Maurice says the election was the American Dream and the most unique in the history of this country. He also added that he prides himself on education, family, leadership, perseverance and religion which were the same qualities that seemed to be the foundation of the election.
Kevin Bolden of Osborn High School has been honored with a Michigan Team Nutrition Rising Star Award for his role modeling activities. He ‘models’ healthy eating and lifestyle, exercise and good health, and enthusiastically encourages others to do the same. He was one of only about 100 students from 800 Michigan high schools in the Team Nutrition program to be so honored. Team Nutrition was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Pictured are Rodney Stuckey, Elijah Bartholomew, Jovan Rogers, Xavier Neal, Chynna Crawley and Jada Baker.
Detroit Piston, Rodney Stuckey recently paid a visit to Remus Robinson Middle School. While he was there, he probably sported a mustache…a white mustache…a milk mustache. It has become the universal symbol for the question…’got milk?’ That phrase has a special meaning at the school because they take it very seriously. The students drink milk. Because of the staff’s commitment to bettering the health of their students, they were recently awarded $1,000 from Country Fresh Dairy and the NBA. The school was selected as one of 25 of the many thousands of schools in the country that are the winners of the ‘2009 national campaign, ‘Get Fit By Finals Challenge.’ It’s part of the partnership between the ‘Got Milk ?’, Body by Milk Campaign and the NBA Fit health and wellness project. Robinson teacher Tracy Smith entered the school in the contest.
The Headstart-8th grade students at Mark Twain are the beneficiaries of a $15,000 check from Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, from their Building Healthy Communities Grant program. The funds are earmarked for an indoor climbing wall and an outdoor basketball court at the school. Those make up the ‘increase in physical activity’ aspect of the school’s healthier lifestyles program which also stresses healthy food choices and discourages the use of any tobacco products. The wall and basketball court will be accessible to the students before, during and after the school day and during the summer months. Another part of the Mark Twain program includes students from the Detroit/Mercy School of Nursing. They provide health and nutrition information for the students who are encouraged to share it with their families.
…and at Osborn High School, volunteer Mr. Kevin Bolden has been awarded a Michigan Team Nutrition- Rising Star Award by the Michigan Department of Education. He was honored for being a ‘healthy living’ role model and for his enthusiastic efforts to get the students at the school to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Looking for outstanding academic progress…look at Carstens Elementary. When the state of Michigan’s offices of Educational Assessment and Accountability and School Improvement looked at the 2005 to 2008 academic records at Carstens, what they discovered makes everyone’s heart skip a beat. The students at Carstens had increased their English Language Arts proficiency by 59% and increased their mathematics proficiency by 80%! Those number are hard to beat and they earned Carstens leadership and teaching staff the honor of being named one of the top five Title I schools in the state that made significant improvements and of being selected as a Distinguished School for ‘Exceptional Student Performance.’ Buzz on Carstens!
If you caught a performance of this year’s Nutcracker at the Detroit Opera House, among the many children on the stage was a natural born star… Sara Keene, a 10 year old 5th grade student at Coleman A. Young Elementary. She played the part of one of the dancing dolls. Sara may be new to you but she’s no stranger to the stage. In the first grade, she performed in the opera, Margaret Garner and in the 3rd grade she was in Porgy and Bess. Both productions were at the MOT. In the 4th grade she received a ballet scholarship for a special program at Marygrove College and rounded out the year with a part in “Stars of Ballet and Broadway” at The Music Hall. She is an honor student, has Received citizenship awards and she’s on the Principal’s (good) List. Sara is also a cheerleader, a member of the Future Teachers club, an active member of her Church and a budding choreographer. She was joined on stage by over 100 other children including four more from DPS-Aisha Carter and Lyrik Enoex from Spain Middle School, and Camille Hall and Callie Munn from Bates Academy.
The National Society of High School Scholars is a most prestigious academic honors organization that only has 543 members. Amanda Burden, a student at Western International, is one of the three members in the state of Michigan. Her academic diligence earned her this honor, and one of the coveted invitations sent to the membership to be special guests at the history making inauguration of Senator Barack Obama, in Washington, D.C. The invitation was provided by the Presidential Classroom Inc. Amanda carries a 3.87 GPA, she completed 2 years at the A. Philip Randolph Career Tech Center, she is a co-op student and has spent 600 hours volunteering in the community. Earlier this year, she received the Claes Noble award for high scholastic achievement and community service. This is a young lady with a great future that will get a boost as soon as she decides which one of the six colleges that have accepted her, she’d like to attend.
