This Week In the Ann Arbor Public Schools

March 22, 2010

This Week’s Good News!

  • Skyline High School hosted Ann Arbor’s FIRST Robotics District Competition on March 13 and several teams from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Chelsea competed. The daylong event included a series of short matches of a soccer-like game called “Breakaway.” Six robots, divided into two alliances, had to collect as many soccer balls into their goals as possible while climbing bumps and defending their territory against the other alliance. The robots, 28-inch by 38-inch by 60-inch structures of wire and metal, can weigh no more than 120 pounds, excluding batteries and bumpers.
    Team 830 from Huron High School was named Finalist Number 2 and also received the Judges Award
    Team 3322 from Skyline won the Rookie All Star Award and Highest Rookie Seed.
  • On Saturday, March 13th, Community High School's mock trial teams finished in first and third place at the Michigan High School Mock Trial Eastern Regional Tournament.  41 teams competed.  Both teams will compete in the state finals in Lansing on March 27th. The winner of the state tournament will compete in the National tournament in Philadelphia in May.  Community High is the only team in the state to have sent a team to the state finals every year since 1993.
    Team A finished in first place.  Its team members are:   Shadi Ahmadmehrabi, Savannah Dix, Mira Fishman, Jacob Garber,  Michelle Grifka, Jack Kausch, Max Lewis,   Michael Savage, Elise Wander and Garrett Wood.
    Team B finished in third place.  Its team members are:   Zack Bayoff, Sara Burakoff, Cooper DePriest, Isaac Fink, Rianna Johnson-Levy, Julia Karr, Leah Penner, Eli Sugerman and  Kelsey Teribery.
    The bailiff/ timekeeper is  Matt Morehouse.
    The teacher coach is Cheryl Grace, the attorney coach is Griffith Dick and the drama coach is Billie Ochberg.
  • The National Scholastic Press Association announced that Community High Schools’s newspaper “The Communicator” (http://www.the-communicator.org) is a finalist for the national Pacemaker award.  The Pacemaker is the highest national award for scholastic journalism; this is the first time that an Ann Arbor school has received this award for an online paper.
  • Community High School would like to congratulate Michelle Grifka for winning the National Spanish Exam Junior Travel Award.  Michelle will be able to take part in an incredible summer program free in Mexico.  Eight winners were chosen out of the entire Nation.  Each candidate needed to be recommended, write an essay and submit a recorded-on-the-spot interview in Spanish.
  • Scarlett Middle School held its Academic Honors Society ceremony on March 4.  This event acknowledges student achievement after each grade reporting quarter. Students with all As, As and Bs, and ones and twos in citizenship are awarded medals and certificates for their academic achievement and community service.  Roughly 42 percent of students at Scarlett achieved Academic Honors Society standing this past quarter, with one cohort performing at nearly 50 percent.
  • The  2010 Ann Arbor Breakfast Optimist Club Outstanding Youth Awards recipients from Pioneer are: Megan Schechtman and Justin Sherman.
  • The  2010 Ann Arbor Breakfast Optimist Club Outstanding Youth Awards recipients from Huron are;  Samantha Stymiest and Noah Collins.
  • On Wednesday March 17th, Logan fourth graders participated in the annual Disability Awareness Workshop in order to understand how difficult and complex daily living can be for individuals with disabilities. The morning activities centered on improving understanding of physical, speech, hearing, vision and learning impairments. In the gym, the students tried to maneuver a wheelchair through a doorway and get a drink of water from a fountain. They experienced prosthetic limbs and struggled to carry food while using a walker or crutches. They also attempted to eat using a spoon with a vibrating ball attached to their wrist to simulate a tremor. In the mini-theater the students wore glasses that gave them momentary vision impairments and learned to write their names in Braille. They experienced speaking with an electric larynx and handled a special clock and doorbell for people with hearing impairments. They also participated in several activities to experience reading and learning disabilities. Students walked the school and grounds with an “accessibility checklist” to discover how accessible the school is and enjoyed reporting their findings to their principal. Staff and students reported Logan rated extremely well after all of the building improvements made last summer.
  • On Friday, March 12, 2010, the 5th grade classes at Logan participated in PAL (Protect A Life From Food Allergies).  Each student (60) submitted very creative, contemplative, and compassionate essays describing how they can help protect a peer and/or other person with food allergies.
