This Week In the Ann Arbor Public Schools

May 2, 2011

This Week’s Good News!

  • Paloma Paez-Coombe, an 8th grade student at Ann Arbor Open, wrote the winning middle school essay for the Detroit Tiger's 15th Annual Jackie Robinson Art, Essay, and Poetry Contest.  Paloma was honored during a special on-field, pregame ceremony held at Comerica Park on Friday, April 22, 2010 before the Tigers hosted the Chicago White Sox.
  • Mary Catherine O'Brien and Michelle Grifka, both seniors at Community High School, have been selected as Detroit News/CATCH Outstanding High School Graduates for 2011. Mary Catherine was selected for her outstanding contributions to the school's newspaper, the Communicator, which has once again been selected as Michigan's and the Nation's Best, winning the coveted PACEMAKER Award. Michelle was chosen for her outstanding creative and short-story writing and contributions to CHS's Free Verse literary magazine. Both students, their parents and teachers will be honored and the students will receive college scholarships at the annual CATCH Banquet at the Hyatt Hotel in Dearborn on May 24. They will also be featured in a special News section to be published May 25.
  • Two Community High School students have received the Harold Eastman Outstanding Youth Achievement Award from the Breakfast Optimist Club of Ann Arbor. The honorees are Melanie Langa, the 17-year old daughter of Lucy and Ken Langa and Murphy Austin, the 17-year-old son of John and Terese Austin.
  • On April 28 & 29, all four of the Pioneer Choirs participated in State Choral Festival.  The students traveled to Holt High School, where they performed three selections from memory and participated in a clinic with many fabulous professional and collegiate choral conductors.  The students performed admirably and represented Pioneer High School very well.  Choirs receiving Superior Rating: A Cappella (perfect score) and Bel Canto (near-perfect score).  Choir receiving Excellent Rating: Cantando, Cantare.
  • As a result of Pioneer High School Jazz Bands performance at MSBOA State Jazz festival in Jackson, MI. Three  (3) Pioneer musicians were selected to be part of the State of Michigan Jazz All-Stars.  The musicians are:  Takeo Cauley, Bari Sax; Jordan Vale, Trumpet and Max Hully, Trombone.
  • In response to the crisis in Japan, Lawton students, families and staff raised over $1,676.45 and made over 700 origami paper cranes.  The Student Service Squad along with the building Diversity Committee coordinated the effort.  Notes with baggies that held an origami paper crane were sent home to solicit donations.  The remaining cranes hang in the entry way of the building as a reminder to keep our friends in Japan in our thoughts.
  • Logan Elementary School held its first on-line auction and the initial tally was that $2,300 was raised.  All monies raised will go towards students' needs (winter clothing, eye glasses, school pictures, yearbooks, etc.).  The auction committee decided to make this an annual event to raise funds for Logan students!
  • This past week Chicago area composer Jim Stephenson visited Skyline's Symphony Band in preparation for composing a piece for the first graduating class at Skyline.  Jim not only listened to the band but had a chance to work with them and hold a question/answer session on his life, past experiences and his background on composing.  Jim's commissioned piece will be performed by the Skyline Symphony Band next spring, 2012 at it's premiere.
  • The big news is that the Burns Park Run was on Sunday.  For Community High, the bigger news is that once again, 44 students from the Personal Fitness classes ran it!  In fact, two Community students, Hannah Bogard and Galen Burrell, were overall female and male winners in the 5K!  A  quick look at all the results will show that many placed in their age group.  Even bigger, every runner who crossed the finish line, especially the 17 who crossed it after gutting out the 10K (6.2 miles), experienced the thrill of working hard to accomplish a goal that just weeks ago seemed impossible.  Many thanks to race directors Jackie and Joel Dalton and the Burns Park PTSO.
  • The USA Hockey Men's National Under-18 Team topped Sweden in overtime, 4-3, in Crimmitschau, Germany, to win the gold medal at the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Men's U18 Championship. Connor Murphy (Dublin, Ohio) had two goals, including the game-winner at 6:06 of the overtime period, and added an assist, as Team USA captured its third straight gold medal in the tournament.  The U.S. overcame a two-goal third-period deficit to send the game into overtime and eventually emerge with its sixth gold medal in tournament history (2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011).
  • As previously reported, Pioneer teacher Tracey Van Dusen, was invited to the White House to take part in a discussion about education called “Champions for Change.”  She reports that she had a wonderful time at the White House event.  She got to ride in a town car with, "Friend of Ann Arbor", Peter Cunningham, to the event and take part in a discussion of best practices with thirteen other teachers and Senior Obama Education Advisor, Roberto Rodriguez.  The teachers also gave input as to how the federal government can best support our particular districts.  They were photographed and videotaped for the White House website and will be featured in their "Champions of Change" series within the next couple of weeks.  It was very exciting.  You can view Tracey speaking via the link to the White House website:
    http://www.whitehouse.gov/champions/educators/tracey-van-dusen
  • John Boshoven, Community High School Counselor, has been selected to join the Inaugural  National Counselor Advisory Committee for the University of Chicago by James Nondorf, the Dean of College Admissions and Financial Aid.  John also serves on the Advisory Councils for the University of Michigan, University of Toledo and Wayne State University. He finished a 3-year term on the University of Georgia's Counselor Advisory Committee in 2010.
  • The Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling has bestowed its highest honor upon John Boshoven, Community High's Counselor for Continuing Education. The William Gramenz Award  is given annually to a college counselor for outstanding service to students, counseling, the profession and the association. It was presented to John at the association's annual conference in Lansing on April 15th.
Robert Allen
Interim Superintendent