District Spotlight

Seeing our students connect with new content knowledge that they are gaining from Arts & Letters has felt joyful! I feel inspired by the way students are discussing literature and sharing their ideas through writing. Most recently, I was surprised to see their excitement and curiosity when I was dropping off new materials. They were all so eager to see what our new books would be.

Taylor Swift might be number one on the Billboard charts, but for Pioneer High School students, it’s hard to think of a bigger superstar than SpongeBob Squarepants. 

When teachers and other staff members arrived at Angell Elementary October 30th they noticed Principal Meg Fenech had brought in blue chips, blueberry bars and other snacks. They also found blue Angell tote bags that had blue ribbons inside of them. These were a small token of appreciation for all of the hard work the Angell team did over the last year-plus that led to the announcement by the Michigan Department of Education that Angell was one of only 16 schools in the state to be recognized as Blue Ribbon Schools.

Congratulations to the Pioneer Girls Field Hockey Team, led by Pioneer Teacher, Coach Jane Nixon. They won the inaugural MHSAA Field Hockey State Championship with a 2-0 victory over Dexter! This is the 4th State Championship in a row, but the first as an MHSAA-sanctioned sport.

“We want to see students get excited about access to local farm fresh produce, which is why we are so appreciative that the farmers from a few of our suppliers were able to make it to this event,” said Lily Freese, Assistant Marketing for AAPS. “We were stationed at Pattengill Elementary, and the students loved it! They would come up asking for seconds, thirds, and even to take some on the go!”

Officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department visited Slauson Middle School last week to conduct a Stop the Bleed presentation with 8th Grade Medical Detectives students.

In the Medical Detectives (MD) class, students explore the fascinating world of biomedical science by learning how to take vital signs, build a model of a neuron, and dissect a cow’s eyeball and a sheep’s brain.

The Ann Arbor Public Schools congratulates 52 students who have been named Semi-Finalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

This year, AAPS accounts for 11% of the approximately 475 students in Michigan selected for this honor. 

October is National Principal Month. Ann Arbor Public Schools students, staff and community members shared their thoughts about our principals and assistant principals.

Thank you to all AAPS principals for all that you do for our students, teachers, staff and the community.