Parents of Monroe Public Schools children -- If you have not yet done so, please take our confidential survey on-line. Monroe Pubic Schools annually polls its primary stakeholders – parents, students and staff – as part of ongoing school improvement efforts. The survey provides a great picture of the thoughts and perceptions of you – our Monroe Public Schools stakeholders. Here is the link to take the survey on-line. Survey concludes April 8 but take it today.
Twenty-two Monroe Public Schools students representing all MPS elementary schools placed in the recent Monroe County Science Fair, sponsored by the Monroe County Intermediate School District. In fact, eight of them won first place honors in their categories.
Here are the Monroe Public Schools’ students who placed, their category, ranking and school.
Kindergarten
Everett Kessel, Custer, first place, physical science; Mia St. Bernard, Raisinville, first place, models. Rose Bodenreider, Manor, second place, models. Gage Rippee, Manor, third place, physical science; Kathryn Disher, Custer, third place, scientific studies. Blake Bowman, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science; Mallory Braden, Manor, honorable mention, models.
First and Second Grades
Aiden Hasley, Custer, first place, physical science; Azariah Aaron, Custer, first place, models. Christopher Elliott, Raisinville, second place, physical science; Jackson Trpevski, second place, earth science. McKenna Ringle, Manor, third place, physical science. Jacob Wisler, Custer, honorable mention, life science; Jordan Nelson, Custer, honorable mention, life science.
Third and Fourth Grades
Xander Brumley, Manor, first place, physical science; Phoebe Lietaert, Manor, first place, life science; Leolaga Brown, Manor, first place, models. Emma Pasko, Raisinvlle, second place, earth science. Brady T. Kay, Custer, third place, physical science; Alana Aulph, Manor, third place, life science. Christopher Stein, Arborwood, honorable mention, physical science.
Fifth and Sixth Grades
Marissa Mahoney, Manor, first place physical science.
Eleven Waterloo Elementary School students placed and Waterloo Elementary School earned a $500 award for submitting the most posters in the World Water Day Poster Contest sponsored in Monroe by the Fluid Equipment Development Company LLC (FEDCO.)
FEDCO annually sponsors the contest locally in connection with the worldwide recognition of the importance of water. The 2016 campaign focus was “Water and Jobs: Better Water, Better Jobs.”
Waterloo students submitted 257 posters which earned the school the prize. It will be presented to the school in April. The winning posters will be on permanent display in FEDCO headquarters on Ternes Drive in Monroe.
“FEDCO is proud to support our community and spread the word about water and real jobs it creates right here in Monroe,” said Eli Oklejas, FEDCO president.
Waterloo students who were recognized for their posters were:
Kindergarten – Lily Waltbilling, first; Madelyn Bashaw, second; and Braden Dean, third.
Second Grade – Conner Simmons, second; and Ronny Waletouski, third.
Third Grade – Joshua Sutton, second; and Taylor Ray, third.
Fourth Grade – Jade Bean, second; Mallory Standifer, third.
Fifth Grade – Spencer Atwood, third.
Sixth Grade – Bethany Bashaw, second.
Monroe High School senior Darian Reed recently placed as a finalist in two competitions in the Business Professionals of America State Leadership Conference. Because of his finishes in Database and Advanced Spreadsheets, he now advances to the National BPA Conference May 5-9 in Boston. This is the second consecutive year that Darian has participated in the national finals. Last year he was 10th in the nation in Access Database.
Sodexo, food-service provider for Monroe Public Schools, held its first Future Chefs competition in the Custer cafeteria and crowned Custer 2 student Willow Johnson the winner. Elementary school students across the district were invited to submit their favorite after-school snack recipe. From a large number received, they were whittled down to five recipes as finalists. The six future chefs who submitted them were invited to come in and work with a Sodexo kitchen staff member to put together their recipes which were taste-tested by a group of judges. Willow’s “Apple Nachos” was judged the winning recipe. She won a large box of kitchen-related prizes and will represent Monroe County in Sodexo’s regional competition. Other participants were Lilly Currier and Hayleigh Byrd, Custer 1; Quinstella Penick, Raisinville; Harrison Tyner, Manor; and Addyson Marlow, Waterloo. .
The Monroe Public Schools Board of Education voted March 22 to seek bids for the demolition of South Monroe Townsite School.
In early February, Monroe Pubic Schools and the Monroe County Intermediate School District announced that the ISD’s Head Start program, which had been housed at Townsite School for the last several years, will move to Arborwood North Elementary School with the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year.
The other educational entity housed in South Monroe Townsite School – Monroe Virtual High School, the first virtual school ever established in Monroe County – will move to the Riverside Early Learning Center, 77 N. Roessler St., over the summer and start hosting its classroom sessions there in September.
Since the announcement of the Head Start move, the board of education has discussed at great length the future of the Townsite building. During that time, few public comments were submitted. However some neighbors have expressed a concern about having a vacant building in their neighborhood. SMT was closed as an elementary school in June 2009.
Two other schools which were closed at the same time – Christiancy and Lincoln elementaries – were demolished in 2011.
