Monroe County residents will have two opportunities Saturday, July 30, to help “stuff the bus” with school supplies as part of the “Supplying Our Future” Backpacks for Kids in Monroe County. 

The Back Pack program has a significant impact on Monroe Public Schools' students because some 60 percent of all back packs distributed go to MPS students. 

          School buses will be parked and set up to accept the school supplies donations at the Kroger store, 3462 Sterns Rd., Lambertville, and at the Kroger store at 850 S. Monroe St. in Monroe.  Collection times are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in each location on July 30.

          The Back Pack Coalition expects to distribute 1,200 back packs to children in Bedford, Monroe and Dundee prior to the start of school. 

Any school supplies donations will be accepted, including back packs, pencils, paper, rulers, crayons, and scissors. Think of it this way – the same kinds of materials you would purchase to prepare your own child to start school are the items which will be accepted. 

NashIcon 98.3 radio Monroe is a co-sponsor of the drives.  School buses were donated by Bedford and Monroe public schools.    

Scott Hoppert, who has taught in the Monroe Public Schools for 26 years and who for two years led Monroe Public Schools’ Summer Learning Academy (SLA) as its administrator, is the new principal at Raisinville Elementary School. 

     His appointment was affirmed Tuesday night (July 12) by the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education.  At Raisinville, he will succeed Dr. Mary Ann Cyr who recently resigned to accept a position as an assistant superintendent in a Wayne County public school district.

     Mr. Hoppert began with Monroe Public Schools in September 1990 and for the first 22 years was a social studies teacher at Monroe High School, the old Cantrick Middle School and at Monroe Middle School.  Since November 2012 he has been the school improvement coach at Monroe Middle School, working with classroom teachers, the administration and curricular departments to assess and improve the efficiency and proficiency of education offered at MMS.

     Throughout his years at MMS, the National Junior Honor Society – for which he was an advisor – became one of the most active groups in Monroe Public Schools, sponsoring numerous community-centered events.  Under Mr. Hoppert’s tutelage, the NJHS and MMS annually found new ways to “Light it up Blue” in honor of Autism Awareness, including last year’s text-a-thon where MMS students set a world’s record for the most texts in a five-minute period, at attempt which was carried live on two television stations. 

     As the SLA administrator, he helped to identify students who would benefit from attending “summer school,” developed an inquiry-based curriculum, secured resources, and oversaw instruction to address students’ needs to help them to achieve more academically.

     Mr. Hoppert has a bachelor of education degree from the University of Toledo, a State of Michigan Professional Certificate and completed cognitive coaching seminars.

     At Raisinville, he will head a school and staff which is preparing to become an International Baccalaureate school, the only one in Monroe County.

For the second consecutive trimester, 59 Monroe High School students achieved their Allies in Monroe (AIM) scholastic goals, earning $200 each for their successful efforts.  In all, MHS students earned nearly $12,000 for their third trimester achievements.

     The AIM program – the only one of its kind established now in Monroe County – has completed its second year at MHS.  The program, designed to be an incentive and mentoring program, already has demonstrated several of its goals in only two years of existence.  It has enhanced student achievement, increased the number of students furthering their education after high school and improved student-staff-community relationships, 

     Each student participating has a mentor called an ‘Ally” who works with and encourages the student to reach an at-least 15-percent increase in their grade point average each trimester.  More than 80 percent of the MHS teachers and staff, as well as a growing number of MPS teachers in various schools, mentor a student in the AIM program.  The program also has benefitted from a growing number of employees of local companies participating.

     In the six trimesters that AIM has been at MHS, more than 260 students achieved their goals.  In only two years, the program has paid out more than $52,000 to students. 

     Although a Monroe High School program, AIM cannot be supported with district money.  MHS teacher David Henry is the AIM program coordinator.  Persons, business or groups interested in supporting the program are asked to contact Mr. Henry at 734-265-3612. 