  • Haisley 4th graders also participated in a Disabilities Awareness Workshop recently as well.  These workshops are organized by the Ann Arbor Parents Advisory Committee for Special Education and they offer this training to 4th grade students every year.
  • Haisley School thanks all students and their families who raised $2,632.48 towards the Pennies for Peace Program! Their donations will be used to build schools in rural Afghanistan and Pakistan.  This amount is enough to run an existing school in these two countries for six months!  We thank teachers Gail Grady and Kristin Stoops who organized this effort with our students.
  • The following Ann Arbor school buildings have achieved Emerald Green Status by the Michigan Green Schools:
    Allen Elementary, King Elementary, Lawton Elementary, Logan Elementary and Slauson Middle School.  Mitchell Elementary and Thurston Elementary were awarded Green Status.
  • Ann Arbor teachers and students are committed to learning about Climate Change. Bach Elementary School teacher Robin Frisch-Gleason has led a series of professional development workshops for teachers to learn about our changing global climate system, and exciting ways to involve K-12 students in climate change science. Nearly 40 teachers from throughout southeastern Michigan have participated in these workshops, which have been funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and sponsored by the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History. The culminating event will be a Climate Change Student Summit (C2S2) where 14 teachers and 80 students, more than half from AAPS, will share their research and learning with similar groups in Chicago, IL (at the Museum of Science and Industry) and in Anchorage, Alaska (at the Campbell Creek Science Center). Our C2S2 Summit will take place on April 24 where we will have a live video conference with Chicago and Anchorage for students to share their thoughts and recommendations about climate change with one another, and compare climate change perspectives between the Great Lakes region and the Arctic.
    Participating AAPS teachers, each of whom are bringing 3 – 4 students to the C2S2 Summit, are:
  • Aina Bernier – AA Open @ Mack
    Robin Frisch-Gleason – Bach Elementary School
    Shaugn Kalnaraups – Lakewood Elementary School Courtney Kiley – Community High School
    Johanna Nader – Slauson Middle School
    Neha Shah – King Elementary School
    Cayla Tchalo – Carpenter Elementary School
    Jill Wesley – Lawton Elementary School.
    Other Michigan districts joining the Summit are: Flint, Lincoln, and West Bloomfield.
  • Haisley Elementary School was the recipient of a Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs' Bus Grant Program. This $500.00 award will pay for the transportation required to take all Haisley 3-5 grades to the Detroit Institute of Arts. We are very excited about this opportunity and we thank teachers Susan Haines and Nancy Schafer for following through in applying for this grant to make this a reality for our students!
  • All four of the Pioneer chorus classes participated in the Michigan School Vocal Music Association District 12 Choral Festival at Northville High School either Wednesday or Thursday, March 17 or 18, 2010. A Cappella received an excellent rating at the advanced level. Cantando and Cantare received excellent ratings at the primary level.  Bel Canto received a superior rating at the advanced level. All four choirs qualify for the Michigan School Vocal Music Association State Choir Festival.
    The members of Pioneer's Cantare Men's Chorus are:  Iman Aslani, Kenneth Augustine, Nicholas Bertoia, Tre Brown, Jedediah Davis, Michael Grobosky, Jacob Jedele, Julian Jocque, William Kryska III, Michael Kundrat, Jordie Liao, Jordan McKay, Spencer Miller, Gabriel Novak, Jackson Pilutti, Elijah Rhodenhiser, Stacy Richmond, Josh Shubin, Clark Stearns, Mark Strader, Dylan Swanson, Lukas Trierweiler, Timothy Williams, Caleb Wilson and Callaghan Wise.
    The members of Pioneer's Cantando Women's Chorus are:  Miriam Alexander, Malak Baker, Jade Bishop, Whitley  Booterbaugh, Emily Briggs, Alexandria Cadavieco, Molly Cocco, Grace Crowe, Nicole Derderian, Clare Higgins, Elise Jayakar, Athena Chang Jiang, Margaret Jones, Jordan Koenig, Clare Lauer, Alexis Losacco, Tamar Lubman, Clare McFadden, Zoe Melcher, Emily Miller-Madaj, Cimone Neal, Kyeongeun Park, Tori Parks, Abigail Paternoster, Jacqueline Portu, Lilly Scheerer, Hannah Soderborg, Chelsea Stauffer, Katherine Summers, Ruby Summers, Natalie White, Zijun Zhao, Anastasia Zolova and Lauren Zyber.