The honors keep amassing for the Monroe Public Schools music program with the latest accolades coming to the instrumental music program at Monroe High School.
The most recent group to garner state honors was the Monroe High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Mr. Jim Nuechterlein, which earned a Division One rating – the best achievable – at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association’s (MSBOA) State Jazz Festival. This is the fifth Division One rating the band has earned in the last six years.
The Jazz Band also had two members earn soloist awards at the recent Northview High School Jazz Festival in Sylvania, Ohio. They are Dallin Bowie, piano, who won the Outstanding Soloist Award, and trombonist Kyle Henderson, who was an Honorable Mention Soloist.
With a flute solo, MHS’ Nicholas Howerton received a Division One rating in Proficiency 1 at the MSBOA Solo and Ensemble Festival at Chelsea High School. Students perform before a judge who specializes in that particular instrument. Ratings range from one to five with a one rating being the best. Solo proficiency levels range from 1 to 3 with 3 being the hardest.
Rounding out the March competition performance schedule were the Monroe High School Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble who earned Division Two ratings for their performances at the MSBOA’s District 12 Band and Orchestra Festival in Woodhaven. They are directed by Mr. Nuechterlein. Ratings range from Division One to Division Five with Division One considered an outstanding performance.
Just before the spring break began, students at Monroe Middle School collected 1,250 personal care items as part of the personal care supply drive sponsored by the MMS National Junior Honor Society.
“This is an overwhelming number of personal care items,” said Mr. Scott Hoppert, the MMS NJHS advisor. ”This says a great deal about the kind of school community we can be when we respond to the needs of others in such a resounding way. This not only makes us proud of our school, but motivates us to keep this spirit alive in all that we do here at MMS.”
Mr. Hoppert explained that the donations now will be taken to the Education Center of the Monroe County Intermediate School District where students with significant disabilities will put them into care packages to be delivered to local support agencies who then will make sure they are delivered to local homeless and disadvantaged families.
The group that collected the most supplies was Mrs. Kristi Roecker’s Trojan Family Time class which collected 323 items. The group will receive ice cream treats for their generosity.
The Monroe Public Schools Board of Education Tuesday night (March 22) approved more than $1 million in summer work projects to improve the physical condition of four schools.
“We have an extremely energetic work schedule this summer on our buildings,” said Jerry Oley, director, Operations. “What was approved Tuesday night was about half of what we will ultimately have done this summer. We are still receiving and considering bids on a several other large projects.”
The building repairs and improvements are paid for by the district’s sinking fund, a special fund supported by a voter-approved tax designated for building repairs and thus separate from the general fund which is used for education-related spending.
The biggest project approved is the complete replacement of the Arborwood South Elementary School roof at a cost of $345,409, which was under original budget estimates. The project will include removal and replacement of nearly 50,000 square feet of roofing which is all between 18 and 22 years old. The new roofing system will come with a 20-year warranty. The successful bidder was William Molnar Roofing of Riverview, the lowest of four bidders.
Two bids totaling nearly $420,000 were approved for work at Monroe High School. One of the projects was to replace the roofs over D-Wing and F-Wing which was a low bid of $291,899 by William Molnar Roofing. The project includes replacing more than 14,000 square feet of roofing, some of which is about 30 years old. The replacement roofing system comes with a 20-year full-system warranty.
The second Monroe High School project was for cleaning and repairs to masonry on the north wall of D-wing, and three walls each for F-wing and G-wing. Each summer, masonry repairs are scheduled on different walls of MHS until all outer walls have been completed. The successful bidder among the five that were submitted was Ohio Building Restoration of Toledo at $126,261.
When students return to Raisinville School in the fall, they will find a different looking school because of the original aluminum non-thermal broken, single-glazed windows will be replaced on all sides of the building. The new windows will be a combination of fixed and double-hung windows, insulated glass and insulated panels, similar to what was installed at Monroe Middle School and the district administration building last summer. Monroe Glass Co. was the successful bidder at $237,536, which was under the original estimate for the job.
The last project approved Tuesday was a new roof over the Monroe Middle School gym this summer. Successful bidder among four submitted was Advanced Roofing of Westland at $53,500. The project will include removing and replacing about 7,000 square feet of roofing.
Perhaps Monroe High School Choral Director Cate Windelborn said it best this way. “Overall a great week for the MHS choirs.”
All four school choirs participated in the district choral festival last weekend and two of them – Expressions and Generations of Sound – received excellent ratings and will participate in the State Choral Festival in Holt, April 21. In fact, Generations received a perfect score in sight reading.
The Concert Choir and Mixed Chorus earned good ratings and the concert choir received a sight-reading score of 28 out of 30, which is superior.
Three MHS entries also earned top ratings in the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Howell on the same weekend. Freshman soloist Madison Miller, the senior duet of Brittnee Avritt and Jenna Bolster and the student-led ensemble Momentum, all received Level 1 ratings, or excellent, at the state level.
But the choirs won’t be slowing down anytime soon because in the next two months, they have the state choral festival (April 21), a performance trip to New York City (April 27-May 11,) the A Capella Festival (May 6) and the Pops Concert (May 24.)