     Here are the students who successfully reached their AIM goals during the third trimester of the 2015-16 school year:  Jina Alley, Dane Bezeau, Angel Blake, Kristen Bolster, Madisen Boylan, Nick Bunch, Arianna Bunch, Zyonna Burris, Marcus Carey, Hope Cousino, Procopio Cusumano, Caitlin Daniels, Nya Davis, Joshua Dominguez, Taylor Ellison, Adrian Finney, Jaleene Frayer, Tyson Grant, Rachel Guimond, Brandon Gulley, Michael Harden, Madisyn Hardy, Eric Helberg, Kylee Heringhausen, Dante Holiday, Olivia Krueger, Jacob LaBeau, Ali LaFountain, Juan Marquez, Orlando Matos-Cruz, Ashley McKenzie, Johnathan McNamee, Bailey Meadows, Alexandria Merrill, Trevor Michaelis, Jacob Micheaux, Alexander Miler, Gustavo Miranda, Anthony Mora, Peyton Moran, Allyson Meyers, Erin Nichols, Tevin Nichols, Brendan Russeau, Desiree Russell, Heaven Scaggs, Brenden Scheffler, Logan Schneeman, Jordan Self, Kayla Shankleton, James Sivils, Alex Staffeld, Skylar Sortor, Sierra Sucharski, Kathryn Thornton, Anna Traver, Lauren VanKlingeren, Kaylee Watters and Khamrii Wilson.AIM

Please note -- Hundreds of back packs are given to children who attend Monroe Public Schools and this drive helps to fiill them.

Collection barrels have been placed at locations around Monroe County for persons who wish to drop off school supplies to be placed in back packs which will be distributed to Monroe County children in August.  

            The Supplying Our Future Back Pack Coalition, which is spearheaded by the Salvation Army, also includes representatives of local social service organizations, schools, churches and organized labor.  Last year, the coalition provided about 1,000 back packs to children who were in need prior to school.

            The group anticipates distributing about the same number of back packs and supplies to students this August so it maintains a large number of collection locations to make it as convenient as possible for anyone who wants to donate. 

            Donations of back packs always are welcome but the donation barrels also are a major source of donations of such items as pencils, paper, rulers, crayons, and scissors.  Think of it this way – the same kinds of materials you would purchase to prepare your own child to start school.   

            Here is a list of the donation locations across Monroe County:

• Monroe County Library System (all branches)
• Monroe County Community Credit Union (three locations)
• Education Plus Credit Union (all locations)
• Francis Family YMCA and Monroe Family YMCA
• Frenchtown Senior Center
• Monroe Center for Healthy Aging
• Bedford Senior Center
• Monroe Bank & Trust (main office)
• Kroger store, Lambertville

In addition, various local churches are participating by having a donation barrel on the premises for their parish and church members.  They are:  Calvary Baptist, First Presbyterian Church, House of Prayer, Lambertville Free Methodist, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, and St. Mary’s Parish, Monroe, St. Michael Lutheran Church, Ottawa Lake.   

Back packs will be distributed at three different locations.  The first is between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., August 12, at the Francis Family YMCA in Bedford Township. A day later, on Aug. 13, back packs will be handed out in Monroe at the Arthur Lesow Community Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Back packs also will be distributed to persons in the Dundee area through the Dundee Baptist Church, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., August 20.  Persons who still need to apply for a back pack should contact The Salvation Army and return the application by August 1.  

o by donating back packs, you are helping "our kids." 

     The Learning Bank of Monroe County will offer a one-of-a-kind new program starting this fall which will allow adults who left school a few credits shy of graduating a chance to meet the Michigan Merit Curriculum standards and earn their high school diploma. 

     The diploma program will be available to any adult learner in Monroe County, regardless of which public school district they live in.

     The program was approved recently by the Monroe Public Schools’ Board of Education.  Prior to this, the Learning Bank provided programs for adults to earn their General Education Diploma (GED) but not a high school diploma.  

     “The Learning Bank has done a great job of helping adult learners to earn their GEDs.  However, some students prefer to earn a high school diploma, especially if they are only a few credits short of that diploma,” said Dr. Barry Martin, superintendent, Monroe Public Schools. 

     Before now, adult students wanting to earn a high school diploma would have had to earn it from a high school outside of Monroe County.

     “By expanding our services at the Learning Bank, it now will be possible to provide learning opportunities necessary for many of our local adults without a high school diploma to earn a Monroe Adult Diploma,” said Vuncia Council, Learning Bank coordinator.

     Persons interested in registering or learning more about the program should contact the Learning Bank at 734-265-4200.Ad

Ryan Walentowski, who started his full-time teaching career at Orchard Center High School, has been appointed principal of the school.  His appointment was affirmed by the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education at a recent meeting.  Since last February, Mr. Walentowski has served as the interim principal of OCHS.