    The members of Pioneer's Bel Canto Select Women's Chorus are: Mara Abramson, Emily Ause, Elizabeth Bush, Laura Chodoroff, DeLaynna Corley, Kelsey Detering, Ramya Dronamraju, Sophia Garris, Maia Gleason, April Hadwick, Katherine Hoevet, Katherine Keller, Allison Kennedy, Kelsey King, Rebekah Lauer, Christine Lim, Suh Eun Lim, Elizabeth Morgan, Jenny Nathans, Greta Niethammer, Carlina Paull-Baird, Madeleine Polovick, Liane Racelis, Victoria Reackhof, Marielle Saunders, Stephanie See, Rebecca Shipan, Danielle Stevens, Emily Steward, Karina Stribley, Katherine Szocik, Cristina Tamer, Wen-Ching Wei, Allison Wier, Lucy Yao and Sara Yi.
    The members of Pioneer's A Cappella Select Mixed Chorus are: Marissa Alaniz, Olivia Bassett-Kennedy, Anna Benson, Stephanie Bielek, Mary Carolyn Buckingham, Darren Chiang, Nishita Conjeevaram, Julia DeVarti, Libing Dong, Robert Eisentrout, Michael Ferrara, Rebecca Fisher, Elizabeth Goldstein, Nicolas Gonzalez, Lydia Hiller, Gabriel Isa, Emily Kloska, Jai Yeong Koh, Chewon Lee, JinYoung Lee, Kiel Lerch, Vicki Li, Elizabeth Lloyd, Daniel Luan, Rachel Mann, Alex Massingill, Emilio Mateo, Stephen Merritt, Jessa Miller, Daniel Mozurkewich, Hannah Nathans, Andrew Neevel, Cara Pardon, Lydia Pavach, Hannah Pearlman, Paul Reece, Schuyler Robinson, Michael Shack, John Spalding, Emily Stearns, Shira Steiner, Cristina Tamer, Taryn Thomas, Karen Toomasian, Timothy VanRiper and Sherry Wan.
    On Saturday March 20, the Skyline High School Full Orchestra participated in the MSBOA District 12 Band and Orchestra Festival.  The Orchestra performed for three judges in the performance room and one judge in the sight reading room.  On stage the group performed Sinfonia No. 8 by Mendelssohn, L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1 by Bizet, and Danse Bacchanale by Saint-Saens.  The group is judged on Tone, Intonation, Rhythm, Technique, and Interpretation in the performance area.  All three judges gave the full orchestra a "I" rating (Superior).  In the Sight reading room the orchestra is judged on the following areas on a piece that they have never seen before.  The orchestra also received a "I" rating in sight reading.  This gave the Skyline High School full orchestra an overall rating of "I".  MSBOA ratings range from a "I" being Superior, II being excellent, III being Good, IV being Fair, and V being poor.  Congratulations to the Skyline High School Full Orchestra for a receiving a I (superior) rating.
  • The Tappan 7th and 8th grade Orchestra participated in the MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festival on Saturday, March 20, at Skyline High School and received a FIrst Division rating, the highest possible.  They were especially strong in the sight-reading portion of the event.
  • Pioneer’s Symphony and Jazz Bands will perform in China on a ten day tour during their April spring break.
  • The Pioneer Synchronized Swimming team won its second consecutive (17th overall) state title last night in Troy, MI. Completing a clean sweep of all routine events, the Pioneers racked up 182 points, ahead of runner-up Troy High School who had 163. Ann Arbor Huron was third with 144.
