The Empowerment Project, a 54-minute documentary about “ordinary women doing extraordinary things” will be shown at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 30, in the River Raisin Centre for the Arts on S. Monroe St., Monroe.  It is the first time the documentary has been shown in Michigan.

     The showing, which also includes a live question-and-answer time with the film’s two directors, is presented by Waterloo Elementary School and sponsored by the Monroe office of Old National Bank.

     “People in Monroe County are fortunate to have the opportunity to see this life-changing documentary,” said Waterloo Elementary School Principal Lisa McLaughlin, who led the efforts to bring the documentary and two of its directors to Monroe.  “Although the film is about women making a difference and is meant to be an inspiration to girls, there is something in the film for everyone.”

     Mrs. McLaughlin said that having the two filmmakers, Sarah Moshman and Debra Michelle Cook, in Monroe to speak with the audience after the documentary and to participate in discussions, makes the upcoming event even more memorable. 

     Student tickets are $2 and adult tickets are $5.  They are available in advance by stopping at Waterloo Elementary School, 1933 S. Custer Rd., or the Monroe Public Schools Administration Building at 1275 N. Macomb St.  They also can be purchased at the door, if they still are available. 

     Disappointed by the way the media portrayed women, in 2012 filmmakers Moshman and Cook and three fellow female filmmakers embarked on a 7,000-mile one-month trek across the U.S. from Los Angeles to New York City.  On their journey, they found women who had been successful, and then talked to them about how they had achieved success in their lives.  Their central question:  “What would you have done if you were not afraid to fail?”

     Over that time period they interviewed 17 different women, including an astronaut, a beauty pageant queen, a Navy four-star admiral, the founder of Girls on the Run, an architect, a pilot, a chef and a pro athlete, among others. 

     The fruits of their labors?  This documentary video and a sense of tremendous accomplishment.

     “The mission of this film is simple – girls of ANY age can do and be anything they may want.  We have only the limits we put on ourselves and if we start to support each other and showcase some strong female role models then I believe girls will truly know they are empowered and that we can start to change the conversation,” Ms. Moshman said.

     Children can learn skills they may need to survive in the wild at the SurvivorKids Day Camp and the Advanced SurvivorKids Camp, offered by Monroe Public Schools this summer at the Knabusch Math and Science Center in Bolles Harbor.  Classes are offered to students from 1st grade through 6th grade.

     Four one-week long sessions are offered starting June 22 with young students in the morning and older students in the afternoon.  An “advanced” camp also will be offered the week of July 27 with younger campers in the morning and older campers in the afternoon.

     “The Knabusch Center is one of the learning community’s gems and works perfectly for camps like these,” said SurvivorKids camp developer and leader Nicole Shaughnessy, who also teaches science at Monroe High School.  “We have put together a week of activities which includes instruction in fishing, tracking, boating, identification, survival skills, campfire cooking, wetlands and archery, which is offered only to the older kids.”

     The weeklong camps run June 22-26; July 6-10; July 13-17 and July 20-24.  Junior campers, or those in 1st through 3rd grades, attend daily from 8 a.m. through 11:30 a.m.  For the seniors campers, 4th through 6th grade, session run 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. 

     Advance SurvivorKids Camp is designed for those who have gone through a previous SurvivorKids Camp, including this year.  Besides expanding on the basic skills shared with campers in the SurvivorKids Camps, the advance classes also include such skills as orientation, fire-building and conservation skills.  Those sessions run the week of July 27.  Junior campers attend in the morning, 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., with the senior campers attending 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

     Cost of the camp is $95 and the camps are open to any Monroe County student in that age group.  Need-based scholarships also are available for Monroe Public Schools’ students.  Registration forms will be available (starting May 26) at each of the Monroe Public Schools’ elementary schools or at the district’s Administration Building at 1275 N. Macomb St.  Parents with questions can call 734-265-3551.

The Education Foundation of Monroe Public Schools has awarded six mini-grants totaling nearly $4,000 to various programs in Monroe Public Schools.  Two awards went to teachers at Waterloo Elementary School, two to teachers at Arborwood Elementary and one each to Custer Elementary and Monroe Middle School.  Roughly half of the money awarded went to engineering and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) programs.   

     Grants were awarded to these teachers and groups:

     Ronnie Riggs and Sharon Thomas, Waterloo Elementary -- Funding the purchase of 12 STEM kits to be used at summer STEAM camps at Waterloo.  The camps will target Waterloo students who have demonstrated a high level of interest in the STEAM curriculum.  