     Mr. Walentowski holds a bachelors degree in Kinesiology and Athletic Training from Michigan State University and has his master of arts and education in Secondary Teacher Education from the University of Phoenix.

     “I have enjoyed the time I have spent with Monroe Public Schools, and I greatly appreciate the opportunity to become an administrator and further contributing member of the district,” Mr. Walentowski said.

     After three years of being a substitute teacher in various Monroe County schools, Mr. Walentowski joined the teaching staff at Orchard Center as a physical education teacher in 2009.  During his teaching time at OCHS, Mr. Walentowski also has taught lifetime wellness, GED prep and on-line courses in health, mathematics, social studies, sciences and other elective courses to regular, at-risk, and expelled students.

     A native of the Ida area, Mr. Walentowski student taught at Dundee High School and is an assistant football coach at Ida High School.

               Monday through Thursday, through August 4, the Monroe Public Schools Summer Reading Outreach Program will be coming to a neighborhood near you.  Sessions are held from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. daily.  Listen to a read aloud, read with a younger student or friend and choose free books to take home.

          Here are the daily locations.  Pick yours and stop in.

Monday

Monroe County Library System – Navarre Library

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Ravenwood Homeowners Park

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Willow Green Park

Tuesday

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Meadowbrook Park

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Monroe Charter Township Park

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Oakridge Estates

Wednesday

Monroe County Library System – Dorsch Library

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Willow Green Park

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – South Monroe Townsite Homeowners Park

Thursday

Monroe County Library System – Ellis Library

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Oakridge Estates

Monroe Charter Township Tot Lot – Meadowbrook Park

Congratulations to Monroe High School senior-to-be Katelyn Tayler, who will participate in the  Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Lowell, Massachusetts, starting Wednesday and running through Friday of this week. 

The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who are passionate about science, technology, engineering or mathematics.  The event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the country’s top students who aspire to be scientists and technologists, to stay true to their dreams and, after the event, to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goals.

               Katey was nominated by the winner of the first Google Science Fair, Shree Bose, academic director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists, to represent Monroe based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and passion for science and technology.

               During the three-day Congress, Katy will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science winners talk about leading scientific research, be given advice from deans of the world’s top tech universities, be inspired by fellow teen science prodigies, and learn about cutting-edge advances and the future of science and technology.

Katey is only the second high school student from Monroe County to be invited to the Congress.  Last year her MHS Class of 2017 classmate, Sven Woelschlaeger, participated in the same event.  

Floreine Mentel, a member of the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education, was honored recently by the Monroe County Board of Commissioners for her many years of service to the community.  Congratulations to Mrs. Mentel -- and a special mention to her husband, Bill, who gets her to all of her appointments -- for the many years she has been active in Monroe County.  Check out the link below to read the full story.

http://www.monroenews.com/news/20160626/floreine-mentel-honored-for-her-long-time-leadership-and-public-service  

The contributions of brothers Matt and Bob Servis were hailed in a recent editorial in the Monroe News under the headline, “Retiring teachers leave a great legacy.”  Here are excerpts from that editorial.

“As another school year wraps up in the Monroe County region, we salute brothers Matt and Bob Servis and all retiring teachers.  The Servis brothers closed their careers at Monroe Public Schools last week, continuing a tradition that started with their father, Robert, who taught at Monroe High School from 1950-1985.  Matt taught at Arborwood North Elementary School for 30 years while Bob spent the last 17 years at Monroe High School.

               “The brothers were featured in a package on retiring teachers in the June 5 Monroe News.

               “The Servis brothers and their sister, Polly Servis VanAcker, who retired last year from Ida Public Schools, are part of a family that has taught for a total of 133 years, or three generations.  And it won’t stop there.  Matt’s daughter, Lauren, is a student teacher at Custer Elementary, meaning a fourth generation of teaching is under way.

               “The lasting legacy these teachers and others not mentioned here are leaving behind cannot be overlooked.  We trust generations of students, teachers and administrators who pass through these school buildings will continue to be inspired by their lessons and examples and know that ordinary teachers can make extraordinary contributions when they remain true to themselves and follow their dreams.”

Editorial praises