Walking 452 miles in 18 days is like walking a marathon everyday and that’s what Sean Shearon, a 5th grade teacher at Roberto Clemente school did. He wanted to do something to raise funds for breast cancer and raise awareness about the disease, so he walked the entire length of Michigan, from Sault Ste. Marie to Campus Martius, this summer, on behalf of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. He called it the Victory Walk. Shearon can relate to breast cancer patients and families. He lost his mother to breast cancer and was diagnosed with cancer himself when he was just a boy. His good works did not go unnoticed and he was recently honored with a prestigious Heroes of Breast Cancer award for philanthropy from the Institute. Shearon, (on the far right) was in the company of (L to R) The Most Compassionate Physician, the researcher who has identified a possible inoculation to prevent breast cancer, and an active volunteer survivor. Although his mega walk is over, he has excited his fifth graders to follow in his footsteps by participating in a mini walk-a-thon to help raise awareness about the need to help others. It will be a civics and health lesson combined into one. Good for the children and good for the community of Detroit.
The Renaissance Phoenixes and the Martin Luther King Crusaders, two of the finest bands in the Detroit Public Schools District, will proudly march in this years AMERICA’S THANKSGIVING PARADE® on Thursday, November 27th, stepping off at 9:20 a.m. from Woodward and Mack. King and Renaissance beat out four other DPS bands for the honor and will join nearly 60 other parade units in the march to Congress and Woodward. Be there to cheer them on!
Henry Ford High School student Jennora Walker was chosen as a Channel 7/McDonald’s High School Athlete of the Week . She is 17 years old and has a 3.5 grade point average. Jennora excels in cheerleading, volley ball and Track and gives to the community by coaching in the Police Athletic League. She is a student with a bright future and plans to attend Spelman College where she will major in Chemical Engineering or pre-med.
Kayla Shelton, a student at Renaissance High School, has been selected for membership in the National Society of High School Scholars. The Society only accepts the top scholars who have achieved superior academic excellence. To be tapped for membership is one of the highest honors any student can receive. It is a unique and very select organization. There is currently an average of only about 2,000 members in each of 120 participant countries. As a member of the society, Kayla will benefit from scholarship opportunities, academic competitions, free events, member-only resources, online forums and publicity.
Students at Carstens are a shining example of academic achievement and teacher Deborah Limage is a shining example of what a little elbow grease can accomplish. In 2006 and 2007, she involved her students in the Project Citizen competition. They were the first and only fifth grade students to participate in the highly respected program when the coordinators decided to let elementary grades compete. Project Citizen encourages students to take on issues that might be discussed by and of interest on the state government level. Students identify an issue, analyze it and come up with suggested solutions. They then take it to Lansing and make a presentation at a mock Legislative hearing. Those first two years, the Carstens students amazed many when they earned the second highest ranking of Exceptional! This year, their portfolio took the top honor on both the state and national levels with a ranking of Superior! It’s as good as it gets.
The winners have been selected for the statewide, Michigan Interscholastic Press Association essay contest that took place in the spring and Nor’risha Lawson, a student at Southeastern High School, took fourth place. The theme of the contest was “Why My Voice Matters’ and was sponsored by the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association. Nor'risha will be honored at the “Student Voices: Celebrating the First Amendment” event that will take place in the State Capitol Building on September 17 from 4 - 6 p.m.
Ricardo Ramirez, a student at Breithaupt CTC won second place in the nation for his Michigan Pin design for the National SkillsUSA Conference. A pin design was submitted from each state.
His pin was extremely popular and had attendees scrambling to get one.
Kayla Shelton, a student at Renaissance High School, has been selected for membership in the National Society of High School Scholars. The Society only accepts the top scholars who have achieved superior academic excellence. To be tapped for membership is one of the highest honors any student can receive. It is a unique and very select organization. There is currently an average of only about 2,000 members in each of 120 participant countries. As a member of the society, Kayla will benefit from scholarship opportunities, academic competitions, free events, member-only resources, online forums and publicity.
The winners have been selected for the statewide, Michigan Interscholastic Press Association essay contest that took place in the spring and Nor’risha Lawson, a student at Southeastern High School, took fourth place. The theme of the contest was “Why My Voice Matters.’ She will be honored at the “Student Voices: Celebrating the First Amendment” event that will take place in the State Capitol Building later this month.
Students at Carstens are a shining example of academic achievement and teacher Deborah Limage is a shining example of what a little elbow grease can accomplish. In 2006 and 2007, she involved her students in the Project Citizen competition. They were the first and only fifth grade students to participate in the highly respected program when the coordinators decided to let elementary grades compete. Project Citizen encourages students to take on issues that might be discussed by and of interest on the state government level. Students identify an issue, analyze it and come up with suggested solutions. They then take it to Lansing and make a presentation at a mock Legislative hearing. Those first two years, the Carstens students amazed many when they earned the second highest ranking of Exceptional! This year, their portfolio took the top honor on both the state and national levels with a ranking of Superior! It’s as good as it gets.