     Kelly Davis, Kari Tackett and Melissa Bell, Custer Elementary – Provides for the purchase of 15 reusable simple machine sets and a simple machine activity pack.  Custer students will be able to use the sets to explore engineering concepts while building teamwork and communications skills.  Teachers will be encouraged to integrate use into the curriculum and families will have access to the machine kits during Family Engineering nights.  

     Kyle Reed, Waterloo Elementary – 16 MaKey-MaKey sets will be purchased to allow students to create electronically controlled inventions using basic circuitry and software.  These would be used as an enrichment activity in robotics and as a separate class for summer learning at Waterloo.

    Scott Hoppert, Monroe Middle School – Purchase of popular books and rolling file carts to create mobile libraries that can be moved from classroom to classroom to facilitate a sustained silent reading program during Trojan Family Time at MMS.

    Katie Collins and Kelly Levicki, Arborwood North Elementary  – A two-year membership for two classrooms to a website which allows students to read books on-line, have teachers print out books if the student does not have internet access at home, and which allows parents to take a more active role in their child’s reading improvements.  The program also allows the teacher to monitor student progress, even in the summer.

Chessica Oetjens, Arborwood Campus – Funds the development of a “MakerSpace” where this creation station will include various 21st century tools which the students can use to make various items.  The items to be purchased also can be used over-and-over by students to make many different items.  

2015

2nd ANNUAL MONROE GIRLS’

BASKETBALL CAMP

JUNE 15 through JUNE 18

AT

               MONROE HIGH SCHOOL  

******CLICK HERE for FLYER with MORE INFO******     /files/user/545/file/2015%20Kids%20Summer%20Camp%20Brochure.pdf

Please register by June 9, 2015.

HOW TO ENROLL

Please complete and return the registration form, release form, and a check made payable to:

Monroe Girls’ Basketball

Send to:

Monroe Girls’ Basketball

Attn: Larry Nocella

901 Herr Road

Monroe, MI 48161

QUESTIONS

Call Coach Nocella at 734.693.0178

Save the date:

July 19, 2015 Monroe Girls’ Basketball

Golf Outing

If you are interested in golfing or supporting the outing in any way please contact Larry Nocella,

693-0178 for more information.

Only a few open spots remain for youngsters wanting to register for the 2015 Safety City at the Riverside Early Learning Center, 77 N. Roessler St.  The program is open to children either attending kindergarten or Young 5s or preparing to do so in the fall.  The sessions run from June 15 through June 26.  The first session filled up quickly and only a few openings remain in the 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. sessions. 

            Registration is $55 per child for the two-week sessions and continue until all spots are filled.  In-person registrations are accepted only at the Monroe Public Schools Administration Building, 1275 N. Macomb St.  Persons also can mail in registrations to the administration building but please put “Attention Safety City” on the envelope if you mail in your payment. 

            For more information, call 734-265-3000. 

Next week, the Monroe Public Schools Transportation Department will conduct its final bus evacuation drills of this school year.  On Monday, May 18, we will practice the drills in the morning drop only for the elementary schools.  On Tuesday, May 19, evacuation drills will be performed at the morning drop for Monroe Middle School buses.  The evacuation drill for Monroe High School buses will be held Wednesday, May 20, in the morning drop only.  Students must know what is expected of them so they can respond quickly, in a safe and orderly fashion.  All drills will take place at the schools where students are dropped off in the morning.  Parents with questions can call 734-265-3300. 

Congratulations to the Monroe High School Expressions and the Generations of Sound both of which received good ratings when they competed recently at the State Choral Festival at Central Michigan University.  “What a great group of kids we have in the choirs at Monroe High School,” said MHS’ Director of Vocal Music Cate Windelborn.  “They gave beautiful performances.  We were honored to be invited and to participate in this very prestigious festival.  We had an amazing day.”  To hear recordings of the choirs performing at various times, please click on this link.  http://mhswindelborn.weebly.com/performance-recordings-2015.html

Due to forecasted inclement weather in the area, there are a number of cancellations in our district this afternoon and evening (May 11.)  All extended-day programs for math and reading in the elementary schools are cancelled for today.  All after-school tutoring programs at Monroe High School, Monroe Middle School and Orchard Center High School are cancelled for today.  In addition, there will be no GED classes tonight at Orchard Center.  All other school events scheduled for tonight, including all sports and the Custer spring concert at Monroe High School, have been cancelled.  

Due to forcasted inclement weather in the area, all extended day classes in math and reading at the elementary level are cancelled for today.

Monroe Public Schools will have a one-hour early release this Wednesday, May 13.  There will be no school on Wednesday for Orchard Center High School.