    The Trio competition belonged to the Ann Arbor schools, starting with champions Sachi Gianchandani, Jera Hogan, and Kayoon Jung (Pioneer), who posted a season high score of 67.000. Ann Arbor Huron’s trio of Laura Ganzel, Jackie Maeroff, and Katy Thompson was second with a score of 63.167, while Pioneer’s Rana Aljammali, Katie Holda, and Kiyoon Jung were third with 63.000.  “The trio competition is definitely my favorite” said Pioneer coach Alice Seipelt; “Trios are so much fun to choreograph and coach, and our trios were fantastic tonight.” Pioneer’s technical trio – Lindsey Averill, Natalie Johnson, and Katie Smith, finished 6th overall with a score of 55.000, placing them first among technical routines.
    The Duet competition was the most closely contested event of the evening, with just a three point range separating the top four duets in the state. Pioneer sisters Kayoon and Kiyoon Jung defended their duet title with a top score of 67.667, marking two consecutive duet championships for the sophomores. Pioneer senior Sachi Gianchandani teamed with junior Jera Hogan to capture silver with a score of 65.667. Troy swimmers Haley O’Hara and Kaylin Youn just edged out Huron’s Laura Ganzel and Katy Thompson for third place, 64.667 to 64.500. Pioneer’s technical duet of Rana Aljammali and Katie Gala were lucky number seven (57.833), besting all other technical routines and free routines from Grosse Pointe. “Earning 41 points in the duet competition was huge for our team” commented coach Seipelt. “The way the top four duets were so close to each other score wise – it could have changed things for us dramatically.”
    The Team routine competition completed the sweep of routine events for Ann Arbor Pioneer, as their free team routine beat out Troy High with another season high score of 67.750. Rana Aljammali, Katie Gala, Sachi Gianchandani, Jera Hogan, Katie Holda, Kayoon Jung, and Kiyoon Jung defended the team title for the third year in a row. The Pioneer technical team, consisting of Lindsey Averill, Natalie Johnson, Angel Li, Linda Relson, Katie Smith, and Alex Todd was fifth with a score of 57.167, ahead of all other technical routines and two free routines. Christine Etter, Sara King, Jordan Koenig, and Emily Milligan earned a season high score of 48.00 and honorable mention to round out the Pioneers' night.
    The State Championship is determined using team scores from the State Figure Finals (February 5, 2010) and the State Routine Finals. 9 Pioneer swimmers earned All State Team honors. Pioneer’s full results are listed below.
    A Figures
    2. Natalie Johnson 50.333
    5. Sara King 46.690
    6. Emily Milligan 46.180
    9. Christine Etter 44.800
    19. Linda Relson 40.533
    B Figures
    2. Lindsey Averill 52.610
    18. Angel Li 45.163
    C Figures
    1. Rana Aljammali 56.844
    6. Katie Gala 53.600
    10. Katie Holda 52.178
    D Figures
    2. Kayoon Jung 63.595
    3. Jera Hogan 61.523
    6. Sachi Gianchandani 58.036
    8. Kiyoon Jung 56.798
    Trios
    1. Sachi Gianchandani, Jera Hogan, Kayoon Jung 67.000
    3. Rana Aljammali, Katie Holda, Kiyoon Jung 63.000
    6. Lindsey Averill, Natalie Johnson, Katie Smith 55.000
    Duets
    1. Kayoon Jung, Kiyoon Jung 67.667
    2. Sachi Gianchandani, Jera Hogan 65.667
    7. Rana Aljammali, Katie Gala 57.833
    Teams
    1. Pioneer Free (Aljammali, Gala, Gianchandani, Hogan, Holda, Jung, Jung) 67.750
    5. Pioneer Tech (Averill, Johnson, Li, Relson, Smith, Todd) 57.167
    HM – Pioneer Tech (Etter, King, Koenig, Milligan) 48.000

    Pioneer Swimmers named to the 2010 Michigan High School All State Synchronized Swimming Team:
    Rana Aljammali – Trio, Team, Figures
    Lindsey Averill – Figures
    Katie Gala – Team
    Sachi Gianchandani – Trio, Duet, Team
    Jera Hogan – Trio, Duet, Team, Figures
    Katie Holda – Trio, Team
    Natalie Johnson – Figures
    Kayoon Jung - Trio, Duet, Team, Figures
    Kiyoon Jung - Trio, Duet, Team

    Overall Results (Top 3)
    • Ann Arbor Pioneer 182
    • Troy High 163
    • Ann Arbor Huron 144

Todd Roberts, Ed.D.
Superintendent